Montana Army National Guard The Montana Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard . 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 . Montana Army National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army . The same ran ks and insignia are used and National Guardsmen are eligible to receive all United States military awards . The Montana Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in or to the state of Montana . The Montana Army National Guard maintains facilities in 28 communities . History . The Montana Army National Guard was originally formed in 1867 . The Militia Act of 1903 organized the various state militia s into the present National Guard system . The 163rd Infantry Regiment of the Montana Guard formed part of the 41st Infantry Division , which fought through the Pacific during World War II . The Regiment was inducted into the Regular Army in September 1940 , and were sent to Camp Murray at Fort Lewis , Washington . They participated in large - scale military exercises in California in 1941 . On Dec . 7 , 1941 small units were detailed to guard the Washington coastline from Japanese saboteurs . In March 1942 they were sent to Australia . Their engagements included the Battle of Buna - Gona , the Salamaua - Lae campaign , Operations Reckless and Persecution and the Battle of Biak , as well as the liberation of the Philippines . In September 1945 the Regiment went ashore at Hiro , Japan as part of the occupation of that country . By this most of the original Montanan troops had been discharged . The Montana ARNG maintained the 163rd Armored Cavalry Regiment ( whose roots date back to 1884 ) , at least up until 1988 . In 1985 its units included the 1 / 163 Cavalry , the 2 / 163 Cavalry , the 3 / 163 Cavalry ( based in Texas ) , an Air Troop , an Attack Helicopter Troop ( based in Utah ) , and the 1063rd Engineer Company . The MT ARNG maintained the 163rd Armored Brigade at least up until 1995 . It appears that on the disbandment of the 163rd Armored Brigade , the 1 - 163 Battalion was reassigned to the 116th Cavalry Brigade headquartered in Idaho . ' Commonly referred to as the Griz Battalion , the 1 - 163rd at first was designated as a Cavalry Regiment in 1953 , named the 163rd Cavalry Regiment . The unit was renamed the 1 - 163rd Infantry Battalion during the 2006 reorganization of the Montana Army National Guard , and has been re - designated as Cavalry once again , combining mechanized infantry with Abrams tank units . ' Duties . National Guard units can be mobilized at any time by presidential order to supplement regular armed forces , and upon declaration of a state of emergency by the governor of the state in which they serve . Unlike Army Reserve members , National Guard members cannot be mobilized individually ( except through voluntary transfers and Temporary Duty Assignments TDY ) , but only as part of their respective unit s . However , there has been a significant amount of individual activations to support military operations ( 2001 - ? ) ; the legality of this policy is a major issue within the National Guard . Active Duty Callups . For much of the final decades of the twentieth century , National Guard personnel typically served " One weekend a month , two weeks a year " , with a portion working for the Guard in a full - time capacity . The current forces formation plans of the US Army call for the typical National Guard unit ( or National Guardsman ) to serve one year of active duty for every three years of service . More specifically , current Department of Defense policy is that no Guardsman will be involuntarily activated for a total of more than 24 months ( cumulative ) in one six year enlistment period ( this policy is due to change 1 August 2007 , the new policy states that soldiers will be given 24 months between deployments of no more than 24 months , individual states have differing policies ) .