LATHAM (01/27/2012)(readMedia)-- The New York Army National Guard mobillizes more than 1,800 Soldiers this weekend across the state as members of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team prepare to depart for training at Camp Shelby, Miss.

More than a dozen sites across New York will host departure ceremonies for family members and communities to sendoff the National Guard Soldiers.

Due to changing needs for forces within Central Command, the Army has remissioned the mobilization of the New York Army National Guard's 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

The Army will continue to deploy some Soldiers to Kuwait as a security force and will review force needs for potential missions for other Soldiers.

The Soldiers going to Kuwait are expected to deploy in April.

The Soldiers expect to be on federal active duty for up to 12 months, but the Army continues to review and reduce forces needed overseas. Some Soldiers may be released sooner than the one-year deployment timeline if the Army makes further changes to the mission.

Current plans call for the New York Army National Guard to deploy to Kuwait Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry, which is headquartered in Utica and has elements in Morrisonville, Ogdensburg, Saranac Lake, Gloversville, Glenville, Geneseo, Ithaca, and Leeds with additional Soldiers volunteering from New York City and Long Island.

The 427th Forward Support Battalion, with companies located in Syracuse, Buffalo and Rochester will also be called up. The 427th Forward Support Battalion provides logistics support-maintenance, supply, and medical support-to the brigade.

The 27th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, which is headquartered in Buffalo and has elements in Lockport and Syracuse will also mobilize. The 27th Brigade Special Troops Battalion includes intelligence, engineering, signal, and other specialized support units.

In addition to the New York Soldiers, 800 National Guard Soldiers from South Carolina and another 800 from Wisconsin, Alabama, Illinois, Florida, California, Kansas and Michigan are being mobilized as part of the 27th Brigade Combat Team.

In October 2011, almost 2,000 New York Army National Guard Soldiers participated in three weeks of realistic training at Fort Irwin, California to prepare the 27th IBCT for its planned deployment to Afghanistan.

Imagery of the New York Army National Guard Soldiers training recently at Fort Irwin is available for publication at our Flickr website, www.flickr.com/photos/nyng/collections/72157627834292482/

27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

The 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is headquartered in Syracuse, N.Y. It traces its lineage to the New York National Guard's 27th Division in World War I.

After the terrorist attacks of 9-11, NY National Guard members guarded the World Trade Center site, New York City train stations and airports and upstate nuclear power plants.

In 2007, the 27th Brigade formed Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix and served across Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom in 2008.

Posted Friday January 27, 2012 at 01:01 pm by New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs
Last Updated Thursday February 02, 2012 at 08:25 am