Approximately 120 Soldiers from the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 32nd Military Police Company will deploy to U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, this spring to conduct detention operations as part of Joint Task Force Guantanamo.

The Milwaukee-based unit began preparing for the mission in late 2014, and approximately 60 percent of the company’s total personnel will deploy in support of the mission in Cuba. The unit, part of the 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, is approximately 200 Soldiers strong. The rest of the 32nd Military Police Company will remain in Wisconsin and be available for domestic operations.

The 32nd Military Police Company previously deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2009-10 and 2003-04, and to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Storm in 1991. It also deployed a detachment of military police Soldiers to Kosovo in 2011-12.

The Wisconsin National Guard continues to play a critical role as the primary combat reserve of the U.S. Army and Air Force in military operations around the globe despite troop drawdowns in Iraq and Afghanistan. Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers with Detachment 1, Headquarters, 101st Airborne Division Multi-Component Unit deployed to Iraq earlier this year, and the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 128th Air Refueling Wing recently concluded a series of air refueling operations deployments over the Middle East.

The Wisconsin National Guard simultaneously remains ready to execute its other primary mission as the first military responder in the homeland.

The Wisconsin National Guard is currently planning a sendoff ceremony for the deploying Soldiers and will announce those details as the unit’s deployment draws near.