The Texas Military Forces is the combined military strength of the U.S. state of Texas. It is composed of three branches, the Texas Army National Guard, the Texas Air National Guard, and the Texas State Guard; all report to the state Adjutant General and are under the command of the Governor of Texas.
It was first established by Stephen F. Austin on February 18, 1823 under the authorization of Emperor of Mexico Agustín de Iturbide, who directed Austin "to organize the colonists into a body of the national militia, to preserve tranquility," as well as to make war on Indian tribes who were hostile and molested the settlements. Later, in 1835 all of the Texian militias came under the command of Sam Houston for the provisional government of the Republic of Texas and secured independence from Mexico. Since that time the President of the Republic of Texas, and later the Governor of the State of Texas, has exercised command and control over the internal military forces of Texas.
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One of the first of the now 57 teams that are spread across the United States of America that is tasked with immediate, less than 4 hour response to any target unknown chemical, biological, and/or radiological incident. The 22 man joint Army/Air Guard team can self-sustain for 72 hours of continuous operation and is constantly training to stay on top of the technology and techniques for sampling, evidence collection, identification, and education of the possibilities that the team may be alerted for.
The team members initially sign-on to the team through the Active Guard Reserve (AGR) program for three (3) years. Through this time, each member goes to Civil Support Skills Course (CSSC) at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, and many advanced WMD detection, sampling and laboratory courses.
6th CST has deployed to numerous actual and standby missions including 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics, 2003 Shuttle Columbia Disaster Response, 2004 NFL Super Bowl (XXXVIII) in Houston, 2005 Hurricane Rita, 2008 Hurricane Ike, 2011 NFL Super Bowl (VXV), and 2011 World Series.
The Texas Military Forces continuously trains and prepares for deployment supplying a diverse deployable Joint Force consisting of ground and air forces. The 149th Fighter Wing prepares pilots for combat, the 136th Airlift Wing flies C-130s in-and out of theater and the 147th Reconnaissance Wing has recently acquired Predators to be the eyes in the hostile sky. Texas Army National helicopters have deployed in support of DSCA and numerous Global War on Terrorism missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Texas Air National Guard Headquarters at Camp Mabry in Austin includes the state headquarters staff whose mission is to provide command and control of Texas Air Guard units.
The 136th Airlift Wing in Fort Worth flies C-130 cargo aircraft carrying personnel and equipment around the world. The 531st Air Force Band is co-located with the 136th Airlift Wing.
The 147th Reconnaissance Wing, headquartered in Houston on the Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, provides a worldwide deployable dual-role fighter/attack capability while covering the Gulf Coast from Brownsville, Texas to New Orleans, Louisiana in the Air Sovereignty Alert mission.
The 111th Reconnaissance Squadron is attached to the 147th Reconnaissance Wing. The Squadron flies the MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle.
The 149th Fighter Wing is headquartered in San Antonio on Lackland Air Force Base. The fighter wing is assigned to the US Air Forces Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and is one of the primary "school houses" for F-16 pilots.
The 182nd Fighter Squadron is attached to the 149th Fighter Wing. The Squadron flies the Block 30 F-16C/D Fighting Falcon dual-role fighter.
The 204th Security Forces Squadron located at Biggs Army Airfield, Fort Bliss, El Paso. They are the only heavy weapons security forces unit in the Air National Guard. Since September 11, 2001 attacks, members of the 204th SFS have seen duty in central and southwest Asia, in Africa and even onboard ship in the Persian Gulf. They have served on installations in several states in the U.S. and taught military base defense in Latin American countries. The unit still has members serving in the Iraq area of operations as part of Aerospace Expeditionary Forces.
The 254th Combat Communications Group, located at Hensley Field in Dallas since 20 Sept. 2010, the 254th provides worldwide command, control, communications and computer (C4) systems, information management and combat support critical to war fighting capabilities. The 254th's primary mission is to provide planning and engineering for Combat Communications Squadrons that provide tactical (high-frequency radio, telephone, satellite and network) communications and terminal air traffic control services to support emergency U.S. Air Force requirements. The 254th provides a staff element for management of communications personnel and equipment when deployed in support of Air Force missions worldwide in locations where these capabilities don't exist, and are prepared to do so under hostile conditions and during peacetime as well.
The 272d Engineering Installation Squadron, headquartered in La Porte, provides worldwide engineering, installation and relocation of command, control, communications, computers and intelligence systems.
The Texas State Guard is a state defense force that assists and augments Texas military and civil authorities in times of state emergencies, and in on-going support of National Guard units and local communities. The Texas State Guard consists of six Civil Affairs Regiments, two Air Wings, a Medical Reserve Brigade ("The Medical Rangers"), and a Maritime Regiment.
Texas State Guard personnel actively support the state in the event of catastrophic events, and ongoing military missions. Members receive duty pay when activated by the Governor and placed on paid state active duty, and starting in 2008, for a limited number of mandatory training days. At this time duty pay is an honorarium of $123 per day, regardless of rank. Other service is not compensated, other than simply the satisfaction from helping others in need, and supporting military and community service missions.
The organizational structure follows the active military component structure, with comparable positions, ranks, protocols, and authorities. Members wear the Texas military uniform according to branch of service (in accordance with branch regulations) in regards to state military forces when conducting activities while on duty. TXSG personnel are also eligible for the same military awards and decorations as members of the Texas Army & Air National Guard. For example, deployed members of the Texas State Guard received the Governor's Unit Citation for Hurricane Katrina and Rita relief in 2005. The Texas military uniform worn by most of the Texas State Guard is similar to US Army's "ACU" military uniforms, though with different markings; the Maritime Regiment's uniform is similar to the Marine's MARPAT Digital Desert uniform.
The Texas State Guard is a military entity authorized by both the State Code of Texas and Executive Order and is the state’s only authorized militia and assumes the state mission of the Texas National Guard in the event the National Guard has been deployed.
The Texas State Guard is composed of many retired and former active, guard and reserve military personnel as well as non-prior service civilians who volunteer their time and talents in further service to their state. All are eligible to wear the Texas State Guard uniform once their application is approved and they are formally sworn in. Non-prior service State Guardsmen (and women) are required to attend a Military Basic Orientation Training during Annual Training as well as ongoing military training at monthly drills. Texas State Guard is an unarmed force, though a number of members compete against National and Active Army in shooting qualifications & competitions.
These forces are federally recognized, but are separate from the National Guard and can not be federalized, but rather serve the state exclusively.