El Paso Times:
The headquarters for Fort Bliss’ air defense artillery brigade is tackling two critically important missions.
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery with the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade is now attached to the Army’s Global Response Force and is serving as the air defense brigade-level headquarters on that mission.
That means the headquarters unit, with more than 100 soldiers, needs to be ready to deploy anywhere in the world on short notice.
“It’s incredibly important,” said 1st Sgt. Gary Quinto, the battery’s senior enlisted soldier. “If the world needs us, we got to be there and be ready at a moment’s notice.”
The Warhawks, as they are nicknamed, are also getting ready for a regularly scheduled deployment later this year to the Middle East.
The brigade headquarters took on the Global Response Force, or GRF, mission in December and will serve in that role until mid-summer, officials with the 11th Brigade said.
Simultaneously, the headquarters battery will continue its training and get ready to deploy around September to the Middle East, said Capt. Doug Cannon, commander of HHB, as it is more commonly called.
About half the soldiers from the brigade headquarters are expected to deploy and will oversee air defense operations for U.S. troops in the Middle East and coordinate with international partner nations, brigade officials said…
