Ohio Military Reserve
Encyclopedia
The Ohio Military Reserve (OHMR) is a military force which supports the State of Ohio along with the Ohio Army National Guard
Ohio Army National Guard
The Ohio Army National Guard is a part of the United States National Guard and a reserve component of the United States Army. It is also a component of the organized militia of the state of Ohio, which also includes the Ohio Naval Militia, the Ohio Military Reserve and the Ohio Air National Guard...

 and Ohio Air National Guard
Ohio Air National Guard
The Ohio Air National Guard is a part of the United States National Guard and an Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is composed of approximately 5,000 airmen and officers assigned to four flying wings and eight non-flying support units. OHANG units are based in Columbus,...

 in times of natural disaster and state and national emergencies.
The Ohio Military Reserve serves under the Governor as Commander in Chief through the office of the Adjutant General of Ohio (Major General Deborah A. Ashenhurst) and is headquartered at the Haubuch Armory in Columbus, Ohio.
DESCRIPTION
The OHMR is categorized as a State Defense Force, also called State Guards or Military Reserves, which occupy the third tier of military forces along with the service auxiliaries (The other two tiers are the active armed services and the National Guard/Reserves). About half the states have such organizations and all the states are authorized to form them under Title 32 of the U.S. Code. The Ohio Military Reserve is itself authorized under Section 5920 of the Ohio Revised Code
Ohio Revised Code
The Ohio Revised Code contains all acts passed by the Ohio General Assembly and signed by the governor. The Ohio Revised Code replaced the Ohio General Code in 1953. However the current organization and form of the Ohio Revised Code Title 29 was completely re-written and issued into law by the...

.
The OHMR has recently reorganized (see below) to a brigade consisting of two battalions of two companies each with an authorized strength of approximately 500 personnel and is commanded by a brigadier general. The Table of Organization provides for a third battalion and a third company in each existing battalion. The brigade’s Army-certified Food Service Section routinely supports National Guard as well as OHMR units. There are also Medical, JAG
JAG
JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions...

, and Chaplain detachments which interface directly with their National Guard counterparts.
Effective 1 July 2011 the Adjutant General has re-designated the OHMR Civil Support and Sustainment Brigade to the 4th Civil Support and Sustainment Brigade (CSSB)
PERSONNEL AND TRAINING
Approximately half of all OHMR soldiers have served in various branches of the US Armed Forces. Enlistment is voluntary, however all soldiers swear an oath of enlistment or appointment. Officers hold state, not federal, commissions. Units are co-located in state-owned Readiness Centers (armories) with National Guard units across the state. Most units drill one weekend a month and all troops must attend one week of training annually (Annual Training, or AT). AT is generally held in mid-September at Camp Perry
Camp Perry
Camp Perry is a National Guard training facility located on the shore of Lake Erie in northern Ohio near Port Clinton. In addition to its regular mission as a military training base, Camp Perry also boasts the largest outdoor rifle range in the world...

 Joint Training Center in Port Clinton, Ohio. In the past, troops trained with pistols and shotguns, however, the cost of maintenance and annual re-certification has caused this training to be dropped. Although they are covered by the State’s insurance and workers’ compensation program, soldiers are not paid for their training time or AT period. However, if mobilized, they would be compensated. OHMR personnel are protected by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act (USERRA) which addresses military leave from employment for both training and deployment.
Members of the OHMR wear woodland pattern BDUs/TRUs with no immediate plans to adopt the ACU as some other state guards have done. The OHMR green service uniform (class A and B) is the same as the Army's green service uniform with the exception of a red, rather than black, nameplate, OHMR buttons, and SDF specific insignia. Both the dress green uniform (enlisted only) and dress blue uniform are authorized for formal and evening functions. The OHMR wears the old-style garrison cap with the service uniform, with the execption of some honor guard details which wear the black beret with the red "state defense force" flash worn by some other states.
Promotions are dependent on time in grade / time in service, satisfactory duty performance (including drill attendance), and completion of professional development courses, as per the OHMR promotion matrix.
The OHMR maintains a military training academy to conduct state versions of standard Army professional development courses such as Basic Entry Level Training (required for all non-prior service personnel), Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, and the Basic Officer Course. Advanced Officer and NCO coursework consists largely of online courses available through the Army Correspondence Course Program
Army Correspondence Course Program
The Army Correspondence Course Program , is a type of distance education and the formal nonresident extension of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command service schools' curriculum.-Overview:...

 and the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...

. Other branches of the military such as the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force also open their courses to State Guard personnel.
REORGANIZATION
Recently, the OHMR has been undergoing a reorganization which is more mission focused. The first step has been to change its Military Police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...

 designation to Civil Support and Sustainment units. This is more in keeping with the OHMR's mission to provide support to both civil and military authorities during natural disasters and homeland security incidents.
The Adjutant General of the State of Ohio (TAG) has directed that the OHMR be mission ready by FY 2012-2013 to assume taskings to support Emergency Support Function (ESF) 6 and ESF 7 operations. To this end, the TAG has created a road map for the OHMR to achieve this and will provide the support to ensure this goal is attained.
Effective 01 October 2009, the OHMR began a 3 year transformation process that will take it from its former mission as a cadre state defense force held in reserve to its current mission as an active force to aid in operating mass care facilities (ESF 6) and warehouses, distribution centers, and support facilities (ESF 7), and to support the coordination of volunteer activities in the event of major natural disasters or attacks on the homeland. This transformation began in August 2009 and will end with a fully operational organization in 2012.
The need for this type of military element became apparent following Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

. This transformation emphasizes the fact that the OHMR consists of a willing, all-volunteer organization that can assume duties normally performed by uncoordinated and unorganized volunteers during natural disasters and other contingencies. Their presence will ensure basic essential functions are performed in a timely, organized manner, and will free up essential manpower and time for other critical functions.
The OHMR has a "sister service", the Ohio Naval Militia
Ohio Naval Militia
The Ohio Naval Militia is an organized, unarmed unit that has been serving the State of Ohio and the United States since 1896. It is the naval arm of the State of Ohio's Adjutant General's Department, and is therefore part of Ohio's State Defense Forces....

which operates out of Camp Perry, located near Port Clinton, Ohio.

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