Ohio Defense Force
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Abbreviation | ODF |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1989 |
| Type | private non-governmental paramilitary militia |
| Location | |
| Members | 300 (claimed by ODF) |
Key people | William B. Alexander (founder) |
The Ohio Defense Force (ODF) is a right-wing privately organized militia in the state of Ohio. The Ohio Defense Force is not a part of the US Military, the Ohio National Guard, nor Ohio's similarly named State Defense Force.[1] Rather, it is organized, led, and staffed by private citizens. The Southern Poverty Law Center lists the Ohio Defense Force as an anti-governmental organization.[2]
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.[3][4] TIME journalists conducted extensive interviews with members of the group during a training exercise in their piece "The Secret World of Extreme Militias".[5]