On a recent working day in Chelsea, Massachusetts, Jaime Carrillo and his son were waiting for the National Guard on their front porch.

Carillo's son relies on a van to take him to school. When a shortage of drivers paralyzed the school district’s transportation system, the truck stopped.

"I had to take him to school for three weeks because the school bus didn't pass by," Carrillo said. "They told me there was a problem and there were not enough drivers. First, the bus had to get off a group of children, and then pick up another group of children."

The situation changed when Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker called the National Guard to fill the vacancy. For a while, Carrillo's son was welcomed by a soldier in uniform behind the steering wheel.

"I'm glad they brought the [National Guard] driver," Carrillo told WBUR reporter Carrie Jung. "They seem to be more prepared, but it's just me."

Anthony Soto is the director of nearby Holyoke Public School in Massachusetts, and his area has encountered the same problem. When he learned that Guard was considered a possible short-term solution, he was taken aback.

"I was very surprised," Soto said. "But then, my next reaction was,'Wow, the state government is really concerned about the problems facing the school district. They think outside the box and provide help."

The deployment of bus drivers is just one example of how the role of the National Guard has expanded. Since last year, the National Guard has repeatedly deployed—not only the president, but also the governor—that they summoned them to assist in pandemic relief, respond to last summer’s protests, protect the U.S. Capitol, and patrol the southern border. This is while balancing wildfires, hurricanes and overseas duties.

Some National Guard leaders said that the military enjoys domestic missions because they can directly serve neighboring countries. But they believe that back-to-back mobilization is unsustainable.

"When you consider the impact this has on families and employers, it is very important," said Major General James Evert, deputy general of the Florida National Guard. "Then you will join the challenge in the pandemic because there is too much uncertainty and parents are alienated from their children and family."

Evert said Florida needs more guards so that they can rotate and relieve pressure. His colleagues in Texas and California are also making similar arguments.

Major General David Baldwin, head of the California National Guard, said his troops have been troubled by temporary notifications of domestic deployments, especially during this year's fierce wildfire season. Baldwin lobbied for additional troops and criticized how the federal government allocates resources among states and territories.

More than 50 members of Congress asked the Department of Defense to allocate more National Guard forces to larger states, or to expand the size of the National Guard across the board.

Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, said: “I think it’s very important for us to improve the bottom line-we have increased the overall manpower and health of the Guard to ensure that it is better than those who have been doing the heavy work. People charge more."

The Ministry of Defense decides how to allocate the National Guard based on the budget passed by Congress. The annual change in the number of troops is usually small because officials want to ensure that the states can maintain their numbers through recruitment.

Retired Army Colonel Mikel Nick managed the process for the Army and now serves as a defense analyst for the RAND Corporation. He said that he had not heard much discussion in the Pentagon circle about increasing the size of domestic mission guards. He guessed that this was partly because the main purpose of the Guard was national defense - not to respond to the governor's demands on the state.

"I do think that many stakeholders are actively debating whether the governor has an alternative plan that might be more suitable for the long-term transformation of these models, rather than making repeated demands on the National Party to guard," Linick said.

Ligne believes that the conversation should be more about how the governor uses their guards rather than how many guards they must use. He worries that the guard's ever-expanding list of duties will keep people away from service.

"What we have observed in the past is that the more frequently you ask for the use of reserve forces, the greater the pressure on your retention," he said, "because the soldiers themselves often say that this is not what I signed. If I want to be deployed To this point or hire to this point, I will join the regular army."

According to the two leaders of the American Adjutants Association, this has not happened yet. Nebraska Deputy General Air Force Major General Darryl Bohak and Ohio Deputy General Major John Harris Jr. wrote in a paper that “the best indicator of force pressure is retention,” and the Army National Guard "It has experienced the highest retention rate since its existence, and it has consistently exceeded Army expectations."

State leaders said they will continue to lobby Congress and the Pentagon to help fund the National Guard’s growing responsibilities. But Linick said that compared to other funding needs of the Pentagon, such as active troops and equipment, the Department of Defense is unlikely to invest more money in the Guard.

This story was produced by a Native American project, which is a public media collaboration project covering the military life and veterans of the United States. The funding comes from the public broadcasting company.