[1] Rather, it is organized, led, and staffed by private citizens.

The Ohio Defense Force, originally named the Southeastern Ohio Defense Force, was founded in 1989 as a non-profit corporation.

In 2004, the organization decided to expand statewide and was renamed the Ohio Defense Force.

[2][3] The Southern Poverty Law Center lists the Ohio Defense Force as an anti-governmental organization.

[4] TIME journalists conducted extensive interviews with members of the group during a training exercise in their piece "The Secret World of Extreme Militias".