Florida Army National Guard
| Florida Army National Guard | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Army National Guard |
| Type | ARNG Headquarters Command |
| Part of | Florida National Guard |
| Garrison/HQ | St. Augustine, Florida |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
MG Michael A. Calhoun |
The Florida Army National Guard is Florida's component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. In the United States, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the federal army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization. Federal coordination of various state Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau. The Florida Army National Guard is composed of approximately 12,000 soldiers (as of March 2009). The main state training grounds is Camp Blanding.
Florida Army National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army. The same enlisted ranks and officer ranks and insignia used by the United States Army are used by Army National Guardsmen and the latter are eligible to receive all United States military awards. The Florida National Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in or to the state of Florida.
The predecessor of the Florida Army National Guard was a Spanish militia that was originally formed in 1565, in the newly established Spanish presidio town of St. Augustine. On September 20, 1565, Spanish admiral and Florida's first governor, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, attacked and defended Florida from an attempted French settlement at Fort Caroline, in what is now Jacksonville. The subsequent militia served under the Spanish crown for 236 years, Great Britain for a 20 years, and the Confederate States of America for 5 years.
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Wikipedia