Idaho Nat'l Guard Boots On Ground In Asia For Security Operation

Members of the Army National Guard from Idaho, Nevada, Montana, and Oregon will be spending several months rotating duties in southwest Asia as part of a defense operation by the United States military.

More than 250 officers in the Idaho National Guard will be on the ground in Asia in the coming hours to assist with Operation Spartan Shield. Soldiers from the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Unit will spend the next year enforcing security in the country's southern region, as well as conducting training exercises with regional forces to ensure stability upon withdrawal in 2023.

News of the deployment was shared on the Idaho Army National Guard Facebook page on Friday. According to the Facebook post, the soldiers have trained for more than a year for the peacekeeping assignment. Army National Guard personnel from surrounding states have also trained for the mission, which is expected to last approximately 12-months.

A send-off ceremony was conducted for the Idaho servicemen and women early Friday. Several hundred Idaho Air National Guardsmen have been handling security in the southwest region of Asia since early 2020, and will now have additional reinforcement. Soldiers from Florida have also left for the country to provide additional support.

A second rotation of troops from Nevada, Montana, Oregon, and Idaho will relieve United States military personnel in the summer of 2022. Families of soldiers can send care packages and video greetings during the upcoming holiday season.

From all of us at Townsquare Media, we wish all of our troops the best of luck. Please stay safe, and happy holidays.