OXNARD/VENTURA : Guard to Relocate Artillery Batteries

As part of a reorganization, the California National Guard plans to move its artillery units at the Ventura and Oxnard armories to Santa Barbara to form a new artillery unit.

The move, planned for this December, affects 73 members each of Ventura’s Battery A and Oxnard’s Battery C, both of the 1st Battalion, 144th Field Artillery. However, it is unclear how many of the guardsmen will be assigned to the new Santa Barbara unit, said Col. Roger Goodrich from the Guard’s headquarters in Sacramento.

He said that the National Guard is not abandoning the armories, and that other units will be assigned there. However, they will not be artillery batteries. Which guardsmen are reassigned to Santa Barbara will depend partly on whether they want to stay in the artillery unit, he said.

The new Santa Barbara unit will have up to 141 soldiers, he said. The reorganization is being done because the guard units are getting ready to phase out the 8-inch self-propelled howitzers they now use, the Guard said. The howitzers will be replaced by the Multiple Launch Rocket System, which is more lethal, requires fewer personnel and has a greater range.

The National Guard is the reserve component of the Army. It also provides assistance for emergencies when called out by the governor. Guardsmen spend two weeks a year in training, in addition to meeting one weekend a month.