Omaha Steve's Labor Group

Most of the time, a National Guard unit or service member is part of the State militia with the State's Governor as the commander-in-chief. Sometimes, that same National Guard unit or service member is part of the reserve forces of the United States with the President as the commander-in chief. Even when the National Guard unit or soldier is part of the State militia, the United States is paying the bulk of the tab.

The Active force, the federal reserve forces, and the National Guard all wear the same uniform. They all say "U.S. Army, U. S. Marines" etc. Except for unit patches for Army units, you cannot tell from the uniform whether a service member is in the active force, the federal reserve forces, or the National Guard.

To a large extent, the distinction between Title 10 and Title 32 status it is what lawyers call a legal fiction.