North Carolina Army Guard battalion mobilizes in support of Operation Spartan Shield

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The 30th Mobile Brigade Combat Team's (MBCT) 230th Brigade Support Battalion (BSB), Augmentation Company, marked its mobilization to support U.S. Central Command with a deployment ceremony Friday, Aug. 7. This will be the North Carolina National Guard's eighth unit mobilized since October 2025 to support one of the Department of War's federal missions, with four more preparing to deploy before the end of the year.

In January, more than 800 Guardsmen from the 30th MBCT's 120th Infantry Regiment mobilized under CENTCOM, followed shortly by members of the 109th Military Police and the 139th Regional Training Institute. The 230th BSB, which is headquartered in Goldsboro, will join these units in support of Operation Spartan Shield, a contingency operation in Southwest Asia and the Middle East.

"Including the Soldiers from the 230th, the NCNG will have over 1,300 Soldiers mobilized at one point in time this year. Of these, almost 1,000 will be supporting operations under U.S. CENTCOM," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kevin Hinton, the North Carolina National Guard's (NCNG) G3 operations officer. "We have Soldiers and Airmen currently in ten different countries, conducting numerous exercises and operations, including the 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, who mobilized late last year in support of the Southern Border mission."

The NCNG was first federally deployed during the Mexican-American War in 1846, then again in World War I, World War II and almost every named U.S. conflict to follow. The most notable recent mobilization happened earlier this year, when the North Carolina Air National Guard was mobilized to support CENTCOM's Operation Epic Fury.

"With the operational tempo we sustain, the deployments we are supporting today, and those on the horizon, the 30th Mobile Brigade Combat Team continues its proud legacy as one of our nation's most responsive and capable formations," said U.S. Army Col. Ben Wynn, commander of the 30th MBCT. "From the enduring relationships we have built with our state partners in Europe and Africa, to the cyber defense capabilities we provide here at home, to our readiness to respond whenever our communities and state need us, our Soldiers demonstrate every day the unique value of the National Guard. That combination of combat readiness, global partnerships, and responsiveness at home is why the National Guard remains one of the Department of War's most reliable and versatile components."

Seasonally, many of the 230th Soldiers would be activated to support the state's hurricane or winter storm responses, but because of their mobilization, they will most likely miss the brunt of this year's storm seasons. Their minds should be at ease knowing their fellow Guardsmen are more than prepared to assist their hometowns if the need arises while they are away.

"Our Guardsmen are expected to be ready for two very different missions, the one here at home and the one overseas. They show up for both, and through some of the toughest conditions. Many work in the same communities they're asked to protect, and that shows up in how they operate," said U.S. Army Col. Mark Vanveldheisen, the NCNG J3 domestic operations officer. "I've seen Guardsmen do some amazing things over my career, and I am firm in my belief that North Carolina is a more secure and safer place because of those who serve in the NCNG."