The roots of the MDDF date back to colonial days in the 17th century,[4] but it was formally established in 1917 with the mission "to protect public buildings, water supplies, and other properties".In 1994, the Maryland Defense Force's missions were expanded to search and rescue, armory staffing, and disaster relief.[15] The troop acts in a ceremonial and public relations role as a recruiting aid for both the MDDF and the Maryland National Guard.In order to complete this mission, the MDDF Cyber Security Unit regularly trains with the Maryland Army & Air National Guard.The 256th CDU consists of five sections: Headquarters, Hunt Operations, Incident Response and Recovery (IRR), Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) & IT Operations The 121st Engineer Regiment acts as a rapid relief engineering unit intended to deploy after an emergency to aid the Maryland Military Department in civil relief efforts.[22] The Finance Corps of the MDDF is composed of licensed financial consultants, advisers, and civilian energy managers.[26] Unlike other MDDF guardsmen, members of the 10th Medical Regiment are allowed to serve in backup status and attend only an annual muster one day per year.[30] As members of the MDDF, these volunteers received military transport, worker's compensation eligibility, and liability protection under Maryland law.
The Maryland Defense Force Band plays at the State Defense Force conference in October 2015.
A Maryland National Guardsman and a Maryland State Guardsman teach nursing students proper evacuation procedures at
Towson University
.