Utah State Defense Force
Although inactive, Utah's State Defense Force Act allows the Governor to reactivate the USDF through executive action.[1] The first militia in Utah was the Nauvoo Legion which was composed of volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.This unit served as the primary militia for the state of Utah until it was dissolved by the Edmunds-Tucker Act.However, due to various issues, including a concern that white supremacists had infiltrated the ranks, the Utah State Guard was reorganized in 1997 by General John L. Matthews, the Adjutant General of Utah, as a cadre of around thirty officers who would be tasked with securing National Guard armories during federal deployments.[4][3] An attempt was made to disband the Utah State Defense Force in 2001 by Neal Hendrickson,[5] but it failed to pass committee.