Virginia Army National Guard

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Virginia Army National Guard
Virginia Army National Guard Joint Force Headquarters SSI.png
Shoulder sleeve insignia of the Virginia National Guard Joint Force Headquarters–Army Element
Founded1903
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
AllegianceFlag of Virginia.svg Virginia
Branch Army National Guard
TypeARNG Headquarters Command
Part of Virginia National Guard
Garrison/HQ Sandston, Virginia
Website Virginia Army National Guard
Commanders
Adjutant General MG James W. Ring
Land Component Commander BG Charles B. Martin Jr.
Insignia
Virginia Army National Guard Crest Virginia National Guard Crest.svg
Virginia Army National Guard STARC DUI Virginia STARC DUI (from TIOH).jpg
Virginia Army National Guard Headquarters Flag VA ARNG Flag.jpg

The Virginia Army National Guard is the land militia of the American State of Virginia. It is composed of approximately 7,200 soldiers and maintains 46 armories in communities throughout the State of Virginia. [1]

Contents

The Governor may call individuals or units of the Virginia 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:

The Virginia National Guard provides the premier ready, relevant, and responsive Army and Air National Guard and Virginia Defense Force (personnel and units) to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The forces must anticipate requirements and rapidly deploy where directed while executing the orders of the President of the United States and the Governor of Virginia in order to save lives, protect people and property, ensure safety and relieve suffering.

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

History

The Virginia Army National Guard is the oldest and the official start of the Army National Guard. The Militia Act of 1903 organized the various state militias into the present National Guard system.

British Colonial Militia

When the first English colonists arrived in North America they brought with them an existing militia system developed over centuries. Great Britain, being an island nation, never had a need to have large standing armies like the countries of mainland Europe. The only threats had to come by sea and in the days of wind-powered ships there was always forewarning, such as during the Spanish Armada in 1588. To be prepared to meet impending threats all men within each county (which usually made up one or more regiments) were required to "muster" or "mobilize" a day or two each year so their names could be entered on the rolls and they could at least familiarize themselves with weapons, usually furnished by the government, stored in a common location called an "armory." The commanders of each of these regiments were the high-born men of the county, often lords of noble birth. The men were told they were expected to turn out when called for an emergency but in reality they were still civilian farmers or shop keepers and only part-time soldiers. Once the crisis passed they returned to their homes and trades. This was the system brought over from England. It was modified once the English arrived because there were constant threats for local natives and Spanish raiders. So part of the militia had to always be armed and in readiness in case of sudden attack. [2]

Virginia State forces

The HHT/2-183rd Cavalry and the 276th Engineer Battalion are two of only nineteen Army National Guard units with campaign credit for the War of 1812.

Virginia State Militia

Virginia National Guard

During the 43 years of the Cold War, many changes occurred in the Virginia Guard, perhaps none more significant than the organization in 1946 of the 149th Fighter Squadron in Sandston, the Commonwealth's first Air National Guard unit (VA ANG). Thus the land force components became the Virginia Army National Guard (VA ARNG).

While many of the pre-war units, such as the 116th Infantry and 111th Field Artillery, were reformed in the Virginia Army National Guard in the mid to late 1940s, new units were organized into the force to meet the new threats posed by the Soviets. The most obvious of these were the antiaircraft artillery (AAA) battalions created to defend Washington, D.C., and Hampton Roads from air attack. Initially armed with guns firing "flak" these were, in the mid-1950s, replaced by Nike missiles capable of destroying enemy aircraft before they could hit their targets. And the structure of the state force expanded beyond only combat arms to include specialized support units including military police, medical, transportation, engineers, signal, data processing and even a military history detachment. [2]

In 1959 the 246th Coast Artillery became the 246th Field Artillery, with its 1st and 2d Battalions forming part of the 29th Infantry Division.

The former Headquarters, 29th Infantry Division Artillery, was withdrawn 1 October 1997 from Headquarters and Service Battery, 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery, reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 54th Field Artillery Brigade, and had its location changed to Virginia Beach. From that point, the Headquarters and Service Battery, 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery had a separate lineage. After active Federal service in 2004-05, it was converted and reorganized September 1, 2008, as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 329th Regional Support Group. [3] The RSG consists of the 276th Engineer Battalion, the 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion and the 1030th Transportation Battalion. The 329th Regional Support Group provides base operations support, and can manage facilities, provide administrative and logistical support for soldiers, and ensure the security of personnel and facilities on a base camp.

Separately from the previous 54th Field Artillery Brigade, on September 6, 2025, the Virginia Army National Guard formally reactivated the 29th Infantry Division Artillery (DIVARTY), during a ceremony at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia. [4] Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, presided over the ceremony featuring the uncasing of colors for the Divisional Artillery and the Divisional Artillery's Headquarters and Headquarters Battery. “In preparation for the Army’s focus on Large Scale Combat Operations, the U.S. Army is reintroducing DIVARTYs back into the National Guard." [5]

Units and formations

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.

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. In the first five years of the 21st century, Department of Defense policy was that no Guardsman would be involuntarily activated for a total of more than 24 months (cumulative) in one six-year enlistment period. This policy was due to change on 1 August 2007, with the new policy to state that soldiers will be given 24 months between deployments of no more than 24 months. However, individual states have differing policies.) Since 11 September 2001, over 15,700 Virginia Guard personnel have been deployed.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About the VNG". Virginia National Guard.
  2. 1 2 Listman Jr., John W. "Virginia National Guard: Serving Commonwealth and Country". Virginia National Guard. Archived from the original on 11 August 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
  3. ↑ https://va.ng.mil/Army-Guard/329th-RSG/ and Army Lineage and Honors for 329 RSG.
  4. ↑ https://va.ng.mil/News/Article/4315119/ceremony-formalizes-return-of-29th-id-divarty/
  5. ↑ https://va.ng.mil/Army-Guard/29th-DIVARTY/
  6. ↑ Puryear, Cotton (17 September 2017). "91st Cyber Brigade activated as Army National Guard's first cyber brigade". Virginia Army National Guard Public Affairs. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
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