Who is the United States militia?

Who is the United States militia?

(a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32 , under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are …

Is the US Army a militia?

Subsidiary elements, considered militia, include the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard, plus the Army Reserve, the Navy Reserve, the Marine Corps Forces Reserve, the Air Force Reserve, and the Coast Guard Reserve, which collectively constitute the National Guard of the United States.

How many US states have a militia?

Twenty-two states and Puerto Rico have some form of State Defense Force or Naval Militia, or both, each with different levels of activity, state support and strength, and oriented mainly toward emergency management and homeland security missions. Training standards vary widely from state to state.

What can a militia do?

Generally unable to hold ground against regular forces, militias commonly support regular troops by skirmishing, holding fortifications, or conducting irregular warfare, instead of undertaking offensive campaigns by themselves.

What states have a militia?

Currently, only Ohio, Alaska and New York have uniformed naval militias. Only California, Vermont, and Puerto Rico have an air wing, though Indiana formerly had an Air Guard Reserve.

Can a state have its own army?

Nearly every state has laws authorizing state defense forces, and twenty-two states, plus the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, have active forces with different levels of activity, support, and strength. State defense forces generally operate with emergency management and homeland security missions.

Is the National Guard a militia?

All members of the National Guard of the United States are also members of the organized militia of the United States as defined by 10 U.S.C. § 246. National Guard units are under the dual control of the state governments and the federal government.

Who controls a militia?

The Federal Government may call out the militia in case of civil war; its authority to suppress rebellion is found in the power to suppress insurrection and to carry on war. The act of February 28, 1795, 1786 which delegated to the President the power to call out the militia, was held constitutional.

Can civilians fight in wars?

As discussed, civilians can participate in war only if they are organized for this purpose. Modern armies that waged or had waged wars in the past ten years had to invent systems to distinguish between combatants; participators on different levels, who were organized by non-state actors; and innocent non-combatants.

Is it legal to become a mercenary?

The use and recruitment of mercenaries are legally forbidden by the 1989 International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries. A mercenary is defined as any person who is specially recruited locally or abroad in order to fight in an armed conflict.