Illinois Army National Guard

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


caption= Illinois STARC Shoulder Sleeve Insignia

Illinois STARC Distinctive Unit Insignia
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country= United States
allegiance= Illinois
branch= Army National Guard
type= ARNG Headquarters Command
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command_structure=Illinois National Guard
current_commander= Brigadier General Dennis L. Celletti
garrison=Camp Lincoln, Springfield, Illinois
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The Illinois National Guard comprises both Army National Guard and Air National Guard components. The National Guard is the only United States military force empowered to function in a state status. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. 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 Illinois Army National Guard is composed of approximately 9700 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 Illinois 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 Illinois 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.

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

Units

33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team
*1st BN 178th Infantry
*2nd BN 130th Infantry
*2nd SQDN 106th Cavalry (RSTA)
*2nd BN 122nd Field Artillery
*33rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion
*634th Forward Support Battalion

108th Sustainment Brigade

404th Chemical Brigade

65th Troop Command

1544th Transportation Battalion

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 portion working for the Guard in a full-time capacity. The current forces formation plans of the US Army call for the typical National Guard unit (or National Guardsman) to serve one year of active duty for every three years of service. More specifically, current Department of Defense policy is that no Guardsman will be involuntarily activated for a total of more than 24 months (cumulative) in one six year enlistment period (this policy is due to change August 1st, 2007, the new policy states that soldiers will be given 24 months between deployments of no more than 24 months, individual states have differing policies). The Illinois Army National Guard is composed of 9700 soldiers.

History

The Illinois Army National Guard was originally formed in 1712 as a colonial French militia. The militia worked under British sovereignty in the mid-eighteenth century until the American Revolutionary War when in 1779 George Rogers Clark with 200 Illinois militiamen from Kaskaskia captured Fort Sackville from British Colonel Henry Hamilton and his Regulars. Regiments of Illinois militia later captured Prairie du Chien. Following the American Civil War, the state forces were reorganized under the command of Arthur C. Ducat, who became the first major general of the statewide Illinois militia. The Militia Act of 1903 organized the various state militias into the present National Guard system.

Many states also maintain their own military forces. These forces are federally recognized, but are separate from the National Guard and are 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

*Militia
*Home Guard
*U.S. 33rd Infantry Division
*47th Infantry Division (United States)‎
*35th Infantry Division
*Transformation of the Army National Guard

References

*United States National Guard, accessed 4 Nov 2006
* [http://www.il.ngb.army.mil/ Illinois Army National Guard] , accessed 20 Nov 2006
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/arng-il.htm GlobalSecurity.org Illinois 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]