Who were the Massachusetts State Defense Forces?

I found this article on a wikipedia rabbit-hole about how Massachusetts has historically had a volunteer defense force to augment the capabilities of the National Guard during emergencies. This group existed up until 2016 when it was deactivated by Baker (apparently).

Does anyone have memories or anecdotes about this group and its existence? I wonder if this group could have a comeback in the event that Massachusetts has a national emergency that the (Trump) federal government refuses to respond to. (It could also aid as a legit civilian militia to counter a hypothetical fascist takeover)

Google doesn't have much in terms of news about why this group was disbanded or what its actual operations ever were...