Posted on Jan 10, 2021
SPC Unmanned Aircraft Systems Repairer
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I am considering joining the national guard and being in a combat support or civil affairs related MOS. During recent events I have noticed many national guard personnel activated to control riots. If I were to join the Guard and be in a engineering, technology, or intelligence related job would I be called to be riot control?
Posted in these groups: Florida ARNG
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CPT Assistant Operations Officer (S3)
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Those are are responding are from the DC Guard. They are primarily MPs. There is not an NG force that has "riot control" as a mission. They can help if needed but each usually has a force in their National Guard that can help with this. It is very very very rare for a Guard Force to be called for riot. If you were called for one you would most likely be performing some random task so the police can perform riot control. You can't arrest anyone. Police can. If you are trying to join the National Guard to fight riots you are joining for the wrong reasons.
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1LT Nick Kidwell
1LT Nick Kidwell
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"There is not an NG force that has 'riot control' as a mission."
I would beg to differ. As a Chem officer in a National Guard Recon/Decon BN, one of our additional duties was MACDIS.

https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=386

We never had to use it, but it was a part of our training and homefront mission.
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CPT Assistant Operations Officer (S3)
CPT (Join to see)
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1LT Nick Kidwell what I am referring to is that the National Guard doesn't have a standing units that only reacts to civil riots. There are plenty units that can do riot. But there isn't a riot control unit.
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1LT Nick Kidwell
1LT Nick Kidwell
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CPT (Join to see) - Ah, I see. No, there's no 31 series MOS that specializes in riot control. It would be fun to see the MTOE on a unit like that. However, unless there was in immense amount of civil unrest, such units would be unsustainable.

But it does make sense to have certain types of units train it as a side mission. I know we were trained on skirmish lines, LTL, compliance holds, and to liaison with LEO. As a Chem unit, if CS or OC were used, we were already very comfortable with the promasks.
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SFC Retention Operations Nco
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When you're in the NG and you're called up, units are called up by the Governor, not MOS's. Riot control is a very small portion of that. You could be called for wild fires, hurricane recovery, or anything else. My NG was called up to patrol New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina and they took almost everyone.
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CPT Lawrence Cable
CPT Lawrence Cable
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I don't know about today, but during my time in the Guard, Riot/Crowd Control was a mission that we trained for a couple of times a year. It was a big part of our state mission. That often included response to prison riots, units were assigned specific prisons. The prisons liked to have joint exercises using the convicts as rioters. That could get a little rough. OTOH, all those weird formations work if you have had a bit of practice.
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CW2 Bde Ew Tech
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Civil Affairs IS an MOS, and not one in the Guard.
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SPC Unmanned Aircraft Systems Repairer
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Is there a specific MOS that deals with riot control or are they pulling non combat related soldiers that work in tech and other desk jobs to go control riots. That is my question. (I'm trying to be a POG and not be on the news in riot gear)
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CW2 Bde Ew Tech
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SPC (Join to see) - Technically it'd be the MPs according to the book, but surprise, nothing ever goes by the book.
You went to Basic Training and are proficient in using a rifle, land nav, fire and maneuver, etc so it CAN be anyone. You are a Soldier first. That's why we have Basic Training.
Will you? That's up to the TAG and the leaders below him/her
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