The state’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Thomas Mancino, told senators this week it could take $2.4 million to re-establish the Oklahoma State Guard.

Maj. Gen. Thomas H. Mancino, adjutant general for Oklahoma, takes the Oath of Commissioned Officers during his promotion ceremony at the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City on Jan. 3, 2023. During a Senate panel meeting Tuesday, Mancino requested funding for a new state militia.

Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order that will ensure college athletes “remain competitive in the evolving landscape of intercollegiate athletics.”

The Oklahoma governor wants to create a militia that would operate independently from the Oklahoma National Guard, but the head of the guard said he needs millions of taxpayer dollars. Major General Thomas Mancino is the commander of the Oklahoma Army and Air National Guard.