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3rd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery (HIMAD)

The 3rd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery, is the Army's school for the Patriot Missile Air Defense System. It is located at Fort Bliss, Texas, adjacent to El Paso. All Patriot Missile System operators and maintainers are trained at this Battalion by military and civilian instructors. The 3rd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery mission is to train u.s. and selected allied officers, warrant officers, noncommissioned officers, enlisted personnel and authorized civilians on the patriot missile system. On order, support the mobilization of designated active and reserve component units.

The Battalion mission is to conduct and support High-to-Medium Altitude Air Defense (HIMAD) systems institutional training:

• Battery Headquarters/A: PATRIOT officer courses -- MOSs 14E (PATRIOT System Officer) and 140E (PATRIOT System Technician); HAWK Product Improvement Program (PIP) III FMS officer, warrant officer, and enlisted courses; operation of training devices.
• Battery B: PATRIOT enlisted courses -- MOSs 14E10 (PATRIOT Fire Control Enhanced Operator/ Maintainer) and 14T10 (PATRIOT Launching Station Enhanced Operator).
• Battery C: PATRIOT organizational maintenance.

The Battalion staff works to design, develop, review, and update POIs, lesson plans, and related materials for institutional training. Maintain an audit trail of POI and lesson plans development. Qualify instructors, following their graduation from the Brigade TAITC, via the Battalion Qualification Board. Schedule and adjust classes in accordance with the Structure Manpower Decision Review and Training Requirements Arbitration Panel processes, producing appropriate training schedules.

The unit also performs academic counseling; conduct academic boards, when necessary, and render recommendations; performs organizational maintenance on assigned conventional and tactical equipment and training devices. Maintain unit physical readiness. Execute and support soldier and family care and community responsibilities. It provides PATRIOT equipment and training devices to support U.S. Army Ordnance, Missile, and Munitions Center and School detachment training (MOS 27X30/40 [PATRIOT System Repairer]) at Fort Bliss.

The 3rd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery was originally constituted on 8 March 1898 in the Regular Army as Battery B, 6th Regiment of Artillery. It organized on 23 March 1989 at Fort McHenry, MD.

It reorganized and was redesignated on 13 February 1901 as the 61st Company, Coast Artillery, Artillery Corps. It was redesignated on 2 February 1907 as the 61st Company, Coast Artillery Corps; on 20 July 1916 as the 2nd Company, Fort Baker, CA; on 31 August 1917, as the 11th Company, Coast Defenses of San Francisco; in November 1917 as Battery C, 1st Antiaircraft Battalion; on 14 November 1918 as the 11th Company, Coast Defenses of San Francisco; on 1 June 1922, as the 61st Company, Coast Artillery Corps; and on 1 July 1924, as Battery B, 6th Coast Artillery and inactivated in the Coast Defenses of San Francisco.

It activated on 1 July 1939 at Fort Winfield Scott, CA. It was reorganized on 18 October 1944 and redesignated as Battery B, 6th Coast Artillery Battalion. It was redesignated on 15 September 1945 as Battery F, Harbor Defenses of San Francisco. It inactivated on 10 June 1946 at Fort Winfield Scott, CA.

It was redesignated on 28 June 1950 as Battery B, 6th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion; and on 4 October 1950, as Battery B, 6th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, an element of the 6th Infantry Division, and activated at Fort Ord, CA. It inactivated on 3 April 1956 at Fort Ord, CA, and was relieved from assignment to the 6th Infantry Division.

It consolidated on 1 September 1963 with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3d Howitzer Battalion, 6th Artillery (activated and organized in 1901), and consolidated unit designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3d Howitzer Battalion, 6th Artillery (organic elements constituted 2 June 1958 and activated 25 June 1958). It was redesignated on 1 April 1968 as the 3d Battalion, 6th Artillery. It inactivated on 10 April 1970 at Fort Lewis, WA.

The unit was redesignated on 1 September 1971 (less the former Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3d Howitzer Battalion, 6th Artillery) as the 3d Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery (former Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3d Howitzer Battalion, 6th Artillery, concurrently redesignated as the 3d Battalion, 6th Field Artillery--hereafter separate lineage).

The 3d Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery activated at Fort Bliss, TX, on 13 September 1972. It inactivated on 21 December 1975 at Fort Bliss, TX.

The Battalion once again joined the rolls of Air Defense Artillery units when Staff and Faculty Battalion, the School Brigade, was redesignated on 16 June 1987 as the 3rd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery, and was organized into five batteries administering to nine departments and directorates of the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery School.