Anna Hartz
Meet the Unit That’s Changing the Face of War
The modern battlefield is changing fast. Technology now plays a huge role in how wars are fought and won.
That includes the invisible fight happening in the electromagnetic spectrum—where signals, jamming, and detection can make the difference between victory and defeat.
The U.S. Army is stepping up to meet those challenges, and Georgia is leading the way, according to the NationalGuard.
The Georgia Army National Guard has officially activated the 111th Electromagnetic Warfare Company.
The First Ever
This is the first unit of its kind in the entire Army. The ceremony took place at the Fort Gillem Enclave in Forest Park. Capt. Caleb Rogers took command of the new company.
Lt. Col. Luke Gurley, who leads the 221st Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Battalion, spoke at the event.
The 111th will operate under his battalion. He said this new unit will be key to helping commanders detect and track important electronic signals on the battlefield.
Brig. Gen. Theodore Scott III also shared his thoughts. He once led the 221st himself.
He said the new unit shows Georgia’s commitment to staying ahead in modern warfare.
A Lot of Work Ahead
The 221st has a long history of deployments to places like Iraq, Syria, and even the U.S. border.
Now the 111th will carry on that mission with new tools and new challenges.
The 111th traces its roots back to a signal battalion that was activated during the Berlin Crisis in 1961.
Capt. Rogers, the new commander, spoke about the work ahead. He said the unit is not built through regular recruiting.
Soldiers in the 111th chose to be here. They want to shape the Army’s future in electronic warfare.
The company will include more than 80 Soldiers. It will have four specialized teams.
Their first field exercise will be in August in the Chattahoochee National Forest. They will train to find and track moving and stationary targets using advanced electronic tools. Helicopters will also take part.
Scott summed it up best. “It’s a great time to be in military intelligence and electromagnetic warfare,” he said.