Commanding General MG William "Len" Smith Branch United States Army | Founded Texas, United States Part of Texas Military Forces | |
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Allegiance United States of America Type ARNG Headquarters Command Similar United States Army, Texas Military Forces, Army National Guard, National Guard of the Unite, State defense force Profiles | ||
The Texas Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army, the United States National Guard and the Texas Military Forces (along with the Texas Air National Guard and the Texas State Guard).
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Texas Army National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army. The same ranks and insignia are used and National Guardsmen are eligible to receive all United States military awards. The Texas Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in or to the state of Texas.
The Texas Army National Guard is composed of approximately 19,000 soldiers, and maintains 117 armories in 102 communities. State duties include disaster relief, emergency preparedness, security assistance to state law enforcement agencies, and some aspects of border security. The Governor can activate the National Guard components under his control for state active duty in Texas, and in support of adjacent states.
History
The Texas Army National Guard has its roots in the Texas Militia formed by Sam Houston during the Texas Revolution of 1835 - 1836.
The Militia Act of 1903 organized the various state militias into the present National Guard system. After World War II, the previous Texas ARNG 36th Infantry Division was reorganised as the 49th Armored Division.
The 49th Armored Division was ordered to active federal service in October 1961 at Dallas, for the 1961 Berlin Crisis, and reverted to state control in August 1962. The 49th was deactivated in 1968 and re-organized into three separate brigades, the 36th Infantry Brigade, 71st Infantry Brigade and 72nd Infantry Brigade (Mechanized) (Dallas). The division was reactivated on 1 November 1973, with its headquarters at Camp Mabry, Austin, Texas.
McGrath says the 36th Bde insignia with star was authorized for wear from 10 May 1967 - 1 November 1973, but never worn, because the brigade at the time was designated 71st. The 36th Airborne Brigade was active from 1973 to 1980, and disbanded 1980. It was reconstituted as a divisional formation (36th Brigade, 50th Armored Division) from 1988-92. In 1992 it became the 36th Brigade of the 49th Armored Division based at Houston, TX. It seems likely to have been active between 1992 and May 2004 when the 49th Armoured Division became the 36th Infantry Division.
Major subordinate commands
On 1 September 2009, the Texas Army National Guard activated the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 143rd Infantry Regiment, the only Airborne infantry battalion in the Army National Guard. The unit includes a battalion headquarters and headquarters company (HHC), 3 rifle companies (Cos A, B, and C), a weapons company (Co D), and a forward support company (FSC). Most elements of the battalion will be located in Texas, with Co B in Alaska and Co C in Rhode Island. Rather than converting an existing TX ARNG unit, the battalion is being built from the ground up. [1] According to the U.S. Army Center for Military History, "1st Battalion, 143d Infantry Regiment is a separate infantry battalion." As such, it is not subordinate to other commands in the state, although it is attached to the 71st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade for local administration.