Which U.S. service branch includes the reserve component known as the National Guard?

The National Guard has two service branches: the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard. Together, they form the reserve components associated with the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force.

This structure matters in Veterans Day discussions because National Guard members can serve under state authority, federal authority, or both at different times. Governors normally command Guard units in state missions, while the president can federalize them for national missions.

The Army National Guard is the older component, while the Air National Guard emerged after the U.S. Air Force became a separate military department in 1947. Both components can deploy overseas and perform domestic missions such as disaster response.

A common mistake is to describe the National Guard as a separate sixth military branch. It is not. The United States has the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard; the National Guard belongs organizationally to the Army and Air Force.