CONCORD, NH – A deployment ceremony for Alpha Company, 1/169th Aviation Regiment will be held this Saturday, April 17, at the Army Aviation Support Facility, 26 Regional Drive, in Concord.
The Concord-based, New Hampshire Army National Guard rotary unit is deploying to southern Europe later this spring in support of Operation Joint Guardian Kosovo, a long-running NATO peacekeeping mission established in 1999. The company will conduct aviation operations in support of stabilization forces, both U.S. and multi-national, operating in the area. The deployment is 11 months.
A total of 24 NH soldiers are deploying from Alpha Company. Fourteen are first-time deployers. The regiment is based with the Connecticut Army National Guard.
NATO forms the core of the international peacekeeping mission to Kosovo, or Kosovo Force (KFOR). KFOR’s original objectives were to deter renewed hostilities, establish a secure environment, demilitarize the Kosovo Liberation Army, support the international humanitarian effort and coordinate with the international civil presence. Today, KFOR continues to contribute towards maintaining a safe and secure environment in Kosovo and freedom of movement for all.
The last NHARNG unit to deploy to Kosovo in support of Operation Joint Guardian was the 114th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment in 2002-2003.
Note: The event is not open to the public as a health safety precaution.
