Serious challenges
However, those hoping the guard will be able to help with a major speedup may be disappointed.
The National Guard operates independently in all 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia. In most cases, it is activated by the governor. Overall, the nation s 54 guard units have 450,000 service members at their disposal. During the early days of Covid in the U.S., almost 50,000 were deployed to help with testing, but most of those deployments have ended.
Despite the capabilities and expertise in a variety of areas, the guard generally isn t assigned a lead role. Instead, guard units are mostly prepared to supplement existing resources in state and county health departments.