CW5 Benjamin Burnett (Command Chief Warrant Officer, CA ARNG)
CSM
CSM Joe Derma III (Command Sergeant Major, CA ARNG)
Insignia
Flag of the California Army National Guard Headquarters
California ARNG Headquarters DUI
Military unit
TheCalifornia Army National Guard (CA ARNG) is one of three components of theCalifornia National Guard, a reserve of theUnited States Army, and part of theNational Guard of the United States. The California Army National Guard is composed of 18,450 soldiers. Nationwide, theArmy 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 theNational Guard Bureau.
As with any state's National Guard, one of the California Army National Guard's primary tasks is to ensure the safety of its citizens in times of crisis. According to the CA ARNG's website, the Guard is "committed to improving, preparing and protecting our communities, state and nation".[4]
The California Army National Guard was formed with the passing of theMilitia Act of 1903, also known as the Dick Act. It originated from the statemilitia established by theConstitution of California in 1849. On 4 April 1850, the firstCalifornia Legislature inSan Jose adopted enabling legislation formally establishing a militia of volunteer or independentcompanies. The law required every free, white, able-bodied male citizen of the State to perform military duty or to pay a $2 fee for nonperformance of this duty. Such payment exempted the person from duty except in case of war, insurrection, invasion, assistance to the sheriff, or a requisition of the militia. It provided that a judge of the superior court of a county should cause a suitable person to open a book, and enter the names of persons who apply and are able to perform military duty. After required notice, the volunteers were to be organized, and their officers andnon-commissioned officers selected by election. The volunteer or independent companies were to be armed and equipped as in the Army of the United States. The units were to adopt a constitution and by-laws as well as rules and regulations for the government of its personnel and determination of fines and penalties to enforce them.[5]
The first unit, known as the First California Guard (officially Company A, First Regiment, Light Artillery), was formed from volunteers inSan Francisco, California under CaptainHenry Morris Naglee on 27 July 1849, as a territorial militia. It was the first company organized under state authority.[7] Under these regulations, 307 volunteer or independent companies were organized in the early years of the states history to oppose the Indians, hunt down bandits, quell riots or Vigilantes, protect officials, intervene in mining claim disputes and other civil disturbances.
During 1850,Governor Burnett called out the militia two times. The first was prompted by incidents involving theYuma Indians at the confluence of theGila andColorado rivers on 23 April 1850; in response, the Governor ordered the sheriffs ofSan Diego County andLos Angeles County to organize a total of 100 men for theGila Expedition to "pursue such energetic measures to punish the Indians, bring them to terms, and protect the emigrants on their way to California."[8] The second instance occurred in October 1850, when Governor Burnett ordered the sheriff ofEl Dorado County to muster 200 men. The commanders were instructed to "proceed to punish the Indians engaged in the late attacks in the vicinity of Ringgold, and along the emigrant trail leading from Salt Lake to California."[9]
From 1850 to 1851 theMariposa Battalion was raised to fight theMariposa War in theSierras.[citation needed] In 1851, theGarra Revolt occurred inSan Diego County and the Governor called for troops, the Fitzgerald Volunteers were raised in San Diego to defend the County and conducted an expedition to Warners Ranch. Also two companies of Rangers were organized in San Francisco from members of the three militia companies that existed in that city then: First California Guard, Washington Guard and Empire Guard.[10] However, by the time transportation to San Diego was arranged the revolt had been suppressed, and the now idle volunteers caused more trouble in San Diego than the Indians.[11]
In 1853, a company ofCalifornia State Rangers was organized for the purpose of capturing the famous banditJoaquin Murrieta. At the same timeLos Angeles County formed two companies,Los Angeles Rangers[12] and the Los Angeles Guard.[13] In 1854 the Monte Rangers[14] were formed. During 1855 inSan Bernardino County the San Bernardino Rough and Ready Cavalry[15] was formed, replaced in 1856 by the San Bernardino Rangers.[16] These units were raised to support the local authorities in combating Indian raids and the influx of criminals intoSouthern California, driven out of the northern part of the state byvigilantism in San Francisco and theGold Country.[17]
In 1854, the six companies in San Francisco, were formed into abattalion. In 1855, the militia was again reorganized. Provision was made for six divisions and 12 brigades. More extended military rolls were to be kept by the county assessors of each county.[5]
In 1860 the Independent City Guard and another company of volunteers fromSacramento, and the Nevada Rifles fromNevada City joined the Washoe Regiment and fought in the Carson River Expedition in thePaiute War.[22]
As the secession crisis developed in early 1861, severalVolunteer Companies of the California Militia[23][24] had disbanded because of divided loyalties and new ones with loyal Union men were sworn in across the state under the supervision of County sheriffs and judges. Many of these units saw no action but some were to form the companies of the earliestCalifornia Volunteer Regiments. Others like the Petaluma Guard and Emmet Rifles inSonoma County suppressed a secessionist disturbance inHealdsburg,[25] in 1862. Union commanders relied on the San Bernardino Mounted Rifles[26] to hold the pro southernSan Bernardino County for the Union in late 1861 as federal troops were being withdrawn and replaced by California Volunteers.
Notable as the only active pro-Southern militia unit, theLos Angeles Mounted Rifles was organized on 7 March 1861, inLos Angeles County. It included more than a fewCalifornios in its leadership and its ranks including the County Sheriff, one of his Undersheriffs and several of his deputies.A. J. King another Undersheriff of Los Angeles County (and former member of the earlier "Monte Rangers") and other influential men inEl Monte, formed another secessionist militia the Monte Mounted Rifles on 23 March 1861. However, the attempt failed when A. J. King marched through the streets following news of theBattle of Fort Sumter with a portrait of the Confederate GeneralP. G. T. Beauregard and was arrested by aU.S. Marshal. State arms sent from GovernorJohn G. Downey for the unit were held up by Union officers at the port ofSan Pedro. Due to the activities of secessionists within companies and disappearance of arms with the Los Angeles Mounted Rifles, the Legislature passed a law giving the Governor the power to recover from any company its arms and equipment to prevent traitors from getting possession of state arms.[27]
In 1862, the crisis of theAmerican Civil War compelled the militia to be reorganized. Volunteer companies were to be reorganized, classified, assigned to militia battalions and regiments and staffs were to be provided to them. Administration was improved, bonds required, military duty exacted, enrollments and assessments created, muster rolls defined, activation of the militia determined, disciplinary procedure adopted, courts-martial provided, compensation fixed, arms and equipment provided, and prior conflicting acts repealed.[5]
During the Civil War 88 militia companies had been formed to serve, if required, in their respective localities, or to respond to a call from the governor.[28] However, by the end of the Civil War only two of the six Divisions were active and only six of the twelve Brigades of which only the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Brigades were organized into battalions and regiments.
In 1866, the Legislature for the first time employed the term "National Guard" as the title of the organized uniformed troops of the State of California. The statute provided for the organization of the National Guard, General and Special Staffs, formations of companies, service, arms and equipment, created a Board of Organization, formed a Board of Military Auditors, adopted a system of instruction and drill, described in detail the duties of the Adjutant General, created privileges and exemptions, allowances and expenses, limited the issuance of arms to troops only, provided for military musters and active service.[28]
The California Army National Guard played an important role inWorld War II. One of the most illustrious California military units, the 40th Infantry Division, fought against the Imperial Japanese in thePacific. 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 theEuropean 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, theBattle of the Bulge.[29]
Soon after World War II the49th Infantry Division was organized in the state, but it disappeared after later reorganization. On 1 February 1976, the 49th Infantry Brigade, CA ARNG, was redesignated the 49th MP Brigade at Alameda, California.[citation needed]
Secretary of DefenseWilliam Cohen talks with soldiers from a California Army National Guard unit.
40th Armored Brigade (Separate) of the California Army National Guard as of 1971.
The 40th Infantry Division from the CA ARNG served in theKorean War.
As theVietnam War escalated, a limited number of Army National Guard units were deployed. California was not exempt from this. Both 1st Squadron, 18th Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 40th Aviation Company received mobilization orders. Despite being trained atFort Lewis, Washington, the 18th Armored Cavalry never went to Vietnam. Instead, their gear was transferred to units of theArmy of the Republic of Vietnam. The 18th Armored Cavalry was sent back to California, though many of its members went on to serve in Vietnam.[30]
Units and members of the California Army National Guard have served in Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Sinai Peninsula, Qatar, Germany, Spain, Panama, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, during the1992 Los Angeles riots, on the US/Mexico Border mission, duringHurricane Katrina humanitarian efforts, in airports and seaports around California, and in homeland security tasks in various military bases across the US.
1st Battalion,149th Armor Regiment, was activated forOperation Noble Eagle, providing security at potential terrorist targets in the United States, in 2003.[31][32] Following redesignation of the regiment fromarmor toarmored in 2005, it was merged into the 340th Brigade Support Battalion in 2007.[33]
In September 2017, about 300 Army National Guard soldiers of the 184th Infantry Battalion deployed to Jordan to take part in Operation Spartan Shield. Modesto's 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment is one of the most active California Army National Guard units, having been mobilized or deployed toKosovo, Iraq, and Jordan within the past decade.[34]
In response to theCamp Fire, California activated 700 soldiers in different support roles. Fires are some of the most common and devastating natural disasters in California, causing units like the 140th Aviation Regiment to be used to support fire department efforts. Military Police are also utilized in massive evacuation efforts.[35]
March 2019 saw the return of the CA ARNG's 40th Infantry Division from a 9-month tour inAfghanistan. This was the second rotation of troops to return from Afghanistan, and the 40th Infantry Division's first combat deployment since the Korean War.[36]
In June 2025, the California National Guard became the subject of a high-profile legal and political dispute when PresidentDonald Trump issued a memorandum federalizing up to 4,000 Guard members and deploying approximately 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles during protests following federal immigration raids.[37][38] Governor Gavin Newsom strongly opposed the move, asserting that it exceeded presidential authority under Title 10 and was unnecessary given local law enforcement's control.[39]
Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 40th Infantry Division, at Joint Forces Training Base – Los Alamitos[46]
Headquarters and Support Company, 40th Infantry Division, at Joint Forces Training Base – Los Alamitos
Company A (Operations), Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 40th Infantry Division, at Joint Forces Training Base – Los Alamitos
Company B (Intelligence and Sustainment), Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 40th Infantry Division, at Joint Forces Training Base – Los Alamitos
Company C (Signal), Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 40th Infantry Division, at Joint Forces Training Base – Los Alamitos
40th Infantry Division Band, at Joint Forces Training Base – Los Alamitos
Detachment 1, 40th Infantry Division Band, inYuba City
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 40th Brigade Support Battalion, in Bell
Company A (Distribution), 40th Brigade Support Battalion, in Bell
Company B (Maintenance), 40th Brigade Support Battalion, in Bell
Company C (Medical), 40th Brigade Support Battalion, in Bell
Company D (Forward Support), 40th Brigade Support Battalion, inAzusa — attached to 1st Squadron, 18th Cavalry Regiment
Company E (Forward Support), 40th Brigade Support Battalion, inSan Diego — attached to 578th Brigade Engineer Battalion
Company F (Forward Support), 40th Brigade Support Battalion, inWalnut Creek — attached to 1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery Regiment
Company G (Forward Support), 40th Brigade Support Battalion, inSanta Ana — attached to 1st Battalion, 160th Infantry Regiment
Company H (Forward Support), 40th Brigade Support Battalion, atHammer Airfield — attached to 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment
Company I (Forward Support), 40th Brigade Support Battalion, inCayey (PR) — attached to 1st Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment (Puerto Rico Army National Guard)
40th Infantry Division Artillery, at Joint Forces Training Base – Los Alamitos
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 40th Infantry Division Artillery, at Joint Forces Training Base – Los Alamitos
^[Peter H. Burnett, "Governor’s Annual Message to the Legislature, 7 January 1851," in Journals of the Senate and Assembly of the Stateof California, at the Second Session of the Legislature, 1851-1852, (San Francisco: G.K. Fitch & Co., and V.E. Geiger & Co., State Printers, 1852), pp. 16-17.]
^[Burnett, "Governor’s Annual Message...,1851", p. 18.]
^Hubert Howe Bancroft (1887).Popular tribunals. 1887. Vol. 1, (XXXVI). History Company. pp. 437 to 438."Following the great uprisings in San Francisco, there was a general exodus of criminals to the interior. A San Francisco paper thus sounds the note of warning:The recent hanging and banishing of the friends and companions of these villains in San Francisco caused a stampede for the interior and southern portion of the state, where they formed themselves into organized banditti, robbing and murdering indiscriminately. Neither sex nor age were regarded by these desperate gangs of marauders. ... the law was found to be inefficient to punish the bloody outrages which were daily being committed; the people in the lower counties, in Los Angeles, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and later still in Carson Valley, have been obliged in self-defence to follow the example of San Francisco ..."
United States
United States Army
Army National Guard
_1971%2c_California_Army_National_Guard.png)
251st Air Defense Artillery Regiment
185th Armor Regiment
18th Cavalry Regiment
143rd Field Artillery Regiment (143rd FAR)
144th Field Artillery Regiment (144th FAR)
159th Infantry Regiment
160th Infantry Regiment
184th Infantry Regiment
185th Infantry Regiment
224th Infantry Regiment
40th Infantry Division, atJoint Forces Training Base – Los Alamitos[46]
29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, inKalaeloa (HI) (Hawaii Army National Guard)
41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, atCamp Withycombe (OR) (Oregon Army National Guard)
79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, inSan Diego[46]
1st Squadron,18th Cavalry Regiment, inAzusa[46]
1st Battalion,65th Infantry Regiment, inCayey (PR) (Puerto Rico Army National Guard)
1st Battalion,160th Infantry Regiment, inInglewood[46]
1st Battalion,184th Infantry Regiment, inModesto[46]
1st Battalion,143rd Field Artillery Regiment, inRichmond[46]
578th Brigade Engineer Battalion, inManhattan Beach[46]
40th Brigade Support Battalion, inBell[46]
1st Battalion (Assault),140th Aviation Regiment, atJoint Forces Training Base – Los Alamitos[46]
1st Battalion (General Support Aviation),168th Aviation Regiment, atGray Army Airfield (WA) (Washington Army National Guard)
1st Battalion (Attack Reconnaissance),211th Aviation Regiment, atSouth Valley Regional Airport (UT) (Utah Army National Guard)
640th Aviation Support Battalion, atJoint Forces Training Base – Los Alamitos[46]
40th Division Sustainment Troops Battalion, in Long Beach
746th Division Sustainment Support Battalion, inBurbank[46]
749th Division Sustainment Support Battalion, inBenicia[46]
49th Military Police Brigade, inFairfield[46]
143rd Military Police Battalion, inLos Angeles[46]
185th Military Police Battalion, inPittsburg[46]
579th Engineer Battalion, inSanta Rosa[46]
1st Battalion, 144th Field Artillery Regiment, inVan Nuys (M109A6 Paladin)[46]
1st Battalion,185th Infantry Regiment, inSan Bernardino (part of81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team)[46]
223rd Military Intelligence Battalion (Linguist), inSan Francisco (part of300th Military Intelligence Brigade (Linguist))[46]
250th Military Intelligence Battalion, inLong Beach (part of71st Military Intelligence Brigade (Expeditionary))[46]
115th Regional Support Group, inRoseville[46]
340th Brigade Support Battalion, inSeaside (part of65th Field Artillery Brigade)[46]
223rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute, atCamp San Luis Obispo[46]
1106th Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group, inFresno[46]
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