The Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army. The Army National Guard is part of the United States National Guard. Maintained by the National Guard Bureau, units are under command of the state's governor. When the unit is federalized, the unit falls under the command of the President of the United States.

Like the United States Army Reserve, many members usually serve "One weekend a month, two weeks a year", although many members also serve full-time in order to maintain units, and many units have become more active in military operations in recent years.

The Army National Guard is the oldest branch of the U.S. military, tracing its origins back into American colonies as far back as 1636. English colonist needed to protect themselves and drew civilians into organized militias.

In the 20th century, 40% of the National Guard made up combat forces during World War I. Guard membership doubled in 1940, and provided 19 division during World War II. Later, 138,000 guardsmen were deployed for Korea, and many other smaller deployments. After September 11, the Army National Guard has been used extensively in Afganistan and Iraq.

References

• http://www.ngb.army.mil National Guard Web Site
• http://www.arng.army.mil Army National Guard Web Site
• http://1800goguard.com Army National Guard Recruiting