Arizona Army National Guard
The Arizona Army National Guard is Arizona's Army National Guard force, serving both under state authority and as a reserve component of the United States Army.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Arizona Army National Guard is the Army component of the Arizona National Guard and forms part of both Arizona's organized military forces and the United States Army National Guard. Its dual state-and-federal role allows it to support the governor during emergencies within Arizona while also being mobilized by the president for national defense and overseas military operations. National coordination for the Guard's state units is conducted through the National Guard Bureau, while Arizona formations are trained, equipped, organized, and awarded according to United States Army standards. The force traces its institutional origins to September 2, 1865, when Arizona militia forces were organized in response to conflicts commonly described at the time as the Indian wars. Its lineage includes the First Arizona Volunteer Infantry, later associated with the 158th Infantry Regiment. Arizona troops also participated in the Spanish–American War, including service connected with the Rough Riders, and performed border-security duties after violence associated with Pancho Villa's 1916 raid on Columbus, New Mexico. The 1st Arizona Infantry was activated and headquartered at Camp Naco during that period. During the First World War, the regiment entered federal service on August 5, 1917, as part of the 40th Infantry Division. After postwar reorganization, the 158th Infantry became associated with the 45th Infantry Division. It was again called into federal service in 1940 during the national emergency preceding the United States' entry into the Second World War. The regiment became the 158th Regimental Combat Team, known as the Bushmasters, and fought in the Pacific theater. It was selected for a leading role in the planned invasion of Japan, although Japan surrendered before that invasion took place. General Douglas MacArthur praised the unit's combat performance. After the Second World War, Arizona's Guard formations returned to state control and underwent repeated reorganizations. The historic 158th Infantry lineage was connected to successor formations including the 258th Infantry Brigade, the 258th Military Police Brigade, the 258th Support Center, and the Rear Area Operations Center. Arizona also developed field artillery, aviation, maneuver, logistics, and support organizations. The 153rd Field Artillery Brigade was redesignated as the 98th Troop Command in 2006, while other reorganizations connected Arizona units with formations such as the 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Since the twentieth century, Arizona Army National Guard soldiers have served in federal operations involving Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Units have also supported domestic disaster response, including assistance in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. The Guard's state mission includes emergency response, civil support, and assistance during declared emergencies; its federal mission includes mobilization as organized units for combat, security, humanitarian, and other military operations. Unlike the Army Reserve, Arizona Army National Guard soldiers are generally mobilized as members of their units rather than individually, subject to federal orders, voluntary transfers, or approved temporary assignments. The organization uses United States Army ranks, insignia, training standards, and awards, while also presenting Arizona-specific awards for service to the state. Its national motto is "Always Ready, Always There," and Arizona's official Guard motto is "Protecting What Matters." The force remains an active component of Arizona's emergency-response structure and the nation's reserve military capacity; the referenced material places its approximate strength at 5,100 soldiers as of 2026.
History
The Arizona Army National Guard developed from nineteenth-century militia organizations established in the Arizona Territory. Its stated origin is September 2, 1865, when forces were organized in response to frontier conflicts. The lineage of the 158th Infantry Regiment reaches back to the First Arizona Volunteer Infantry, making the regiment one of the central historical formations associated with Arizona's Army Guard. Arizona volunteers served during the Spanish–American War, and the state's militia was later used for border protection. Following the 1916 raid on Columbus, New Mexico, the 1st Arizona Infantry was activated and based at Camp Naco. The federal Militia Act of 1903 had meanwhile created the modern framework linking state militia organizations to the National Guard system, giving Arizona formations a more standardized relationship with the United States Army. The 158th Infantry entered federal service on August 5, 1917, during the First World War, as part of the 40th Infantry Division. After the war it was assigned through reorganization to the 45th Infantry Division. On September 16, 1940, amid the national emergency preceding American entry into the Second World War, the unit joined its parent division at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The 158th Regimental Combat Team became known as the Bushmasters, a name taken from the venomous bushmaster snake. The formation served in the Pacific and was selected to spearhead the planned invasion of Japan, though that operation was rendered unnecessary by Japan's surrender. Following the Second World War, the 158th Infantry was demobilized and returned to state service. Arizona's Guard structure was repeatedly adjusted to meet changing Army force plans. In June 1967, a major successor organization was redesignated as the 258th Infantry Brigade. In August 1968 it became the 258th Military Police Brigade, and in August 1976 it was reorganized as the 258th Support Center and later the 258th Rear Area Operations Center. Other Arizona elements retained or developed artillery and aviation roles. An Army aviation modernization plan implemented in 1986 proposed an Arizona-based combat aviation structure incorporating a combat aviation group, an attack helicopter battalion, and a combat aviation company. The proposed 385th Combat Aviation Group would have provided command and control for aviation units in Arizona and other states in support of major Army corps. The plan illustrates the Guard's integration into broader federal force-planning arrangements rather than an exclusively local role. Arizona units served in later federal conflicts, including Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The state's Guard also provided domestic support, including deployment to Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Further reorganizations occurred in the twenty-first century. The 153rd Field Artillery Brigade was redesignated as the 98th Troop Command in 2006. In the same year, the 1st Battalion, 180th Field Artillery Regiment became the 1st Battalion, 158th Infantry Regiment and was assigned to the 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. In September 2010, another reorganization redesignated a major formation as the 158th Maneuver Enhanced Brigade. The Arizona Army National Guard operates under the Guard's dual-status structure. The governor may call it to state service during an emergency, while the president may order its units into federal service. Soldiers normally serve through their assigned units rather than being involuntarily mobilized individually. The organization follows Army ranks, insignia, training, equipment, and federal awards systems, while Arizona maintains its own awards for service to the state. Its stated national motto is "Always Ready, Always There," and its Arizona motto is "Protecting What Matters."
- 2010
158th Maneuver Enhanced Brigade formed
[1]A September reorganization redesignated a major Arizona formation as the 158th Maneuver Enhanced Brigade.
- 2006
Command and infantry reorganizations
[1]The 153rd Field Artillery Brigade became the 98th Troop Command, while the 1st Battalion, 180th Field Artillery Regiment became the 1st Battalion, 158th Infantry Regiment.
- 1986
Army aviation modernization plan
[1]Arizona began implementing a plan to modernize and reorganize its Army aviation capabilities into combat aviation, attack helicopter, and aviation-company structures.
- 1976
Support-command reorganization
[1]The organization became the 258th Support Center and was subsequently associated with the Rear Area Operations Center structure.
- 1968
Reorganization as a military police brigade
[1]The formation was reorganized and redesignated as the 258th Military Police Brigade.
- 1967
158th lineage reorganized as the 258th Infantry Brigade
[1]A major successor formation was redesignated as the 258th Infantry Brigade.
- 1940
Second World War mobilization
[1]Arizona units were called into federal service on September 26 during the national emergency preceding the United States' entry into the Second World War.
- 1917
Federal service in the First World War
[1]The regiment entered federal service on August 5 as part of the 40th Infantry Division.
- 1916
Border-security activation
[1]The 1st Arizona Infantry was activated and headquartered at Camp Naco for border-protection duties after the Columbus, New Mexico raid.
- 1903
Militia Act creates the modern National Guard framework
[1]Federal legislation organized state militia forces into the modern National Guard system and strengthened their relationship with the United States Army.
Products and positioning
A dual-purpose military organization positioned as Arizona's ready statewide emergency-response force and as a federally deployable reserve component of the United States Army.
Ground combat
Infantry formations
Infantry formations provide Arizona's Army Guard with ground-combat, security, and maneuver capabilities. The 158th Infantry lineage is the best-known historical thread, extending from the First Arizona Volunteer Infantry through federal service in the First and Second World Wars and later reorganizations.
Fires support
Field artillery formations
Arizona field artillery units provide organized fires capabilities and have been incorporated into brigade and troop-command structures. The historical 153rd Field Artillery Brigade was redesignated as the 98th Troop Command in 2006.
Military aviation · 1986
Army aviation
Army aviation elements support transport, command and control, maintenance, attack, and medical evacuation missions. Arizona's 1986 modernization plan contemplated combat aviation, attack helicopter, and aviation-company capabilities within a wider federal force structure.
Civil support
Domestic emergency response
When called by the governor, Arizona Army National Guard units can support emergency management, disaster relief, public safety, logistics, and other civil-support missions. The force has also supported disaster response outside Arizona, including assistance in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina.
Marketing campaigns
- 2005Hurricane Katrina response
Louisiana · United States
Arizona Guard units deployed to Louisiana to assist with response and recovery after Hurricane Katrina.
Outcome. The deployment demonstrated the Guard's ability to provide interstate disaster-relief support under an emergency mission.
- 1941Pacific campaign service
Pacific theater
The 158th Regimental Combat Team, known as the Bushmasters, served in the Pacific during the Second World War and was selected for the planned invasion of Japan.
Outcome. The planned invasion was cancelled after Japan surrendered, while the unit's Pacific combat service became a defining part of its institutional heritage.
- 1916Camp Naco border protection
Arizona · United States–Mexico border region
The 1st Arizona Infantry was activated and headquartered at Camp Naco for border-security duties after violence connected with Pancho Villa's raid on Columbus, New Mexico.
Outcome. The activation placed Arizona militia forces in a federalized border-protection role.
- Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan deployments
Korean Peninsula · Vietnam · Iraq · Afghanistan
Arizona Army National Guard units have served in federal operations connected with Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Outcome. These deployments integrated Arizona Guard personnel into successive United States military campaigns.
Brand decisions
2006
Command and unit restructuringGeneration changeBackground
The Army National Guard periodically reorganizes units to match changing force structures and operational requirements.
Action taken
The 153rd Field Artillery Brigade became the 98th Troop Command, and the 1st Battalion, 180th Field Artillery Regiment was redesignated as the 1st Battalion, 158th Infantry Regiment.
Aftermath
The changes preserved historical lineages while adapting Arizona units to new command and maneuver arrangements.
1986
Army Aviation Force Modernization ProgramStrategyBackground
Army force planning called for more structured aviation command, attack, maintenance, and support capabilities.
Action taken
Arizona planned a combat aviation group, an attack helicopter battalion, and a combat aviation company connected with wider federal corps support.
Aftermath
The plan aligned Arizona aviation resources with national Army operational requirements.
1903
Integration into the modern National Guard systemStrategyBackground
State militia organizations required a standardized legal and military relationship with the federal government.
Action taken
The Militia Act of 1903 placed state forces within the modern National Guard framework linked to the United States Army.
Aftermath
Arizona's military organizations gained a more formalized dual state-and-federal structure.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/arizona-army-national-guard · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled