The uniqueness and confusion surrounding the National Guard is duality. The National Guard is guaranteed by the US Constitution, and it is shared and separated as a military organization among the states and the federal government under separate statutory laws. Therefore, the National Guard functions as a state organization and a federal force. Yet, the two statuses are inseparable; members join both at the same time. The National Guard is state-based and state organized but mostly funded by the federal government, trained to federal standards and has a federal mission. Governors supposedly control their state militias, yet, history demonstrates otherwise. Through the evolution of statutory and case law, the federal government has eroded state control despite constitutional guarantees. | The National Guard's Dueling Banjos by Jon B Mordan, Paperback | Indigo Chapters