The South Dakota National Guard is part of the South Dakota Department of Military & Veterans Affairs. It was created in 1862 as the State Militia. Its headquarters is located in Rapid City, South Dakota. It consists of the South Dakota Army National Guard and the South Dakota Air National Guard.[1]
The Guard in South Dakota was first activated 1862 by the territorial governor, and consisted of six companies of militia, composed of cavalry and infantry. In April 1898 the first infantry was federalized and deployed to the Philippines.[2]
The South Dakota Army National Guard maintains and operates 24 armories, and in 22 different communities. Major components of the SD ARNG include field artillery, engineer, transportation, aviation, maintenance and medical units.
During the War in Afghanistan (2001-2021), Operation Enduring Freedom, up until October 2008 the South Dakota Guard made the following deployments:[3]
After the 2006-07 deployment of the 147th Field Artillery Brigade to Afghanistan the brigade was converted and redesignated on 1 September 2009 as the 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.[4]
Major units:
196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota[5]
Detachment 1, Company B, 1st Battalion, 112th Aviation Regiment
Company C, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation RegimentDetachment 2, Company D, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation RegimentDetachment 2, Company E, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation Regiment
Detachment 5, Company C, 2d Battalion, 641st Aviation Regiment
196th Regiment (Regional Training Institute)The South Dakota National Guard traces its history to the establishment of the Dakota Territory on March 2, 1861. Just prior to the establishment of the territory, in the 1850s, the U.S. Army had established garrisons at Fort Pierre and Fort Randall on the Missouri River. The U.S. Army detachments had been deployed to protect the settlers in Dakota from Native American tribes, but when the Civil War started, the U.S. Army withdrew most of its forces to put down the Confederate States of America. Because of this, the Territorial Governor William Jayne raised two companies of volunteer militia in December 1861, which were the predecessors of the South Dakota National Guard.[9]
Since that historic date in 1862, the SDNG has seen combat during the Spanish-American War, World War I and II, Operation Just Cause and Operation Desert Storm. The National Guard was also called up during the Mexican Border Conflict, Korean War, Berlin Crisis and peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Kosovo.[9]
147th Field Artillery RegimentIn Jan. 2013, Charmaine White Face raised concerns about radiation exposure of South Dakota Army National Guard soldiers in the Buffalo Gap National Grassland.[10]
In June 2021, Governor Kristi Noem announced the deployment of up to 50 National Guard troops to the southern U.S. border to be funded by a private donor. The announcement was characterized as "unprecedented and unethical" by military and oversight experts.[12]
