Approximately 4,200 Mississippi National Guard soldiers of the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team have received orders to mobilize in support of Operation Spartan Shield.

The brigade’s mobilization is scheduled for spring of 2018, at Fort Bliss, Texas, with a follow-on deployment for approximately nine months, in the Central Command Theater based out of Kuwait.

"The 155th stands ready to deploy for any mission within Mississippi or abroad," said Col. Doug Ferguson, 155th ABCT commander.

Operation Spartan Shield is a combined forces contingency operation designed to deter and react to possible threats within the Middle East region. The 155th ABCT is committed to ensuring it has the capability to win decisively in conflicts in the Middle East.

This will be the unit’s third deployment to the Middle East since 2001, and the first deployment using all of its assigned combat platforms. The "Dixie Thunder" brigade possesses expertise from deployments during Operations Iraqi Freedom III in 2004-2005 and OIF 9.2 in 2009-2010.

"The men and women of this brigade train year-round in preparation to defend this great Nation. We’ve proudly represented Mississippi in past deployments and will continue to do so now," said Ferguson.

The 155th ABCT is headquartered in Tupelo and has battalion headquarters in the following locations:

• 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry Regiment – McComb

• 2d Battalion, 198th Armor Regiment – Senatobia

• 2d Battalion, 137th Infantry Regiment – Kansas City, KS

• 2d Battalion, 114th Field Artillery Regiment – Starkville

• 1st Squadron, 98th Cavalry Regiment – Amory

• 106th Support Battalion – Monticello

• 150th Engineer Battalion – Meridian

The 155th ABCT has participated in large-scale training exercises over the past three years in preparation for potential deployments, including an Exportable Combat Training Exercise at the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center in 2015, a Multi-echelon Integrated Brigade Training exercise at Fort Hood, Texas in 2016, and a National Training Center rotation at Fort Irwin, California, in 2017.

Operation Spartan Shield builds partner capacity in the Middle East to promote regional self-reliance and increase security.