Alabama Army National Guard

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= Headquarters, State Area Command
Alabama Army National Guard


caption= Alabama STARC Shoulder Sleeve insignia
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country= United States
allegiance= Alabama
branch= Army National Guard
type= ARNG Headquarters Command
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command_structure=Alabama National Guard
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garrison=Montgomery, Alabama
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The Alabama National Guard comprises both Army and Air National Guard components. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. In fact, the National Guard is the only United States military force empowered to function in a state status. Those functions range from limited actions during non-emergency situations to full scale law enforcement of martial law when local law enforcement officials can no longer maintain civil control. The National Guard may be called into federal service in response to a call by the President or Congress.

The Alabama Army National Guard is composed of ____ soldiers. When National Guard troops are called to federal service, the President serves as Commander-In-Chief. The federal mission assigned to the National Guard is: "To provide properly trained and equipped units for prompt mobilization for war, National emergency or as otherwise needed."

The Governor may call individuals or units of the Alabama National Guard into state service during emergencies or to assist in special situations which lend themselves to use of the National Guard. The state mission assigned to the National Guard is:"To provide trained and disciplined forces for domestic emergencies or as otherwise provided by state law." The State Defense force is a military entity authorized by both the State Code of Alabama and Executive Order. The State Defense Force (SDF) is the state’s authorized militia and assumes the state mission of the Alabama National Guard in the event the Guard is mobilized. The SDF comprises retired active and reserve military personnel and selected professional persons who volunteer their time and talents in further service to their state.

The Alabama Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization. National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau.

Alabama Army National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army. The same ranks and insignia are used and National Guardsmen are eligible to receive all United States military awards. The Alabama Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in or to the state of Alabama.

Units

62nd Troop Command

167th Theater Support Command

142nd Signal Brigade

20th Special Forces Group

31st Chemical Brigade

1st Battalion, 131st Aviation Regiment

Duties

National Guard units can be mobilized at any time by presidential order to supplement regular armed forces, and upon declaration of a state of emergency by the governor of the state in which they serve. Unlike Army Reserve members, National Guard members cannot be mobilized individually (except through voluntary transfers and Temporary DutY Assignments TDY), but only as part of their respective units. However, there has been a significant amount of individual activations to support military operations (2001-?); the legality of this policy is a major issue within the National Guard.

Active Duty Callups

For much of the final decades of the twentieth century, National Guard personnel typically served "One weekend a month, two weeks a year", with a small portion of each unit working for the Guard in a full-time capacity. New forces formation plans of the US Army were announced in early 2007 modifying the recent (2001-2006) National Guard active duty callup pace. The new plan will nominally anticipate that each National Guard unit (or National Guardsman) will serve one year of active duty for every five years of service. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates imposed "a one-year limit to the length of [Federal deployments] for National Guard Soldiers." Callups by Alabama authorities for state emergencies are not included in this policy. [ cite encyclopedia
title = United States National Guard
encyclopedia = Wikipedia
volume =
pages =
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date =
id =
accessdate = 2007-04-14]

History

On the morning of July 21, 1861, the Union Army under the command of Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell, in an effort to cripple the newly assembled Confederate Army at Manassas, Virginia, fired the opening shots of the first major battle of the Civil War. Both armies were largely made up of volunteer militia with regiments of both sides wearing blue and gray uniforms. The brunt of the Union attack fell on the Confederate left flank. Confederate Brig. Gen. Bernard Bee, having recently resigned from the U. S. Army and still wearing his blue uniform, realized that the army's left flank was seriously exposed. Gen. Bee ordered the Fourth Alabama to advance rapidly in order to plug the gap in the Confederate line. For over an hour, the Fourth Alabama held position and repulsed several Union regiments. The gallant stand of the Fourth Alabama stalled the Union advance and gave the Confederate forces more time to regroup. The regiment played a prominent part in the fighting all day and contributed to the Confederate victory. The Battle of First Manassas proved to both sides that the Civil War would be a bitterly contested struggle. The Fourth Alabama went on to fight in every major battle in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War and never surrendered its colors. The heritage and traditions of the Fourth Alabama are carried on by the 1st Battalion, 167th Infantry, Alabama Army National Guard. [source: [http://alguard.state.al.us/history.htm Official Alabama National Guard History] ]

The Alabama Army National Guard was originally formed in 1807. The Militia Act of 1903 organized the various state militias into the present National Guard system.

Alabama also maintains its own military force, the Alabama State Defense Force. This force is federally recognized, but is separate from the National Guard and is not meant to be federalized, but rather service the state exclusively, especially when the National Guard is deployed and unavailable.

See History of the United States National Guard for a more complete history of the guard at a national level.

ee also

*State Defense Forces
*Militia
*Home Guard
*36th Combat Aviation Brigade -- approx. 300 Alabmama ARNG soldiers deployed to Iraq with the 36th CAB in Sep 2006.
*Transformation of the Army National Guard

References

*United States National Guard, accessed 4 Nov 2006
* [http://alguard.state.al.us/ Alabama National Guard] , accessed 20 Nov 2006
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/arng-al.htm GlobalSecurity.org Alabama Army National Guard] , accessed 20 Nov 2006

External links

* [http://www.ngb.army.mil/ The National Guard Bureau]
* [http://www.ngb.army.mil/gallery/heritage/index.asp/ The National Guard Bureau Heritage Collection]
* [http://www.1800goguard.com/ The Army National Guard Recruiting Site]
* [http://www.citizentosoldier.com/ Information about joining the guard]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/arng.htm GlobalSecurity.org Army National Guard page]
* [http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1042 Alabama National Guard article, Encyclopedia of Alabama]