Bill > S0314

This Memorial, passed by the Florida Legislature, respectfully urges the United States Congress to direct the National Guard Bureau, the federal agency responsible for determining the number of soldiers and airmen allocated to each state's National Guard (known as its "force structure"), to review and increase Florida's current force structure. The memorial highlights that despite Florida being the third most populous state, its National Guard force structure is disproportionately small, leading to an unsustainable workload on existing Guardsmen due to increased demands from events like the COVID-19 response, natural disasters, and overseas deployments. This strain negatively impacts recruitment, retention, and readiness, and a 2021 National Guard Bureau report itself acknowledged the need to potentially reallocate mission sets to keep pace with changing demographics, supporting Florida's request for a larger force.