30 Arkansas Army National Guard soldiers to deploy to Romania for 9 months

More than 30 Arkansas Army National Guard soldiers assigned to the 216th Military Police Company at Camp Robinson will participate in a deployment ceremony and head to Romania for a nine month mission.In Romania, the soldiers will conduct law enforcement duties on a military installation, enforce base entry rules, and conduct security patrols and customs duties for transiting American military members arriving from other countries. This will ensure no contraband or prohibited items enter the base.

Major General Jonathan Stubbs says our soldiers should feel a sense of pride in this deployment. “There’s no prouder calling than serving one’s nation,” Stubbs said. “These Guardsmen are trained and ready for this mission. We’re thankful to their families for the love and support they will give their Guardsmen over the course of this deployment, and we’re thankful for the support of their employers who will surely miss them while they are away.”

The 216th regiment was created as a field artillery battery in West Memphis in the 1950s. In 2000, it became a military police company and moved to North Little Rock in 2009.

The 216th Military Police Company provided garrison security at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for one year in 2003. Its members saw their first overseas deployment in 2004 when they deployed from Fort Leonard Wood to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The unit deployed again in 2008 to Iraq to provide convoy security in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 216th deployed on federal orders in 2014 to Afghanistan to serve as prison guards in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

They also deployed more than 30 soldiers to Romania back in November of 2023.

WebReady^TM Powered by WireReady^® NSI