Virginia and Maryland National Guard

The Virginia and Maryland National Guard functions as state-governed military reserves primed for federal takeover in acute domestic crises. Vice President Hoynes deploys explicit threats of federalization—escalating from immediate to one-hour deadlines—to force custody of the fugitive 'signal guy' amid a presidential assassination attempt and shooter manhunt. This positions them as a rapid-response domestic security force, activated politically by executive authority over governors, bridging state militias to national continuity without on-screen deployment.