TheMissouri National Guard (MONG), commonly known as theMissouri Guard, is a component of theArmy National Guard and Missouri State Department of the National Guard. It is composed ofArmy andAir National Guard units. The department office is located inJefferson City.
The Mission of the Missouri National Guard is "to provide trained and disciplined forces for domestic emergencies or as otherwise required by state law under the authority of the governor."
One of its first "official" engagements was during the Mexican-American War, where Missouri volunteers fought at the Battles of Embudo Pass and Taos and participated in the occupation of Chihuahua City.[1]
The Missouri National Guard though, officially traces its lineage to theMissouri State Militia, created in 1861 to counter Confederate guerrillas during theAmerican Civil War. Missouri units fought for both Union and Confederate causes. The Confederate1st Missouri Infantry Regiment, later part of the138th Infantry Regiment lineage, fought at Shiloh, Corinth, Iuka, Champion Hill, the Siege of Vicksburg, the Atlanta campaign, Franklin, and Nashville, among other engagements across the Western Theater.
The Missouri Army National Guard was formally organized in 1877. It was first mobilized in theSpanish–American War (1898), raising six volunteer infantry regiments, though none deployed overseas.
In 1916, Missouri Guardsmen were sent to the U.S.–Mexico border at Laredo, Texas during the Mexican Punitive Expedition.[1]
DuringWorld War I, Missouri units of the35th Infantry Division fought in the Lorraine and Alsace sectors and in the Meuse–Argonne Offensive, including the Battles of Cheppy, Vauquois, and Charpentry.[1]
InWorld War II, the Guard trained in theLouisiana Maneuvers before deploying to both thePacific andEuropean theaters. In the Pacific, Missouri units served in theAleutian Islands campaign, mainly the138th Infantry Regiment while other units fought atLeyte andOkinawa, mainly the110th Engineer Regiment. After the war's end, the unit was sent to perform occupation duty in Seoul, Korea. In Europe, the35th Infantry Division fought in the Invasion of Normandy and the Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe campaigns.
The Missouri Air National Guard was established in 1947 and mobilized for service during the Korean War.[1]
Throughout the Cold War stages, the Missouri Guard was mainly stationed state side and helping with Missouri duties such as the 1922 Poplar Bluff railroad strike, the 1927 St. Louis tornado, and major flooding in 1951–1952 and 1993. Although not mobilized as full units for the Vietnam War, many Missouri Air Guard pilots served on active duty in Southeast Asia.[1]
InOperation Just Cause (1989), the1138th Military Police Company was in Panama conducting Annual Training when eventually the invasion started, coming under fire and establishing the Empire Range EPW camp, this was the first Guard unit activated for combat since Vietnam. The same company deployed in the Gulf War, operating EPW Camp 301 in Saudi Arabia.[1]
Since 2001, Missouri units have deployed widely in theGlobal War on Terror. In Iraq, the 1140th Engineer Battalion fought in theBattle of Najaf (2004), while the35th Engineer Brigade and several MP companies conducted security and detainee operations.
In Afghanistan, the203rd Engineer Battalion conducted IED clearance (2009–2010), and the1st Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment flew AH-64 Apache's and UH-60 Black Hawks (2013–2014).
The35th Infantry Division commanded multinational forces in Bosnia (2003–2004), and the110th MEB deployed to Kosovo (2008–2009).
More recently, the110th MEB deployed to Qatar (2017), the35th Combat Aviation Brigade commanded Task Force Trailblazer[1] in Iraq and Syria (2018–2019), and the1st Battalion, 138th Infantry Regiment deployed to Kuwait and Syria (2023–2024), where Guardsmen engaged in combat and received Combat Infantryman Badges.[1][2]
InJune 2025, the Missouri Air National Guard's131st Bomb Wing, flying B-2 Spirit bombers from Whiteman AFB, participated inOperation Midnight Hammer, U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The mission involved over 125 aircraft and the use of GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, and was the largest B-2 strike in U.S. history.[3][4][5][6]
On November 8, 2022, Missouri voters approved Amendment 5, establishing the Missouri Department of the National Guard as a cabinet-level agency independent of the Department of Public Safety. Missouri also briefly maintained a State Defense Force (2012–2022) for stateside support missions.[1]
| Direct reporting units | Component | Location of headquarters |
|---|---|---|
 Missouri Joint Force Headquarters | Army and Air National Guard | Jefferson City |
 110th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade | Army National Guard | Kansas City |
 Combat Aviation Brigade, 35th Infantry Division | Army National Guard | Sedalia |
 35th Military Police Brigade | Army National Guard | Jefferson Barracks |
 35th Engineer Brigade | Army National Guard | Fort Leonard Wood |
| 35th Infantry Division | Army National Guard | Lexington |
 1107th Theater Aviation Support Group | Army National Guard | Springfield |
| 70th Troop Command | Army National Guard | Lebanon |
 131st Bomb Wing | Air National Guard | Whiteman Air Force Base |
 139th Airlift Wing | Air National Guard | Rosecrans Memorial Airport |
| Missouri Army National Guard Support Elements | Army and Air National Guard | Varies |
The Missouri Army National Guard is authorized more than 11,500 soldiers and airman, Subordinate units within the Missouri National Guard include:
Missouri Army National Guard
Missouri Air National Guard
Source: Missouri Army National Guard 2024 Staffed Military Facilities[7]
Missouri Army National Guard
In addition, the Missouri National Guard operates 15 Field Maintenance Shops across the state at variousarmories andinstallations.[7]
Missouri Air National Guard
Missouri National Guard State Awards:
Missouri Meritorious Service Medal
Missouri Conspicuous Service Medal
Missouri Commendation Ribbon
Missouri Desert Storm Ribbon
Missouri 20 Year Long Service Ribbon
Missouri 15 Year Long Service Ribbon
Missouri 10 Year Long Service Ribbon
Missouri 5 Year Long Service Ribbon
Missouri First Sergeant Ribbon
Missouri Expeditionary Ribbon
Missouri State Emergency Duty Ribbon
Missouri Panamanian Service Ribbon
Missouri Afghanistan Campaign Ribbon
Missouri Kosovo Campaign Ribbon
Missouri Recruiting and Retention Ribbon
Missouri Adjutant General's Twenty Ribbon
Missouri Governor's Twelve Ribbon
Missouri Basic Training Ribbon
Governor's Unit Citation| Mexican-American War | Operations / Campaigns |
|---|---|
 | New Mexico 1847 |
| Chihuahua 1848 |
| Civil War (Confederate Service) | |
|---|---|
 | Shiloh 1862 |
| Mississippi 1862 | |
| Louisiana 1863 | |
| Mississippi River 1863 | |
| Vicksburg 1863 | |
| Alabama 1864 | |
| Atlanta 1864 | |
| Nashville 1864 | |
| Alabama 1865 |
| Mexican Punitive Expedition | |
|---|---|
 | Laredo, Texas 1916 |
| World War I | |
|---|---|
 | Battle of St. Mihiel 1918 |
 | Meuse-Argonne 1918 (Includes Alsace-Lorraine Defense) |
| World War II | |
|---|---|
 | Normandy 1944 |
 | Northern France 1944 |
 | Rhineland 1944 - 1945 |
 | Ardennes-Alsace 1944 - 1945 |
 | Central Europe 1945 |
 | Aleutian Islands Campaign 1942 - 1943 |
 | Battle of Leyte 1944 - 1945 |
 | Battle of Okinawa 1945 |
| Pacific Theater - South Korea (Post WWII/Occupation Duties) 1945 - 1946 |
| Operation Just Cause | |
|---|---|
 | Panama 1989 - 1990 |
| Gulf War | |
|---|---|
 | Operation Desert Shield 1990 - 1991 |
 | Operation Desert Storm 1991 |
| Iraqi NO-FLY ZONE | |
|---|---|
 | Operation Provide Comfort l & ll |
| Operation Northern Watch |
| Operation Southern Watch |
| Kosovo | |
|---|---|
 | KFOR MNTF-E 2008 - 2009 |
| Global War on Terrorism | |
|---|---|
 | Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003 - 2004 |
| Operation Iraqi Freedom 2004 - 2006 | |
 | Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan 2003 - 2006 |
| Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan 2007 - 2008 | |
| Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan 2009 - 2010 | |
| Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan 2013 - 2014 | |
 | Operation Enduring Freedom - Qatar 2017 - 2018 |
 | Operation Inherent Resolve 2018 - 2019 |
| Operation Spartan Shield - Kuwait 2023 - 2024 |
| Operation Inherent Resolve 2023 - 2024 |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
38°33′09.4″N92°04′30.6″W / 38.552611°N 92.075167°W /38.552611; -92.075167
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