The 6 most powerful US states, ranked by National Guard forces that are bigger than some countries'

Defense1 min read

• As of December 2018, nearly 430,000 Americans served in the US Army and Air National Guard, according to Department of Defense data.
• Guard members sign up to commit one weekend a month and two weeks per year for training - but are often asked to sacrifice much more in service to their state and country.
• Between September 2001 and September 2015, some 428,000 members of the National Guard were sent on deployments.
• These troops also answer the call when disaster strikes their home states, like the recent fires in California and during Hurricane Harvey.
• When it comes to capabilities, no two states are alike - we ranked the top six, measuring everything from sheer size of force to whether the state has special forces, strike, and a brigade combat team. Overall, we found Texas has the most capable National Guard.