Maine Department of Defense, Veterans, and Emergency Management

The Maine Department of Defense, Veterans, and Emergency Management (DVEM) is a government agency in Maine. It comprises the two components of the Maine National Guard, the Maine Army National Guard and the Maine Air National Guard, the Bureau of Veterans' Affairs, the Maine Emergency Management Agency, and when it is active, the Maine State Guard. The Adjutant General of Maine, Brigadier General Doug A. Farnham, commands the Maine National Guard and serves as the State's Commissioner of Defense, Veterans, and Emergency Management (DVEM). The Maine Army and Air National Guard has responded to every call of the State and Nation since before the Revolutionary War. Their soldiers and airmen are trained to high standards and are ready to respond to combat missions, domestic emergencies, counterdrug efforts, reconstruction missions and more. ^[1]

Bureau of Veterans' Affairs

Maine Veterans' Services was established in 1947. The Bureau's main office is located at Camp Keyes in Augusta. The Bureau comes under the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management. In addition to the main office, the Bureau has six field service offices strategically located throughout the state and a claims office located at the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Togus, Maine. The Maine Veterans' Memorial Cemetery system is also a part of the Bureau and consists of two cemeteries located in Augusta and Caribou. The Bureau is currently in the planning stages for the development of another cemetery in Springvale.^[2]

Maine National Guard

The Maine National Guard consists of the Maine Army National Guard and the Maine Air National Guard. The Guard is administered by the adjutant general, an appointee of the governor of Maine. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. Those functions range from limited actions during non-emergency situations to full scale law enforcement of martial law when local law enforcement officials can no longer maintain civil control.

The National Guard may be called into federal service in response to a call by the President or Congress. When National Guard troops are called to federal service, the President serves as Commander-in-Chief. The federal mission assigned to the National Guard is: "To provide properly trained and equipped units for prompt mobilization for war, National emergency or as otherwise needed." The Governor may call individuals or units of the Maine National Guard into state service during emergencies or to assist in special situations which lend themselves to use of the National Guard. The state mission assigned to the National Guard is: "To provide trained and disciplined forces for domestic emergencies or as otherwise provided by state law." The current adjutant general for the Maine National Guard is Brigadier General Douglas A. Farnham.

The headquarters for the Maine National Guard is at Camp Keyes in Augusta, Maine.

Maine Army National Guard

The Maine Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization. National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau.

The Maine National Guard was officially established in 1820 as a State Militia, when Maine entered the Union (as a result of the Missouri Compromise). Forty years later, more than 72,000 Soldiers from Maine fought to preserve the Union during the Civil War (1861–65).^[3]

Maine's Army National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army. The same ranks and insignia are used and National Guardsmen are eligible to receive all United States military awards. The Maine Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in or to the state of Maine.

The Maine Army National Guard is composed of 48 units spread across approximately 29 armories and is present in 26 communities in Maine. The headquarters of the Maine Army National guard is located at Camp Keyes in the state capitol, Augusta, Maine

The larger units in the state specialize in:

Engineering and construction - 133rd Engineer Battalion
Aviation - 142nd & 126th Aviation Companies

Smaller unit's specialties include:

Military police
Transportation and maintenance
Infantry
Headquarters related support units
Full List of Units

In addition, the Maine National Guard includes the 11th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team. The 11th WMD CST was of the first of the now 57 teams that are spread across the United States of America that is tasked with immediate, less than 4 hour response to any unknown chemical, biological, and/or radiological incident. The joint Army/Air Guard team can self-sustain for 72 hours of continuous operation and is constantly training to stay on top of the technology and techniques for sampling, evidence collection, identification, and education of the possibilities that the team may be alerted for.

Maine Air National Guard

The Maine Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Maine. It is, along with the Maine Army National Guard, an element of the Maine National Guard. It is considered a part of the United States Air Force, as well as its state mission.

Today, the Maine Air National Guard consists of three units:

101st Air Refueling Wing, at Bangor ANGB (the former Dow Air Force Base) which operates the KC-135R.
243rd Engineering and Installation Squadron.
265th Combat Communications Squadron, both based in South Portland, ME.

Maine Emergency Management Agency

At the State level MEMA coordinates the mitigation (risk reduction) preparedness, response and recovery from emergencies and disasters such as floods, hurricanes, earthquakes or hazardous materials spills.

MEMA also provides guidance, and assistance to county and local governments, businesses and nonprofit organizations in their efforts to provide protection to citizen and property, and increase resiliency in the face of disaster. The Agency uses strategies such as planning, training, exercise and public education to carry out its mission.

Since 2001, MEMA has been the focal point for the implementation of programs regarding Homeland Security, integrating these concerns into its all-hazard mission.^[4]

Maine State Guard

The Maine State Guard is the currently-inactive state defense force of Maine, which replaced the Maine National Guard and performed their stateside duties during World War II^[5] and the Vietnam War.^[6] The state guard is currently inactive. However, it may be reactivated at the Governor's discretion.^[7]

References

^ "Home".
^ "Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services".
^ http://www.me.ngb.army.mil/about/history/links.php ^{[dead link]}
^ "MEMA: About Us". Archived from the original on 2006-09-09.
^ "Maine Aviation Museum Guide". Skytamer Images. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
^ Stentiford, Barry M. (2002). The American Home Guard: The State Militia in the Twentieth Century. Texas A&M University Press. 174, 213. ISBN 1585441813. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
^ "§224. Maine State Guard". The Official Website of the Maine Legislature. Retrieved 19 May 2018.

External links

Maine Army National Guard
Maine Air National Guard
Bibliography of Maine Army National Guard History compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History

National Guard: Army National Guard and Air National Guard

States

Federal district
and territories

Air National Guard

State and territorial units	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Centers	Air National Guard Readiness ANG AFRC Test ANG Weather Readiness I.G. Brown Air National Guard Training and Education

Wings and Groups

Wings

Composite	108th 113th 118th 119th 127th 140th 154th 175th 176th 178th 188th
Air Control	116th
Airlift	103d 105th 107th 109th 120th 123d 130th 133d 136th 139th 143d 145th 146th 152d 153d 156th 164th 165th 166th 167th 172d 179th 182d 189th
Air Refueling	101st 117th 121st 126th 128th 134th 137th 141st 151st 155th 157th 161st 168th 171st 185th 186th 190th
Attack	110th 174th
Bomb	131st
Fighter	52d* 53d* 54th* 55th* 60th* 61st* 62d* 63d* 66th* 67th* 71st* 86th* 104th 106th* 111th 114th 115th 122d 124th 125th 132d 138th 142d 144th 148th 149th 150th 159th 162d 169th 173d 177th 180th 183d 187th 192d
Intelligence	102d 181st 184th
Reconnaissance	147th 163d
Regional Support	194th
Rescue	106th 129th
Special Operations	150th 193d

Groups

Composite	170th
Airlift	135th*
Air Operations	102d 152d 157th
Air Refueling	112th* 127th 160th*
Combat Communications	162d 163d 201st 226th 252d 254th 281st*
Cyberspace Engineering Installation	251st 253d
Operations	140th
Reconnaissance	214th

Squadrons

Flying

Air Command and Control	128th
Airlift	109th 115th 118th 130th 135th* 137th 139th 142d 143d 144th 155th 156th 158th 164th 165th 167th 169th 180th 181st 183d 186th 187th 189th* 192d 198th* 200th 201st 204th 249th
Air Refueling	106th 108th 116th 117th 126th 132d 133d 141st 145th* 146th 147th 151st 153d 166th 168th 171st 173d 174th 191st 197th 203d
Attack	103d 105th 111th 124th 136th 138th 160th 162d 172d 178th 184th 196th 214th
Bomb	110th
Fighter	100th 104th 107th 112th 114th 119th 120th 121st 122d 123d 125th 131st 134th 148th 149th 152d 157th 159th 163d 170th* 175th 176th 179th 182d 190th 194th 195th 199th
Rescue	101st 102d 103d 129th 130th 131st 188th 210th 211th 212th
Special Operations	150th 185th 193d
Training	154th

Non-Flying

Air Control	103d 109th 116th 117th 123d 128th 133d 134th 141st 176th 255th
Air Operations	112th
Air Support	113th ASOS 172d
Air Traffic Control	243rd 245th 270th
Civil Engineering	285th Civil Engineering Squadron
Combat Communications	143d 147th 149th 206th 221st 222d 223d 225th 228th 231st 232d 234th 236th 239th 240th 242d 244th 256th 261st 262d 263d 264th 265th 267th 269th 271st 272d 280th 282d 283d 291st 292d 293d
Command and Control	119th 127th 153d 222d
Engineering Installation	130th 202d 205th 210th 211th 212th 213th 214th 215th 217th 218th 219th 220th 241st 243d 270th 272d
Force Support	187th
Information Warfare Aggressor	177th
Intelligence	101st 117th 123d 152d 161st 194th 234th
Joint Communications Support	224th 290th
Logistics Readiness	187th
RED HORSE	202d 203d 819th
Security Forces	187th
Space Control	114th
Space Operations	111th 148th
Space Warning	137th 213th
Special Operations Communications	193d 280th
Special Tactics	125th
Asterisk (*) denotes an inactive unit