More than 200 pieces of equipment from the U.S. Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment, based in California, will off-load at the Gdynia, Poland, port facility in support of the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence mission from January 30 through February 14, 2022. In addition to the arrival of the equipment for 1-185, the port will also support the upload of equipment from the 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment in preparation for its return to the United States. The 3-161st is completing a successful nine-month deployment to Europe in support of NATO’s EFP mission. Both battalions belong to the 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team which is comprised of units located in Washington, Oregon, and California.
The equipment arriving in Gdynia is in support of the EFP Battlegroup-Poland, which is led by the United States and includes troops from Croatia, Romania, and the United Kingdom. This is a pre-planned, normal rotation of forces and is U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s tenth rotation deployed in support of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence. All movements of personnel and equipment will be conducted while adhering to the prevention and protection guidance directed by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, Centers for Disease Control, our host nation governments, and local authorities to proactively mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The health, safety, and security of our personnel and those of our allies, partners, and local populations is a priority.
The 185th Infantry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army made up of soldiers from the California Army National Guard, represented by the 1st Battalion, part of the 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team. The 185th Infantry was first used for a unit that traced its lineage back to the 6th Infantry Battalion of the California National Guard. The last active unit of the former 185th Infantry was the 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry, part of the 100th Troop Command, headquartered in Moreno Valley, CA. Its higher headquarters, in turn, was the 40th Infantry Division. This unit was disbanded in 2008. In 2016, the 1st Battalion of the 185th Armor Regiment was redesignated as the 1st Battalion of the 185th Infantry to form the current unit, which is not connected to the previous 185th Infantry.