(Camp Dodge/Johnston, Iowa) — Officials with the Iowa National Guard said Wednesday evening, that as part of the U.S. Army’s ongoing operational requirements, several Iowa National Guard units will deploy overseas in the coming months.

Approximately 330 Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, will deploy in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Central Command is comprised of 20 nations in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, including Afghanistan, Iraq, and other countries.

The 1-194th Field Artillery is comprised of units in Iowa and Minnesota. The deploying Iowa National Guard Soldiers will depart from armories in Spencer, Estherville, Charles City, Fort Dodge and Johnston. Approximately 70 Minnesota Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to Battery C, 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery, will deploy from Alexandria, Minn.  Their deployments are expected to occur toward the end of July.

An additional 400 Iowa National Guard Soldiers received mobilization orders to support NATO’s ongoing Kosovo Force (KFOR) mission in the Republic of Kosovo.  Iowa units identified to support this mission include:

• Headquarters, 1st Squadron, 113th Calvary Regiment, Sioux City, Iowa
• Bravo Troop, 1^st Squadron, 113th Calvary Regiment, Johnston, Iowa
• Headquarters, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Boone, Iowa
• Company D (MI), 224th Brigade Engineer Battalion, Johnston, Iowa
• 334th Brigade Support Battalion, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• 135th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Johnston, Iowa

This is the Iowa National Guard’s largest mobilization in support of KFOR since it first mobilized units there in 2004. Most of these units have mobilized previously in support of overseas contingency operations including deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo. These units have worked to increased readiness over the last several years in preparation for these deployments.  In July of 2019, they participated in an eXportable Combat Training Capability (XCTC) exercise, designed to train Soldiers and certify them on their military proficiencies.

The Iowa National Guard will hold send-off ceremonies for these units in August and September. Following the ceremonies, they will travel to their mobilization station at Ft. Bliss, Texas, to complete final training and readiness checks before deploying overseas. These deployments are expected to last approximately one year. Additional information regarding the send-off ceremonies will be published at a later date.