Colorado Army National Guard

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Headquarters, State Area Command Colorado Army National Guard
Image:Colorado ARNG SSI.png Colorado STARC Shoulder Sleeve insignia
Active
Country	United States
Allegiance	Colorado
Branch	Army National Guard
Type	ARNG Headquarters Command
Part of	Colorado National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Centennial, Colorado
Commanders
Current commander	Major General Mason C. Whitney

Seal of the Army National Guard

The Colorado National Guard is comprised of 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 Colorado Army National Guard is composed of over 3500 soldiers, maintaining 30 armories in 24 communities (as of 1999).

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 Colorado 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 Colorado and Executive Order. The State Defense Force (SDF) is the state’s authorized militia and assumes the state mission of the Colorado National Guard in the event the Guard is mobilized. The SDF is comprised of retired active and reserve military personnel and selected professional persons who volunteer their time and talents in further service to their state.

The Colorado 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.

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

1 Units
2 Duties
- 2.1 Active Duty Callups
3 History
4 See also
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Units

1/157th Field Artillery Battalion

2/157th Field Artillery Battalion

8th WMD Civil Support Team

89th Troop Command

169th Field Artillery Brigade

High Altitude Aviation Training Site (HAATS)

3650th Maintenance Company

Medical Battilion (Emergency Medicine)

220th Military Police Company

140th Signal Companies

Space Command Battalion

HQ/HHD 5/19th SF BN (Abn)

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[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 1 August 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).

[edit] History

The Colorado Army National Guard was originally formed in 1860. 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. (stub question: does Colorado maintain such an independent, non-National Guard military force?)

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

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