The Department of Military Affairs (DMA) is a state agency that provides management oversight and administrative support to the Florida National Guard.

The department is responsible for

• combat readiness and emergency preparedness of the Florida National Guard;
• responding to disasters and civil disturbances;
• drug interdiction operations; and
• assisting Floridians at risk.

The adjutant general serves as both the head of the Department of Military Affairs and the commanding officer of the Florida National Guard. The department is staffed with both state and federal employees, including those who serve in the Florida National Guard as a condition of their employment.  Both the department and its guard units have an organizational structure similar to typical military headquarters and active units.

The Florida National Guard is composed of over 12,000 members, including more than 2,300 full-time military personnel.  The Guard serves as a reserve component of the U.S. Department of Defense and training, arming, and equipping of the guard is funded in part by the federal government. The state and federal governments jointly fund guard armories. 

Members of the Florida National Guard can be activated by the Governor for full-time duty (i.e., state active duty) and can also be activated under state control but with pay and benefits provided by the federal government.

There are also four statutory provisions by which members of the Florida National Guard can be involuntarily ordered to federal active duty for a year or more. Three of these authorities have existed for decades, and are commonly referred to as Full Mobilization , Partial Mobilization, and Presidential Reserve Call-up. The fourth authority, added in 2011, allows reservists to be activated to support the Combatant Commands for preplanned missions. These provisions differ from each other in terms of the statutory requirements for utilization, the number and category of reservists called up, and the duration of the call up.

The Department of Military Affairs is located in St. Augustine. Camp Blanding is the guard's major training facility, located near Starke, Florida.  The department also manages 63 armories statewide.

New Armories.  During the 2021 legislative session, the Florida Legislature appropriated $50 million for new National Guard Armories in Immokalee and Zephyrhills.

Separately, the Florida National Guard reports it will also add a new $20 million Readiness Center in Flagler Palm Coast, which will be the new home of the 1st Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery.  Currently, Daytona Beach is the headquarters for this unit.

Other Reports
The Auditor General reports on department operations are available on its website.
Websites of Interest
Florida National Guard
U.S. Air National Guard
U.S. Army National Guard
Performance Information
Performance measures and standards for the department may be found in its Long Range Program Plan.

Chapters 250, 251, and 252, Florida Statutes.

Department of Military Affairs, 904-823-0364

Website