National Guard

National Guard, volunteer reserve groups of the U.S. Army and Air Force, authorized by the Constitution and organized in 1792. The National Defense Acts of 1920 and 1933 empower the president to call up units in time of national crisis (e.g., the Korean War, 1950–53). Governors may call up state units during strikes and riots (e.g., Detroit and Newark, 1957). In peacetime a guard attends 48 drill sessions initially and a 2-week training camp annually.