Does Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Really Want His Own Private Army?

Or are his opponents simply overreacting?

There are some key points to notice in the actual story, regardless of the politics of the site reporting it. DeSantis wants to restart a program that has existed since 1941 and that is currently in place in 22 other states, including the red state of Texas and the blue states of California and New York, so on the surface it’s not necessarily a political issue. The federal government began allowing the creation of State Guard units when the National Guard units of most states were deployed overseas during the Second World War. Most of these went inactive following the war, but the program was never officially halted.

DeSantis claims that he needs these units to better respond to crisis situations in Florida like hurricanes or other natural disasters, and it is true that the Florida National Guard has been stretched thin dealing with hurricanes as well as helping with the administration of COVID-19 tests and vaccines. He has also sent Florida National Guard units to the Texas/Mexico border recently, showing unusual solidarity with his likely 2024 rival for the Republican presidential nomination, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (assuming a certain former president who will not be named decides not to run, of course).

Given all of this, the Fox News headline above initially seems the most reasonable, while The Guardian’s use of the word “paramilitary” seems designed to be alarmist. However…

It is no coincidence that DeSantis has decided to revive a State Guard at precisely the moment when Secretary of Defense Lloyd…

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