Arizona Army Guard infantry battalion to deploy overseas

The Arizona National Guard’s only infantry battalion is preparing for an overseas deployment.

The Guard announced Thursday that Gov. Doug Ducey will be the keynote speaker at a pre-deployment ceremony to be held Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena at Arizona State University in Tempe for the 1st Battalion of the 158th Infantry Regiment.

The announcement says approximately 400 soldiers of the battalion will deploy to conduct security force operations in support of Operation Spartan Shield.

The announcement didn’t specify where the battalion will be deployed or provide a deployment schedule, but a 2016 online Army article described “Operation Spartan Shield” as a “combined forces contingency operation” with a tactical headquarters located in Kuwait.

The battalion’s last overseas deployment was 10 years ago to Afghanistan.