Florida may be one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S., but its National Guard is having challenges keeping up, one military leader said.
Compared to other states, the Florida National Guard ranked 53rd out of 54 in the guardsmen-to-citizen ratio, said Major General John Haas, an Adjutant General of Florida with the Department of Military Affairs.
Haas warned during a Senate hearing that the Florida National Guard should be more than double its current size. He said Florida has the same size force as much smaller states like Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.
“We’re not having the same success in retention and in fact, we failed to meet our retention goals. We ended the year at 90%,” Haas said Tuesday. “The Florida National Guard struggles to meet the growing demands of our force.”
Haas spoke to lawmakers during the start of committee week as he warned about challenges ahead amid a hiring freeze for recruiters. He said some members don’t want to reenlist because of the busy deployment and training schedule. Currently, Florida Guardsmen are called out 106 days a year. That’s above the statutorily required 39 duty days.
“At some point, life gets hard and they have to make a choice and 106 days is untenable,” Haas said.
The role of the National Guard is in the spotlight as some states deploy troops to Portland, Oregon, and Chicago amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown.
Illinois and Oregon have fought back in court, arguing that the National Guard deployment in their cities was dangerous and unlawful.
Haas did not discuss the situation during Tuesday’s Senate Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security.
To cover Florida’s more than 23 million people, the National Guard has about 12,000 volunteer members. Some have been called on to help with Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts, Florida Department of Corrections shortages and securing Florida’s border, he said. Guardsmen also were deployed when Hurricanes Debbie, Helene and Milton hit.
The National Guard has “dual state and federal requirements” since troops can be called to handle national security objectives or help with state emergencies and disasters, Haas said.
As of Sept. 26, 512 service members are currently deployed, he said.
“Over the next 12 months, we’ll deploy an additional 2,159 service members in support of federal mission requirements and our combat command,” Haas said.
–Gabrielle Russon, Florida Politics
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