DeSantis revives WWII state guard, controls it as personal militia
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The armed force's budget reaches a staggering $107.5 billion funded by the state despite having no jurisdiction over its operations.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a rally ahead of the midterm elections, in Hialeah, Florida, US, November 7, 2022 (AFP)
Republican Florida state Governor and US presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has built his own armed militia comprising former army veterans under the guise of a civilian disaster relief force, The Guardian reported on Sunday, citing an investigation by the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times.
The armed group is a revival of the state guard, a domestic paramilitary band that has been dormant since the Second World War.
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According to the news site, veterans that resigned earlier said they have become concerned about the "militaristic" nature of the training, while also reporting "abuse" a disabled veteran suffered from by the instructors.
Announcing its establishment in 2022, DeSantis described the group as an "emergency focused, civilian defense force,” but it quickly transformed into something entirely different after recruits started receiving military combat training using arms while wearing camouflage uniforms instead of the usual khaki shirts and pants, the investigation said.
“The program got hijacked and turned into something that we were trying to stay away from: a militia,” Brian Newhouse, a retired Navy veteran with 20 years of service, told reporters, expressing further concerns over the fact that the training was conducted by national guards.
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The program budget, which was first passed by a Republican-led state legislature close to DeSantis, jumped from an initial $10 million to a massive $107.5 million, which helped the force expand its equipment and size. Under the new payment, the number of recruits rose from 400 to 1,500 combat-ready veterans.
Helicopters, boats, and cyber software for hacking purposes were on the list of items to be acquired by the state-funded, yet outside federal jurisdiction, militia.
The abuse allegation, which prompted a police investigation, pertains to an incident involving a disabled retired marine captain who claimed to have been forcefully placed into a van by national guard personnel. This incident occurred after he voiced his dissatisfaction with the treatment of recruits.
“I don’t even think the governor knows what’s going on. I don’t think this is a fly on his radar right now,” Newhouse said, noting that DeSantis is a former Navy lieutenant. “He would be appalled that a disabled veteran would be abused by other military members.”
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According to Newhouse and two other veterans who quit the program, the trainers were inexperienced and the boot camp was “slapdash”.
Confirming the change of the force's mission, Maj Gen John D Haas, Florida’s adjutant general overseeing the state’s national guard, told the investigating newspapers that it is now a “military organization" that will be tasked to aid "law enforcement with riots and illegal immigration”.
