When petitioned, the SGAUS recognizes lawful, state-level associations with twenty-five or more members who are seeking to establish state defense forces.

[6] In 1903, the predecessor to the modern-day National Guard was formed to augment the militia and Regular Army with a federally controlled reserve force.

The MEMS program curriculum includes online Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) NIMS and ICS courses offered free of charge through FEMA's Emergency Management Institute's (EMI) Independent Study Program.

Those with Senior and Master level qualification will be able to lead and plan incident response efforts of increasing complexity.

Students who successfully completed this program were awarded the MEMS Command and Staff College Unit Citation.

Prerequisites for entry into the ESQiD Program include active membership in a sponsoring state defense force, medical clearance, completion of SDF Basic Military Training, and completion of the Military Emergency Management Specialist-Basic program.

The final part of the examination process is a field practicum involving engineering activities in high stress environments, followed by an Oral Review Board.

Follow up training is often conducted to keep the Engineer soldier up to date on the latest problem solving solutions.