Ohio Military Reserve

Ohio Military Reserve
Abbreviation	OHMR
Motto	Ohio's Own
Type	State Defense Force
Headquarters	Haubuch Armory Columbus, Ohio.
Region served	Ohio
Commander	BG (OH) Charles S. Rowell
Parent organization	Ohio National Guard
Website	http://ohmr.ohio.gov/

The Ohio Military Reserve (OHMR) is a military force which supports the State of Ohio along with the Ohio Army National Guard and Ohio Air National Guard in times of natural disaster and state and national emergencies.

The Ohio Military Reserve serves under the Governor as Commander in Chief through the office of the Adjutant General of Ohio (Major General Deborah A. Ashenhurst) and is headquartered at the Haubuch Armory in Columbus, Ohio.

DESCRIPTION

The OHMR is categorized as a State Defense Force, also called State Guards or Military Reserves, which occupy the third tier of military forces along with the service auxiliaries (The other two tiers are the active armed services and the National Guard/Reserves). About half the states have such organizations and all the states are authorized to form them under Title 32 of the U.S. Code. The Ohio Military Reserve is itself authorized under Section 5920 of the Ohio Revised Code.

The OHMR has recently reorganized (see below) to a brigade consisting of two battalions of two companies each with an authorized strength of approximately 500 personnel and is commanded by a brigadier general. The Table of Organization provides for a third battalion and a third company in each existing battalion. The brigade’s Army-certified Food Service Section routinely supports National Guard as well as OHMR units. There are also Medical, JAG, and Chaplain detachments which interface directly with their National Guard counterparts.

Effective 1 July 2011 the Adjutant General has re-designated the OHMR Civil Support and Sustainment Brigade to the 4th Civil Support and Sustainment Brigade (CSSB)

PERSONNEL AND TRAINING

Approximately half of all OHMR soldiers have served in various branches of the US Armed Forces. Enlistment is voluntary, however all soldiers swear an oath of enlistment or appointment. Officers hold state, not federal, commissions. Units are co-located in state-owned Readiness Centers (armories) with National Guard units across the state. Most units drill one weekend a month and all troops must attend one week of training annually (Annual Training, or AT). AT is generally held in mid-September at Camp Perry Joint Training Center in Port Clinton, Ohio. In the past, troops trained with pistols and shotguns, however, the cost of maintenance and annual re-certification has caused this training to be dropped. Although they are covered by the State’s insurance and workers’ compensation program, soldiers are not paid for their training time or AT period. However, if mobilized, they would be compensated. OHMR personnel are protected by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act (USERRA) which addresses military leave from employment for both training and deployment.

Members of the OHMR wear woodland pattern BDUs/TRUs with no immediate plans to adopt the ACU as some other state guards have done. The OHMR green service uniform (class A and B) is the same as the Army's green service uniform with the exception of a red, rather than black, nameplate, OHMR buttons, and SDF specific insignia. Both the dress green uniform (enlisted only) and dress blue uniform are authorized for formal and evening functions. The OHMR wears the old-style garrison cap with the service uniform, with the execption of some honor guard details which wear the black beret with the red "state defense force" flash worn by some other states.

Promotions are dependent on time in grade / time in service, satisfactory duty performance (including drill attendance), and completion of professional development courses, as per the OHMR promotion matrix.

The OHMR maintains a military training academy to conduct state versions of standard Army professional development courses such as Basic Entry Level Training (required for all non-prior service personnel), Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, and the Basic Officer Course. Advanced Officer and NCO coursework consists largely of online courses available through the Army Correspondence Course Program and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Other branches of the military such as the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force also open their courses to State Guard personnel.

REORGANIZATION

Recently, the OHMR has been undergoing a reorganization which is more mission focused. The first step has been to change its Military Police designation to Civil Support and Sustainment units. This is more in keeping with the OHMR's mission to provide support to both civil and military authorities during natural disasters and homeland security incidents.

The Adjutant General of the State of Ohio (TAG) has directed that the OHMR be mission ready by FY 2012-2013 to assume taskings to support Emergency Support Function (ESF) 6 and ESF 7 operations. To this end, the TAG has created a road map for the OHMR to achieve this and will provide the support to ensure this goal is attained.

Effective 01 October 2009, the OHMR began a 3 year transformation process that will take it from its former mission as a cadre state defense force held in reserve to its current mission as an active force to aid in operating mass care facilities (ESF 6) and warehouses, distribution centers, and support facilities (ESF 7), and to support the coordination of volunteer activities in the event of major natural disasters or attacks on the homeland. This transformation began in August 2009 and will end with a fully operational organization in 2012.

The need for this type of military element became apparent following Hurricane Katrina. This transformation emphasizes the fact that the OHMR consists of a willing, all-volunteer organization that can assume duties normally performed by uncoordinated and unorganized volunteers during natural disasters and other contingencies. Their presence will ensure basic essential functions are performed in a timely, organized manner, and will free up essential manpower and time for other critical functions.

The OHMR has a "sister service", the Ohio Naval Militia which operates out of Camp Perry, located near Port Clinton, Ohio.

References

• [1] National Guard Regulation 10-4 State Defense Forces, National Guard Bureau, State National Guard Interaction

Resources

• Ohio Military Reserve Website
• Ohio Military Reserve Association Website