Why did state militia officers oppose a centralized national militia system?

State militia officers opposed a centralized national militia system primarily because they feared that such centralization would diminish their own personal power and prestige.1

Following the American Revolution, George Washington proposed organizing state contingents into a single, uniformly trained and equipped national militia to replace the independent and often unreliable state forces. However, when this proposal was introduced as part of the legislation that became the Militia Act of 1792, it faced significant resistance in Congress. Lawmakers rejected the plan not only due to concerns that it would concentrate excessive authority within the federal government but also because of the specific objections raised by state-level officers who were unwilling to see their local influence and status eroded by federal oversight.1