164th Air Defense Artillery Brigade (United States)

The 164th Air Defense Artillery Brigade is an air defense artillery brigade of the United States Army as part of the Florida Army National Guard.

164th Air Defense Artillery Brigade
164th Air Defense Artillery Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia
Active2004 – present
CountryUnited States
BranchFlorida Army National Guard
TypeAir defense artillery
SizeBrigade
Garrison/HQOrlando, Florida
Commanders
Current
commander		COL Sean T. Boyette
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia
164th Air Defense Artillery Brigade soldiers help put out a wildfire.

The unit is headquartered in Orlando, Florida on the site of the former McCoy Air Force Base and is composed of two air defense artillery battalions and one field artillery battalion located at 12 National Guard armories across Central Florida.

Units

Peacetime mission command:

Commanders
CommanderFromTo
BG Stephen "Steve" Villacorta1 September 200231 August 2007*
BG James "Don" Tyre1 September 200730 April 2009
BG Francis "Frank" Laudano III1 May 200913 October 2012
COL Matthew "Matt" Hearon14 October 20126 August 2015
COL Grant C. Slayden7 August 20152 August 2018
COL Sean T. Boyette3 August 2018Present
  • First two years were in command of DET 1/32 AAMDC, which later became 164 ADA BDE.

Recent Activities

The unit has supported the homeland defense mission through seven deployments commanding a multi-component task force responsible for securing the airspace in and around the National Capital Region.[1] The latest deployment is Task Force Apollo.[2]

In 2016, the brigade headquarters participated in Warfighter 16–3, a corps-level exercise in Fort Carson, Colorado, that allowed the unit to practice its warfighting functions, integrate as a fully functioning staff, and achieve its training objectives of planning and executing a theater-level air defense mission.[3]

In response to Hurricane Matthew, the brigade was activated in its entirety, with 1,139 Soldiers assigned to 14 counties from 6–10 October 2016. Brigade Soldiers staffed 21 shelter in 5 counties for 3,304 displaced persons; distributed 34,824 bottles of water, 17,364 MREs, and 377 tarps at 6 Point of Distribution Sites; and conducted one security mission.[4]

Later in 2016, the brigade headquarters participated in Yama Sakura 71, a theater-level exercise on Kyushu, Japan to enhance the U.S. and Japan's combat readiness and interoperability, strengthen bilateral relationships, and demonstrate U.S. resolve to support the security interests of allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.[5]

In response to Hurricane Irma, the brigade was activated in its entirety and augmented with almost 400 Airmen, as well as Emergency Assistance Compact (EMAC) forces from the Georgia National Guard (both Army and Air), the New Jersey Army National Guard, and the United States Army Reserve, performing missions in 27 counties from 7–23 September 2017. Brigade Soldiers rescued hundreds of persons from rising water; staffed 79 shelters for 10,260 displaced persons; distributed 1,914,864 bottles of water, 1,013,808 MREs, and 366 tons of ice at 40 Point of Distribution Sites; and conducted six security missions.[6] The University of Central Florida housed many brigade units in their stadium and practice field house, made available because of a canceled football game.[7]

References
  1. https://www.dvidshub.net/image/2284476/joint-task-force-archangel-departs-ncr
  2. https://www.dvidshub.net/video/592413/164th-air-defense-artillery-brigades-task-force-apollo-departure-ceremony-b-roll
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. After Action Report
  5. https://www.army.mil/article/179626/japan_us_forces_unite_in_yama_sakura_71
  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEFvsUJwOWQ and After Action Report
  7. https://ucf.rivals.com/news/ucf-shows-appreciation-to-national-guard-troops
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