page_title: California Army National Guard
section_title: Early 20th Century
hierarchical_section_title: California Army National Guard / History / Early 20th Century
caption_attribution_description: English: Secretary of Defense William Cohen talks with soldiers from a platoon of the 3rd Battalion, 160th Infantry (Mechanized), a unit of the 40th Infantry Division (Mechanized), of the California Army National Guard, following the closing ceremonies of the NATO Partnership for Peace training exercise Cooperative Neighbor. The California National Guard is part of the Department of Defense's State Partnership Program, which matches U.S. states with former East bloc countries. This provides the emerging democracies the opportunity to see how reserve forces are integrated into our national defense structure. Cooperative Neighbor is the first Partnership for Peace training exercise, held on the soil of the Former Soviet Union, to be fully integrated into the NATO planning process. The U.S. contingent, which included soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division, headquartered in Wuerzburg, Germany, and elements of the 86th Airlift Wing from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, as well as the California Army National Guard, joined military forces from 12 other NATO or Partnership for Peace member nations to participate in the two-week exercise. The landmark event was organized and hosted by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry in cooperation with the military forces of the Hellenic Republic of Greece --its NATO partner-nation for the exercise.
context_page_description: The California Army National Guard is the land force component of the California National Guard, one of the reserve components of the United States Army and is part of the National Guard of the United States. The California Army National Guard is composed of 18,450 soldiers. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization. National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau.
  California Army National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army. The same enlisted and officer ranks and insignia are used and National Guardsmen are eligible to receive all United States military awards. The California Army National Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in or to the state of California.
context_section_description: The Militia Act of 1903 organized the various state militias into the present National Guard system. Between the wars the 79th Infantry Brigade existed in the state, with the 159th and 184th Infantry Regiments. 
  The California Army National Guard played an important role in World War II. One of the most illustrious California military units, the 40th Infantry Division, fought against the Imperial Japanese in the Pacific. California's 184th Infantry Regiment also fought in the Pacific Theater. The 40th Tank Company took part in the defense of Luzon, but was forced to surrender at Bataan. CA National Guard units also found themselves in the European theater of the war. The 144th Field Artillery Group and 159th Infantry Regiment both fought in one of the most infamous battles of the war, the Battle of the Bulge. 
  
  Soon after World War II the 49th Infantry Division was organized in the state, but it disappeared after later reorganization. On February 1, 1976, the 49th Infantry Brigade, California Army National Guard, was redesignated the 49th MP Brigade at Alameda, California.
caption: Secretary of Defense William Cohen talks with soldiers from a California Army National Guard unit
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