national guard
National Guard. The U.S. militia, which is maintained as a reserve for the U.S. Army and Air Force. • Its members are volunteers, recruited and trained on a statewide basis and equipped by the federal government. A state may request the National Guard’s assistance in quelling disturbances, and the federal government may order the National Guard into active service in times of war or other national emergency. See MILITIA(1). [Cases: Armed Services 5; Militia 1–22. C.J.S. Armed Services §§ 13–17, 288–298.]