WI NATIONAL GUARD RELEASE: Wisconsin National Guard Iron Brigade headquarters deploying to Horn of Africa this fall

CONTACT: Maj. Gretel Weiskopf | [email protected]?| 608-242-3050

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by Sgt. 1st Class Katie Theusch

MILWAUKEE ? Approximately 280 Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers from the 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade headquarters will deploy to the Horn of Africa this fall.

The Milwaukee-based unit will mobilize in support of Operation Enduring Freedom ? Horn of Africa to enhance partnerships and stability in the region.

Soldiers from units throughout the state will be deploying as part of the 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade headquarters.

The unit previously deployed in 2011 to Kosovo, and the 157th Military Engagement Team, from the 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, mobilized to the Middle East in 2018.

The 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, also known as the Iron Brigade, traces its lineage to the 57th Field Artillery Brigade which served in World War I and World War II.

The Wisconsin National Guard continues to maintain a high operational tempo with worldwide deployments in support of its federal mission as the primary combat reserve of the Army and Air Force. Approximately 90 Airmen from the Volk Field-based 128th Air Control Squadron [ [link removed] ] deployed to Southwest Asia and the Middle East this spring. Nearly 150 Soldiers from the 107th Maintenance Company [ [link removed] ] returned from a deployment to Eastern Europe in April, and nearly 60 Soldiers with the 135th Medical Company [ [link removed] ] returned from an 11-month deployment to the Middle East in February.

The Wisconsin National Guard simultaneously stands ready to complete its state mission of assisting civil authorities during times of emergency as the state?s first military responder. The Wisconsin National Guard completed its mission supporting the state?s COVID-19 response this spring. The COVID response represents the largest sustained domestic mobilization in the Wisconsin National Guard?s 185-year history.

The Wisconsin National Guard is planning a sendoff ceremony for the 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade headquarters and will release those details at a later date.

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