111th Ordnance Group
The Army has sufficient EOD force structure to support two simultaneous MTWs in separate theaters of operations. To support two simultaneous MTWs, the Army has two ordnance groups (EOD): the 52d Ordnance Group (EOD), Fort Gillem, and the 111th Ordnance Group (EOD), Alabama National Guard. The Army allocates each theater one EOD group at Army/theater level; three EOD battalions at theater support command / corps / division level; and 28 EOD companies at specified locations that best support the maneuver commander.
The EOD group and EOD battalion provide staff planning for Army EOD operations throughout their area of operations (AO). Thus, the EOD group commander is also the EOD special staff officer to the Army force commander, joint force land component commander (JFLCC), and coalition JFLCC. The EOD battalion commander serves as the EOD special staff officer at the corps JTF and coalition JTF level. In the absence of a deployed EOD group or EOD battalion, the senior-ranking Army EOD officer also serves as the EOD staff officer for the Army element. The EOD commander is responsible for providing the EOD annex to all OPLANs/ OPORDs.
Approximately 131 units from around the country participated in Exercise Golden Cargo '96 during the period 18 May to 29 June. The exercise was conducted in three 2-week increments to accommodate the annual training times allotted for participating Army National Guard and Army Reserve units. These units rotated in and out of the exercise according to their annual training schedules. The 19th Theater Army Area Command (TAACOM), U.S. Army Reserve, Des Moines, Iowa, served as the higher headquarters for the entire exercise. Eleven units commanded by 19th TAACOM acted as higher headquarters units for participating subordinate units. The 111th Ordnance Group from Opelika, Alabama, was the higher headquarters unit for the 70th Ordnance Battalion during the ammunition loading phase of the exercise at Savanna Army Depot Activity.
On 6 August 1990, the first two US Army officers, the Third Army commander and a Third Army logistics staff officer, arrived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to begin organizing for Operation Desert Shield. EAC units that deployed intact were 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 800th Military Police (MP) Brigade (Enemy Prisoner of War), 89th MP Brigade, 3d MP Group (Criminal Investi-gation Division), 8th Psychological Operations Task Force, 352d Civil Affairs Command, 96th Civil Affairs Battalion, 7th Transportation Group, 32d Transporta-tion Group, 475th POL Group, 111th Ordnance Group, 11th Signal Brigade, 416th Engineer Command, 411th Engineer Brigade, 513th Military Intelligence Brigade, Army Special Operations Forces and the Aviation Brigade.
