On the Brink: How the Connecticut Governor’s Guard Nearly Became a Memory

From Military Patrol Covers to Baseball Caps: Major General Woods Pushes Back on Ongoing Uniform Changes

This Scuttlebutt Episode 11 clip features Major (GA – Retired) Beverly Shepard and Combat Veteran Major General (TX – Retired) Anthony Woods as they examine the growing nationwide transition of State Defense Force uniforms, specifically the shift from traditional OCP patrol covers to baseball caps. The discussion centers around the influence of the National Guard Bureau’s 2024 CNGBI 5500.01A policy, which encouraged Adjutants General across the country to implement more distinct uniform modifications to better differentiate their State Defense Forces from their National Guard counterparts. These changes go beyond headgear, including the adoption of bold or red nametapes, rank insignia, unit identifiers, and the now a red “SDF” patch. Major Shepard and Major General Woods highlight how these uniform adjustments are being implemented at the state level, with organizations such as the Maryland Defense Force transitioning to an OCP-pattern baseball cap, and the Virginia Defense Force adopting an OD green baseball cap. The conversation also explores how other states are evaluating similar changes under the direction of their Adjutants General. Drawing on his lifelong military career, Major General Woods firmly opposes this nationwide uniform transition, warning that it undermines the professionalism, identity, and credibility of those who wear the uniform. He emphasizes that these changes negatively impact the perception and cohesion of personnel dedicated to serving their states and communities. In his view, this transition is a mistake, and State Guard soldiers should return to the previous uniform, which closely mirrored the Army National Guard, with the distinction of a state flag in place of the U.S. flag and the State Guard name replacing “U.S. Army” on the nametape. Listen to the full podcast -> https://www.patreon.com/posts/scuttlebutt-5-on-137501761?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link [https://www.patreon.com/posts/scuttlebutt-10-4-149279954?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link] The Scuttlebutt Podcast are only available to our Patreon members [https://www.patreon.com/StateDefenseForce] – Corporal $5 Tier and above. We provide this to them as a thank you for keeping StateDefenseForce.com online and running. Through their funding we can pay authors to develop these historical pieces as well as fund our new lobbying program that furthers the State Defense Force cause nationwide.

Major General Woods on Why State Defense Forces Should Not Utilize Polos & Khakis Pants as Uniforms

In this Scuttlebutt clip, host Jean Marciniak, Director of The State Guard & Defense Force Council, co-host Major (GA-Ret.) Beverly Shepard, and special guest Major General Anthony Woods (TX-Ret.) examine the decline and eventual end of The Alabama State Defense Force, focusing the organizations transition from traditional military uniforms to khaki pants and polo shirts. The discussion highlights how that shift coincided with a sharp drop in troop strength and morale, raising broader concerns about identity and professionalism within State Defense Forces. Major General Woods goes on highlighting he firmly opposes any State Defense Force moving to polos and khakis, challenging the argument that some say "it doesnt matter what unitform you wear its about service", rejecting that premise entirely. He also voices disagreement with the National Guard Bureau’s recommendations for colored nametapes and baseball caps, emphasizing that uniforms are not cosmetic, they symbolize sacrifice, discipline, and commitment. The General underscores that soldiers volunteer to serve their state and country, often making personal sacrifices to do so, and argues that maintaining a true military uniform is a matter of pride, respect, and preserving the legitimacy of the force. Listen to the full podcast -> https://www.patreon.com/posts/scuttlebutt-5-on-137501761?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link [https://www.patreon.com/posts/scuttlebutt-10-4-149279954?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link] The Scuttlebutt Podcast are only available to our Patreon members [https://www.patreon.com/StateDefenseForce] – Corporal $5 Tier and above. We provide this to them as a thank you for keeping StateDefenseForce.com online and running. Through their funding we can pay authors to develop these historical pieces as well as fund our new lobbying program that furthers the State Defense Force cause nationwide.

On the Brink: How the Connecticut Governor’s Guard Nearly Became a Memory

In Episode 10 of Scuttlebutt we examine warning signs behind the disbandment of four State Defense Forces in just a decade, using the near-disbandment of the Connecticut Governor’s Guard in 2025 as a critical case study. In this clip, the discussion details how Connecticut’s Adjutant General (Senior Military Officer), Francis J. Evon, Jr., advanced legislation that would have removed the Governor’s Guard from the state’s military forces and restructured it as a private military entity, an unprecedented move that sent shockwaves through the State Defense Force community. Retired Texas State Guard Commanding General, Major General (Retired) Anthony Woods, offers his insight into how quickly a State Defense Force can lose relevance when it is not clearly valued, understood, or effectively utilized by its Adjutant General. The clip closes with a forward-looking discussion on what State Defense Forces must do to avoid similar outcomes, such as aligning missions with state priorities, demonstrating tangible value to their TAGs, and ensuring they are seen as indispensable assets rather than inactive organizations. Listen to the full podcast -> https://www.patreon.com/posts/scuttlebutt-5-on-137501761?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link [https://www.patreon.com/posts/scuttlebutt-10-4-149279954?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link] The Scuttlebutt Podcast are only available to our Patreon members [https://www.patreon.com/StateDefenseForce] – Corporal $5 Tier and above. We provide this to them as a thank you for keeping StateDefenseForce.com online and running. Through their funding we can pay authors to develop these historical pieces as well as fund our new lobbying program that furthers the State Defense Force cause nationwide.

No Visibility, No Force: How Social Media Determines a State Defense Force Survival

In this Episode 10 clip of Scuttlebutt, Jean Marciniak, Major General (TX – Retired) Anthony Woods & Major (GA-Retired) examine what led to the disbandment of four State Defense Forces in just a decade and zero in on a key lesson: visibility matters. The discussion highlights how a weak or inconsistent public presence can quietly erode relevance, support, and recruitment, while a State Defense Force that has multiple, active, and regularly posted social media accounts highlighting training, missions, and other events grows that State Defense Force and its mission capabilities. The hosts point to the Texas State Guard as the model to follow, noting how its Public Affairs Office empowers individual brigades to run active, independent social media pages that post consistently. That steady cadence feeds social media platform algorithms, pushing content to wider audiences and reaching veterans and civilians, who may have been unable to serve in the U.S. military due to medical issues, family responsibilities, or career obligations, a chance to serve in their State Defense Force. The result is increased exposure, steady recruitment, public awareness, a larger State Defense Force and increase mission capabilities, factors that explain why the Texas State Guard has grown into the largest State Defense Force in the nation, and why others that failed to adapt ultimately remain stagnant, shrunk or faded away. Listen to the full podcast -> https://www.patreon.com/posts/scuttlebutt-5-on-137501761?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link [https://www.patreon.com/posts/scuttlebutt-10-4-149279954?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link] The Scuttlebutt Podcast are only available to our Patreon members [https://www.patreon.com/StateDefenseForce] – Corporal $5 Tier and above. We provide this to them as a thank you for keeping StateDefenseForce.com online and running. Through their funding we can pay authors to develop these historical pieces as well as fund our new lobbying program that furthers the State Defense Force cause nationwide.

But Who Pays for Firearms Training? Examining the Case for Expanding State Defense Force Capabilities

This clip from Episode 9 of Scuttlebutt 'Should State Defense Force Recruits Undergo Firearms Training During Basic Training?' explores how such training would be funded including costs for weapons access, ammunition, qualified law enforcement instructors, and range use. The discussion emphasizes that achieving this capability is closely tied to structurally separating State Defense Forces from the Adjutant General and state military departments, reestablishing them as a separate state military organization still operating under their own state Uniform Code of Military Justice and military rules and regulations. This model follows The Florida State Guard, which was recently re-activated, and it would provide a larger, guaranteed annual budget, greater mission flexibility, improved coordination with other state agencies, and most importantly the ability to deploy faster than the National Guard for domestic missions such as wildland firefighting, shelter management, and point-of-distribution operations during emergencies. The episode highlights the Florida State Guard as a modern example of this structure, noting that it has received the largest State Defense Force budget in history, totaling tens of millions of dollars. The episode reinforces that the National Guard should focus on its primary warfighting mission, arguing that frequent domestic taskings, such as disaster response, border operations, and filing sandbags because a river or lake overflowed, reduces the combat readiness and erodes proficiency in soldiers’ MOS (Military Job) skills when deployed to overseas conflict zones, and that these domestic missions shoule be the primary role of State Defense Forces which are trained directly to perform these missions. Listen to the full podcast -> https://www.patreon.com/posts/scuttlebutt-5-on-137501761?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link [https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-9-should-146620238?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link] The Scuttlebutt Podcast are only available to our Patreon members [https://www.patreon.com/StateDefenseForce] – Corporal $5 Tier and above. We provide this to them as a thank you for keeping StateDefenseForce.com online and running. Through their funding we can pay authors to develop these historical pieces as well as fund our new lobbying program that furthers the State Defense Force cause nationwide.