[Dryerase] AGR New National Guard Unit

[Shawn G]

Asheville Global Report
www.agrnews.org

Reprinting permitted for non-profit use, and for the members of the 
Dry-erase news wire.

By Liz Allen

Asheville, North Carolina, Sept. 24 (AGR)—  A new National Guard Battalion, 
the 105th Military Police Battalion, is opening up in Asheville, replacing 
the 730th Quartermaster Battalion, which is being moved to the eastern part 
of the state.  The 105th battalion differs from the old battalion in that it 
is comprised of military police and “... is designed to run enemy-of-war 
facilities,” explained Officer in Charge Captain Jerry Baird.
“We run prisons, while they did security,” he said. But they secure federal 
posts as well; “MPs do everything from the Pentagon to the CIA,” Baird 
added.
The new battalion has been created because the old battalion never had a 
“war trace,” an exact definition of who they are to take orders from in a 
time of war.  The 105th is prepared to serve both state and federal 
missions, and directly assist in a time of war. Capt. Baird explained that 
being in the Guard is similar to being in the reserves and that 60% of 
United States’ fighting force is reserve.  A possible mission for which they 
are currently being considered is going to Charleston, SC, to run a prison 
camp for military prisoners, including those in the military who have been 
court-martialed as well as citizens identified as enemy combatants.  One 
such person, who Baird describes as having “a weird name,” is currently 
being held “more for their protection, to keep people away from them” who 
may want to injure them in the regular prison system.
The Guard will be available for a wide spectrum of duties, from disaster 
relief and decontamination to crowd control. Baird explained that they use a 
consolidated display of force which is  effective in taming situations such 
as riots and looting.  He gave the example of when Hurricane Hugo hit 
Charlotte. Local police forces were ineffective in stopping looting, but 
once the National Guard came in the “chaos” was put to a halt.
Military police require similar qualifications to regular military 
enlistment,  like having a clean records check and standard height and 
weight requirements.  Baird says most of those enlisted have previously 
served active duty.  They are currently required to serve one weekend a 
month and two weeks a year overseas.  However, the governor can activate the 
Guard unit or the president can activate the reserve for fighting.
Although according to Baird, “they try and deputize us every time we help 
out,” the average military police solider can only detain persons until 
local authorities make an arrest and cannot make arrests themselves, unless 
they are on a military post.  However, most of those in the battalion make 
their living as law enforcement officers, and if something happens in the 
state then they have the authority to make arrests.  The only other scenario 
in which members of the National Guard can make arrests is if martial law is 
declared, whereby the local police forces would not have power to arrest and 
only military forces could.  Baird said that is a worst-case scenario 
because “it would mean a lot of other bad things would have had to have 
happened to get to that point.”
Because the Guard operates on both federal and state levels, money from both 
federal and state funds are used.  To pay the actual paychecks, the funds 
are taken from the same fund as the state highway patrol, but the money for 
building a new armory in Buncombe County comes out of federal funds, while 
money for the land comes from state and country taxes.  According to Baird, 
a new armory building is something that the local police and fire department 
support because they would be able to hold trainings there.
When asked if the battalion is being used to prepare for war in Iraq, Baird 
replied, “We’re always preparing. We get about 30 days notice [for a 
mission] and it all comes down confidential.”  He also emphasized, “Nobody 
hates war more than a soldier.  We just do our job. There’s other people up 
there making all the decisions on where to go.”


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