Guam Army Guard to deploy to Philippines

After weeks of training in preparation for an upcoming deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines and the Global War on Terror, approximately 30 soldiers of the Guam Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry Regiment are scheduled to deploy to the southern Philippines between May 1 to May 3.

A deployment ceremony is scheduled for today, April 30, at 4pm at the Guam Army National Guard’s Barrigada complex, 105th Troop Command’s Multi-purpose Room.

While deployed, the soldiers will be providing security for a unit of the Special Operations Command-Pacific that is conducting civil-military operations and training with the armed forces of the Philippines in the southern Philippines.

A majority of the soldiers have deployed before. For some, this is going to be their third deployment.

The platoon was mobilized for Active Federal Service on March 21, and conducted all of its post-mobilization training on Guam. Prior to its mobilization, the unit conducted about three weeks of pre-mobilization training on Guam and at Fort Magsaysay in the Philippines during Exercise Balikatan 2008.

The 3rd Battalion of the 196th Infantry Brigade, based out of Guam, was the primary trainer of the platoon during its post-mobilization training. The commander of that battalion is LTC Lance Patterson.

The total length of the deployment is about six months. Upon completion of its mission, the platoon is scheduled to redeploy back to Guam around November. The Guam National Guard is currently coordinating with U.S. Army Pacific to conduct demobilization of the unit on Guam.

The 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry Regiment recently completed its fourth and last rotation of company-sized deployments to the Horn of Africa. The fourth rotation, Team Delta, mobilized in January and deployed to the Horn of Africa last April. The soldiers of Team Delta returned to Guam around the mid-part of April. About 140 soldiers returned with the unit.

The 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry also has another company, Team Alpha, currently deployed to Afghanistan. The unit, approximately 180 soldiers total, deployed to Afghanistan early February and is scheduled to return late November.

The Guam Army Guard also currently has a 16-man Embedded Training Team deployed to Afghanistan to assist in the training of the Afghan National Army and Police. That team is scheduled to deploy and demobilize this May. It has a second 14-man Embedded Training Team that deployed to Afghanistan in Feb.

The Guam National Guard is also a partner with the Philippines in the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program. [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]