143rd Field Artillery Regiment

The 143rd Field Artillery Regiment is a combat arms regiment of the United States Army made up of soldiers from the California Army National Guard. Only the regiment's first battalion, a Composite fires battalion, equipped with M119A3 and M777A2 Howitzers, is still active. The 1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery's current mission is to shoot safely, accurately, and quickly in direct support of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Furthermore, the battalion trains to deploy, fight, and win on the battlefield and respond effectively to any state emergency. The first battalion was most recently activated for federal service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2007 to 2008. The subordinate batteries of 1-143 FA executed force protection missions throughout central and northern Iraq. First Battalion, 143rd FAR The First Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery Regiment provides direct support fires to the 79th (formerly 40th) Infantry Brigade Combat Team, CAARNG. As the BCT's fires battalion, the 1-143rd FAR is organized to provide responsive and accurate artillery fires to the elements of the IBCT, including close supporting fires and counterfire. Headquarters and Headquarters Battery (HHB) HHB is headquartered in Richmond, CA and has a detachment in Los Angeles, CA. HHB consists of a battery headquarters, the battalion command section, S1, operations and intelligence platoon, communications platoon, S4, medical platoon, unit ministry team, a target acquisition platoon, and the Fire Support Detachment. The battery provides communications support and command and control for the fires battalion and subordinate, reinforcing, or attached units. The Fire Support Detachment provides observation and planning of Fires for the BCT. HHB moved from Walnut Creek, CA and Concord, CA to Richmond, CA in August 2012, and then re-organized and established its current detachment (Detachment 1) in Ventura, CA in February 2014. Detachment 1, HHB moved from Ventura, CA to Los Angeles, CA in November 2016.