Rogers Submits Bill to Protect AZ National Guard

State Senator Wendy Rogers (R-LD7) is a badass – one of America’s first one hundred female Air Force combat pilots – and is using her experience and influence as a warrior to prevent Arizona guard members from being outsourced to fight Biden’s foreign wars. She reintroduced AZ Senate bill SB1121, dubbed “Defend The Guard,” and part of a wider nationwide movement co-sponsored by every Senate Republican. This fact, Rogers says, will guarantee its passage.

The bill would prohibit overseas deployment of the Arizona National Guard unless the U.S. Congress formally declares war. Unfortunately, SB1121  failed to pass during the 2023 Senate session, but with newfound support from all Republican Senators this time, Rogers has all but assured its passage. The senator cited the statistics: over 650K guard members have been deployed overseas since 9/11, including, for example, 1500 New Jersey guard members who’ve been in continuous rotation since 2008. Rogers vows not to allow that in Arizona.

To date, Biden has relied on executive privilege for military intervention in the Middle East and Ukraine and has recently received heat from congressional Democrats for his failure to formally declare war. That has not stopped his intention to call up state National Guards, especially in light of Biden’s alarmingly low rate of military recruitment. According to the Senator, the AZ guard should be reserved for deployment to Arizona’s southern border. If the bill passes, deployments such as these would be illegal.

Below is the actual text of the bill:

State of Arizona
Senate
Fifty-sixth Legislature
Second Regular Session
2024

SB 1121
Introduced by Senators Rogers: Bennett, Bolick, Borrelli, Carroll, Farnsworth, Gowan, Hoffman, Kavanagh, Kern, Kerr, Mesnard, Petersen, Shamp, Shope, Wadsack; Representatives Gillette, Martinez, McGarr, Smith, Travers

AN ACT

AMENDING TITLE 26, CHAPTER 1, ARTICLE 3, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES, BY ADDING SECTION 26-164; RELATING TO THE NATIONAL GUARD.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

1 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
2 Section 1. Title 26, chapter 1, article 3, Arizona Revised
3 Statutes, is amended by adding section 26-164, to read:
4 26-164. Active duty combat; requirements; definitions
5 A. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER LAW, THE NATIONAL GUARD OF ARIZONA MAY
6 NOT BE RELEASED FROM THIS STATE INTO ACTIVE DUTY COMBAT UNLESS THE UNITED
7 STATES CONGRESS HAS PASSED AN OFFICIAL DECLARATION OF WAR OR HAS TAKEN AN
8 OFFICIAL ACTION PURSUANT TO ARTICLE I, SECTION 8, CLAUSE 15, CONSTITUTION
9 OF THE UNITED STATES, TO EXPLICITLY CALL FORTH THE NATIONAL GUARD OF
10 ARIZONA FOR THE ENUMERATED PURPOSES OF EXECUTING THE LAWS OF THE UNION,
11 REPELLING AN INVASION OR SUPPRESSING AN INSURRECTION. THE GOVERNOR SHALL
12 TAKE ALL ACTIONS NECESSARY TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS
13 SECTION.
14 B. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION:
15 1. “ACTIVE DUTY COMBAT” MEANS DOING ANY OF THE FOLLOWING IN THE
16 ACTIVE MILITARY SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES:
17 (a) PARTICIPATING IN AN ARMED CONFLICT.
18 (b) PERFORMING A HAZARDOUS SERVICE RELATING TO AN ARMED CONFLICT IN
19 A FOREIGN STATE.
20 (c) PERFORMING A DUTY THROUGH AN INSTRUMENTALITY OF WAR.
21 2. “OFFICIAL DECLARATION OF WAR” MEANS AN OFFICIAL DECLARATION OF
22 WAR MADE BY THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS PURSUANT