Illinois Army National Guard

Headquarters, Joint Force Headquarters Illinois Army National Guard
Illinois Joint Force Headquarters Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
Active
Country	United States
Allegiance	Illinois
Branch	Army National Guard
Type	ARNG Headquarters Command
Part of	Illinois National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Camp Lincoln, Springfield, Illinois
Commanders
Current commander	Major General Dennis L. Celletti
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia

Seal of the Army National Guard

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.

The Illinois Army National Guard is composed of approximately 10,000 soldiers.

Active service

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."

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 Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment (United States)
• 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment (United States)
• 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment (United States)(RSTA)
• 2nd Battalion, 122nd Field Artillery Regiment (United States)
• 33rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion
• 634th Brigade Support Battalion

108th Sustainment Brigade

• 108th Brigade Special Troops Battalion
• 108th Multifunctional Medical Battalion
• 1144th Transportation (MT) Battalion
• 244th Army Liaison Team
• 644th Personnel Services Battalion

404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade

• 405th Brigade Support Battalion
• 33d Military Police Battalion
• 44th Chemical Battalion
• 766th Engineer Battalion
• 44th Rear Operations Center (ASG)

65th Troop Command

• 1st BN 106th Aviation
• 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
• 144th Army Band
• 2nd BN 123d Field Artillery
• 2nd BN 238th General Support Aviation
• Company A, 2-20th Special Forces Group

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 1, 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).

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. The 44th Infantry Division was part of the IL ARNG from 1945/46. It was inducted into Federal Service during the Korean War but on its release the Governor of Illinois declined to support it, citing budgetary considerations. It was thus deactivated on its release from Federal Service in December 1954. From that time, Illinois ARNG units have formed part of the 33rd, and then the 47th until November 1991. In November 1991 the 66th Infantry Brigade was reassigned to the 34th Infantry Division. Later it was reassigned again to the 35th Infantry Division.

Historic units

• 106th Cavalry Regiment (United States)
• 123rd Infantry Regiment (United States)
• 129th Infantry Regiment (United States)
• 130th Infantry Regiment (United States)
• 131st Infantry Regiment (United States)
• 132nd Infantry Regiment (United States)
• 178th Infantry Regiment (United States)
• 122nd Field Artillery Regiment (United States)
• 123rd Field Artillery Regiment (United States)
• 124th Field Artillery Battalion (United States)
• 184th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)
• 208th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)
• 210th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)
• 223rd Field Artillery Regiment (United States)
• 233rd Field Artillery Regiment (United States)
• 202nd Coast Artillery (AA)

See also

• Coats of arms of U.S. Armor and Cavalry Regiments
• Coats of arms of U.S. Artillery Regiments
• Coats of arms of U.S. Infantry Regiments
• Coats of arms of U.S. Air Defense Artillery Regiments

External links

• Bibliography of Illinois Army National Guard History compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History
• Illinois Army National Guard, accessed 20 November 2006
• GlobalSecurity.org Illinois Army National Guard, accessed 20 November 2006