The Washington National Guard is one of the four elements of the State of Washington's

Washington Military Department The Washington Military Department is a branch of the state government of Washington, United States. The Washington State Military Department has several major operational divisions: * Washington Emergency Management Division * Washington Ar ...

and a component of the

National Guard of the United States The National Guard is a state-based military force that becomes part of the reserve components of the United States Army and the United States Air Force when activated for federal missions.Camp Murray Camp Murray is located adjacent to Joint Base Lewis–McChord, Washington. It is home to the Washington Army National Guard, Washington State Guard and the Washington Air National Guard. See also * Washington National Guard Museum * Washingto ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and is defined by its state and federal mission. At the call of the Governor, the Washington National Guard will mobilize and deploy during times of state emergency to augment local jurisdictions and responders in their efforts to protect lives and property. The Washington National Guard is also subject to the call of the President of the United States to serve as part of the total U.S. Military force.

Makeup

The Washington National Guard is made up of the

Washington Army National Guard The Washington Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the Washington National Guard based in Washington. The history of the Washington Army National Guard dates back to 1854 with formation of the Washington Territorial ...

(WAARNG) and the

Washington Air National Guard The Washington Air National Guard (WA ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Washington, United States of America. It is, along with the Washington Army National Guard, an element of the Washington National Guard. As state militia units, th ...

(WA ANG). The WAARNG is a reserve component of the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

and the WA ANG is a reserve component of the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

. There are approximately 8,400 citizen-soldiers and airmen serving in the Washington National Guard (6,300 in the WAARNG and 2,100 in the WA ANG). Washington_state_military_leadership_1892

Washington_state_military_leadership_1892

Washington Army National Guard

The WAARNG is made up of five Major Subordinate Commands:

81st Brigade Combat Team The 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team is a modular brigade of the United States Army National Guard based in Washington, Oregon and California. On 9 July 2015 it was announced that the 81st Brigade would convert from being an Armored BCT to a Stry ...

(headquartered in Seattle), 96th Troop Command (headquartered in Tacoma), 56th Information Operations Brigade (headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord), 96th Aviation Troop Command (headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord), and the 205th Leadership Regiment (headquartered at Camp Murray).

Washington Air National Guard

The

is made up of two Wings and an Air Defense Sector: 141st Air Refueling Wing (headquartered at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane) 194th Wing (headquartered at Camp Murray)

Western Air Defense Sector The Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) is a unit of the Washington Air National Guard located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tacoma, Washington. As a state militia unit, the Western Air Defense Sector is not in the normal United States Air Force c ...

(headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord) In 1853 President

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...

signed the

Organic Act In United States law, an organic act is an act of the United States Congress that establishes a territory of the United States and specifies how it is to be governed, or an agency to manage certain federal lands. In the absence of an organ ...

creating the

Washington Territory The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

and appointing Major Isaac Stevens the first governor and commander-in-chief of the Territorial Militia. The Territorial Militia organized in 1855 and supported the Territorial Government, provided defense against Indian uprisings and sent a unit to fight for the Union in the Civil War. The Washington National Guard trained as completely uniformed and equipped force for the first time in 1890 on the shores of American Lake near Tacoma. Units of the Washington National Guard served in the

Philippine Insurrection The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, both

World Wars A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

, the

Berlin Airlift The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road ...

and the first

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. Since the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

in 2001, the Washington National Guard units have served in support of

Operation Noble Eagle Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) is the United States and Canadian military operation related to homeland security and support to federal, state, and local agencies. The operation began 11 September 2001, in response to the September 11 attacks.. ...

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

and

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

. Approximately 700 members of the Washington National Guard served in support of the

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

Relief Mission in the Gulf Coast, and more than 300 served in support of

Operation Jump Start Operation Jump Start was a military operation to aid U.S. Customs and Border Protection, announced by President George W. Bush in May 2006. The mission entailed the deployment of United States National Guard troops along the Mexico–United Stat ...

(the southwest border mission from September 2006 – June 2008). The citizen soldiers and airmen of The Washington National Guard are dedicated to the mission of safeguarding lives and property in Washington State in serving in the USA and overseas. Members come from a wide diversity of communities, professions and backgrounds from around the State of Washington.

Washington National Guard historical timeline

1853

President Fillmore signed the Organic Act creating the Washington Territory and Maj. Issac Stevens was appointed first governor and commander-in-chief of the Territorial Militia (the beginnings of the Washington National Guard).

1855–1858

Washington Territorial Militia members informally mustered in support of the Territorial government involving local Indian uprisings.

1862–1865

Washington Territorial Militia members formed into the "1st Washington Territory Infantry" and brought into service for the Civil War.

1885

Washington Territory Militia "officially" formed and recognized as the Washington National Guard in the Legislative Assembly of Washington Territory.

1889

On November 11, 1889 Washington became a state.

1890

State Legislature met and appropriated $20,319.33 for a "Brigade Encampment" to be held that summer. Completely uniformed and equipped for the first time, the Washington State National Guard trained on the shores of American Lake near Tacoma.

1890–1898

Washington National Guard members involved in additional Indian conflicts, civil unrest, riots and fire fighting.

1898–1899

Washington National Guard members called into Federal Service during the Philippine Insurrection.

1916

Washington National Guard members involved in Mexican Border dispute.

1917–1918

Washington National Guard members Federalized for service in World War I.

1919–1940

Washington National Guard members involved in civil disturbance, labor conflicts, flooding assistance and fire fighting.

1941–1945

Nearly 12,000 Washington National Guard members were inducted into Federal Service at the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

1946–1960

Washington National Guard members involved in civil disturbance, labor conflicts, flooding assistance, fire fighting.

1961

Washington National Guard members activated for the Berlin Crisis and the Berlin Airlift.

1962–1979

Washington National Guard members involved in flooding assistance, fire fighting.

1980

More than 2,000 members of the Washington National Guard are called to state active duty when

Mount St. Helens Mount St. Helens (known as Lawetlat'la to the indigenous Cowlitz people, and Loowit or Louwala-Clough to the Klickitat) is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United St ...

erupted.

1981–1990

Washington National Guard members involved in assistance to law enforcement, search and rescue, emergency recovery, flood assistance, etc.

1990–1991

Washington National Guard members activated in support of Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm (Gulf War 1).

1991–1996

Washington National Guard members serve in support of state missions involving winter storms, flooding assistance, fire fighting, etc.

1997

Washington National Guard members deployed to

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

in Federal Active service as part of

Operation Joint Guardian Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Operation (game), ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * Operations (magazine ...

1998

Civil unrest at WSU campus and at the Makah Indian Reservation in the first dispute regarding

whaling Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industry ...

in over a hundred years.

1999

Assistance to Law Enforcement –

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

Conference civil unrest on the streets of Seattle. Washington National Guard members deployed to Kosovo in Federal Active service as part of Operation Joint Guardian.

2000

Washington National Guard members deployed to Macedonia in Federal Active service as part of Operation Joint Guardian.

2001

Washington National Guard members involved in wild land fire fighting.

2001–2002

In response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Washington National Guard members began to be deployed in the U.S. and around world in support Operations Noble Eagle (United States) and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) including Washington's regional airports, the northern border with Canada, the Olympic Games and the search for terrorists in the Afghan mountains.

2003–2014

Since September 11, 2001 more than 13,000 citizen soldiers and airmen have served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia), and in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan, Philippines, Cuba, Djibouti (Horn of Africa), Korea, Uzbekistan). Nearly 900 Washington Guardsmen have served in support domestic operations of Noble Eagle within the United States to include Airport Security, Border Patrol, security at military bases, and miscellaneous missions in Bosnia, Germany, Egypt and Kuwait.

2005

As a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, over 750 Washington Guard pilots, mechanics, supply and admin specialists, truck drivers and many others supported Humanitarian Relief efforts in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

2006

The 194th Regional Support Wing, later redesignated as the 194th Wing, was formed within the Washington Air National Guard, bringing together existing Air Guard units including the 252nd Combat Communications Group, air support operations units, mission support units, and a medical support unit into one wing.

2007

Nearly 500 citizen soldiers and airmen served on state active duty in the aftermath of the December 2 storm and subsequent flooding in Southwest Washington. Missions focused on evacuating stranded residents, door-to-door health and welfare checks, transportation of vital supplies and provision of generators.

2009

Nearly 550 citizen soldiers and airmen responded statewide to battle snow and flooding. The eastern Washington mission focused on snow removal from roads and public school buildings, while western Washington missions focused on evacuating stranded residents, door-to-door health and welfare checks, transportation of vital supplies.

2014

More than 620 citizen soldiers and airmen responded to the State Route 530 slide near Oso, WA. The mission focused on assisting in the Search and Rescue efforts after the mile long mud slide that killed 41 people and caused millions in damage. Approximately 250 soldiers have been activated and deployed to assist firefighters in containing multiple wildfires across the State of Washington.

2020

Washington State Governor

Jay Inslee Jay Robert Inslee (; born February 9, 1951) is an American politician, lawyer, and economist who has served as the 23rd governor of Washington since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Represent ...

authorized sending more than 600 citizen soldiers to King County to control an outbreak of "destructive protests and looting" in response to the

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

of George Floyd. On May 31, the National Guard was activated statewide.

2021

Washington State Governor

authorized sending 373 service-members to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

to assist with security at the

Inauguration of Joe Biden The inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States took place on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, marking the start of the four-year term of Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice president. The 59th presidential ...

in response to the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol by supporters of the outgoing President,

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

Museum

The Washington National Guard Museum, "The Arsenal", is located in its own building at the WANG headquarters at Camp Murray.

References

External links

Bibliography of Washington Army National Guard History
compiled by the

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Arm ...

{{WAMilitary National Guard (United States) Military in Washington (state) 1853 establishments in Washington Territory