The Georgia Army National Guard activated the 111th Electromagnetic Warfare Company, the first unit of its kind in the U.S. Army, according to a National Guard press release.
Lt. Col. Luke Gurley, commander of the 221st Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Battalion — the parent command of the 111th EW — presided over the ceremony on Saturday at the Fort Gillem Enclave, which included the assumption of command by Capt. Caleb Rogers.
“[This] unit … will be at the forefront of our capabilities in the electromagnetic spectrum,” Gurley said.
The activation of the 111th EW Company marks a significant step in modernizing the Army’s capabilities within a domain that is increasingly critical to national security, according to the release.
The new formation will provide capabilities to detect, recognize, locate and identify signals of interest —supporting combatant commanders.
“The legacy of the 221st Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Battalion and the Georgia Guard to lead from the front and provide those critical capabilities … both locally and abroad is going to be driven by Georgia soldiers,” said Brig. Gen. Theodore Scott III, commander of the 78th Troop Command. “And that means the world to me.”
Scott, a former leader of the 221st IEW, has watched the formation rapidly expand over the years.
“As the battlefield continues to evolve, the 221st IEW is ready,” Scott said. “It’s one of the most deployed units in the state and has been for a number of decades. And so that continues to articulate the relevancy of 221st and now the 111th.”
The 221st IEW has deployed soldiers to Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Cuba and the southern U.S. border, and has supported U.S. Central Command and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command activities.
The 111th EW Company traces its lineage to the 1st Battalion, 111th Signal Battalion, the only Georgia Army National Guard unit mobilized during the 1961 Berlin Crisis.
“Today is not simply about activating a new unit. It’s about recognizing and honoring a proud legacy,” Gurley said.
Rogers, the newly appointed commander, acknowledged the unique challenges and opportunities associated with leading this pioneering unit.
Rogers told Task & Purpose that the 111th will have three main tasks — “support, attack and protect” — that separate them from other intelligence units.
“All of our soldiers are expected to keep up with evolving technology, and the unit as a whole is remaining flexible with the expectation of receiving a growing number of mission types,” Rogers said.
The 111th EW Company will conduct its first field exercise in August at the Chattahoochee National Forest, focusing on electromagnetic support training and identifying and locating static and moving targets, including helicopters provided by the Georgia Guard’s 78th Aviation Troop Command.
“It’s a great time to be in military intelligence and electromagnetic warfare,” Scott said. “I am excited for the future.”
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
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