--- title: SR 701. National Guard Day; recognize February 11, 2026 collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr701 cite_as: SR 701, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr701 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr701.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr701/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72836 date: 2026-02-05 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr700.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr702.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr701.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 701 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-05 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Chuck Payne - Kay Kirkpatrick - Bill Cowsert - Ben Watson - Lee Anderson - Blake Tillery - Ed Harbison - Randy Robertson - Shawn Still - Larry Walker - Carden Summers - Frank Ginn - Bo Hatchett - Chuck Hufstetler - Matt Brass - Billy Hickman - Ricky Williams - Marty Harbin - Max Burns - Jason T. Dickerson - Drew Echols - Russ Goodman - Michael Rhett text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR701/2025 upstream_id: 2108196 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - National Guard - military recognition - state capitol events - Georgia Department of Defense --- # SR 701. National Guard Day; recognize February 11, 2026 ## Text Senate Resolution 701 By: Senators Payne of the 54th, Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Cowsert of the 46th, Watson of the 1st, Anderson of the 24th and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing February 11, 2026, as National Guard Day at the state capitol; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the Georgia Department of Defense provides ready and relevant military forces to combatant commanders and provides emergency response capabilities to support Homeland Defense and Defense Support to Civil Authorities; and WHEREAS, the Georgia Department of Defense is headquartered at the Clay National Guard Center in Marietta, Georgia, and includes the Georgia Army National Guard, the Georgia Air National Guard, and the Georgia State Defense Force; and WHEREAS, the Georgia Department of Defense consists of more than 11,600 Army National Guard Soldiers, 2,900 Air National Guard Airmen, 500 State Defense Force volunteers, and nearly 500 state employees; and WHEREAS, The Georgia's Army National Guard is the sixth largest in the nation, training in nearly 67 hometown armories and regional facilities in nearly 60 counties across the state, and includes combat, combat support, and combat service support units; and WHEREAS, Georgia's Army National Guard was recognized as the best National Guard Command by the Association of the United States Army in 2025, and is organized into five major subordinate commands, the Macon-based 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team; the 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade at Fort Benning; and the 78th Troop Command, 78th Aviation Troop Command, and 201st Regional Support Group at the Clay National Guard Center in Marietta; and WHEREAS, the Georgia Air National Guard is the air power component of the State of Georgia with airmen and officers assigned to the 116th Air Control Wing in Warner Robins, the 165th Airlift Wing in Savannah, and units throughout Georgia, playing an active role in supporting combatant commanders and Georgia's homeland defense posture, with 116th and 165th conversions to Remotely Piloted Aircraft - Integration and the new C-130J, respectively; and WHEREAS, the Georgia State Defense Force is a volunteer unit of the Georgia Department of Defense, serving in support of the National Guard under direction of the Governor and Adjutant General, notably during Exercise Patriot South, Vigilant Guard, and memorial services for President Carter; and WHEREAS, the Georgia National Guard has deployed more than 35,000 Soldiers and Airmen throughout all geographic combatant commands since September 11, 2001; maintained a steady overseas presence in support of contingency operations, and maintained state partnerships with the Country of Georgia and Republic of Argentina while training and preparing to support homeland response missions in the State of Georgia and southeast United States; and WHEREAS, in 2025, the Georgia National Guard successfully supported missions in support of the Department of Homeland Security on the southern border, and in the nation's capital as part of Joint Task Force-DC; and WHEREAS, the selfless actions of the men and women of the Georgia Department of Defense and its components at home and abroad in 2025 stands as an example of putting service before self, and it is abundantly fitting and proper that the outstanding accomplishments of these remarkable and distinguished Georgians be appropriately recognized. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize February 11, 2026, as National Guard Day at the state capitol and commend the men and women of the Georgia National Guard for their strength, leadership, courage and selfless service. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the press. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia Senate resolution recognizes February 11, 2026, as National Guard Day at the state capitol, honoring the service members of the Georgia National Guard and Georgia State Defense Force. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a ceremonial measure passed by the Georgia Senate. It does not change any law. Instead, it designates February 11, 2026, as National Guard Day at the state capitol, marking the occasion with formal recognition of the Georgia Department of Defense, which includes the Georgia Army National Guard, the Georgia Air National Guard, and the Georgia State Defense Force. The resolution lists the size and structure of these forces, describes recent deployments including missions in 2025 supporting the Department of Homeland Security at the southern border and in Washington, D.C., and commends service members for their strength, leadership, courage, and service. It directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available to the public and press. ### What it does - Formally designates February 11, 2026, as National Guard Day at the Georgia state capitol. - Commends the men and women of the Georgia National Guard for their service, without creating any new law, funding, or program. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. - Documents background information about the size, structure, and recent deployments of the Georgia Department of Defense's military components. ### Who it affects This resolution primarily affects members of the Georgia Army National Guard, Georgia Air National Guard, and Georgia State Defense Force, as well as the Georgia Department of Defense, which is publicly recognized. It has no direct legal or financial effect on other Georgians. ### Why it matters While the resolution carries no legal force or funding, it provides formal state recognition of the Georgia National Guard's service, including recent deployments to the southern border and Washington, D.C., which may raise public awareness of the Guard's role and history. ### Key provisions - The resolving clause recognizes February 11, 2026, as National Guard Day at the state capitol and commends Guard members for their service. - A further resolving clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available for distribution to the public and press. - The whereas clauses detail the Georgia Department of Defense's structure, including roughly 11,600 Army National Guard soldiers, 2,900 Air National Guard airmen, and 500 State Defense Force volunteers. - The whereas clauses note 2025 deployments supporting the Department of Homeland Security at the southern border and in Washington, D.C. as part of Joint Task Force-DC. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-05) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-02-05) - Sponsors: Chuck Payne, Kay Kirkpatrick, Bill Cowsert, Ben Watson, Lee Anderson, Blake Tillery, Ed Harbison, Randy Robertson, Shawn Still, Larry Walker, Carden Summers, Frank Ginn, Bo Hatchett, Chuck Hufstetler, Matt Brass, Billy Hickman, Ricky Williams, Marty Harbin, Max Burns, Jason T. Dickerson, Drew Echols, Russ Goodman, Michael Rhett - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72836 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr701.md?full=1