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2nd Battalion (SHORAD), 6th Air Defense Artillery Regiment

The 2nd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery has the mission of simultaneous training and certification of select Air Defense Artillery MOSs coupled with the C4I WOES and specialty courses. In parallel, the Battalion executes C-RAM MRXs, along with JLENS testing, all while resourcing and sustaining the Battalion throughout all operations.

The 2nd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery was first constituted on 8 March 1898 in the Regular Army as Battery A, 6th Regiment of Artillery and organized on 23 March 1898 at Fort McHenry, Maryland. The unit was reorganized and redesignated on 13 February 1901 as the 60th Company, Coast Artillery, Artillery Corps and was redesignated on 2 February 1907 as the 60th Company, Coast Artillery Corps. During this period, the Company participated in the Philippine Insurrection, receiving a campaign streamer without inscription.

The unit was subsequently redesignated on 20 July 1916 as the 2d Company, Fort Winfield Scott (California). It was redesignated on 31 August 1917 as the 2nd Company, Coast Defenses of San Francisco, on 16 September 1918 as Battery A, 50th Artillery (Coast Artillery Corps), on 2 December 1918 as the 2nd Company, Coast Defenses of San Francisco, and on 1 June 1922 as the 60th Company, Coast Artillery Corps. The unit was reorganized and redesignated on 1 July 1924 as Battery A, 6th Coast Artillery.

The unit was reorganized and redesignated on 18 October 1944 as Battery A, 174th Coast Artillery Battalion before being disbanded entirely on 10 December 1945 at Fort Winfield Scott, California. The unit was reconstituted on 28 June 1950 in the Regular Army and redesignated as Battery A, 6th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion. It was redesignated on 4 October 1950 as Battery A, 6th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, an element of the 6th Infantry Division, and activated at Fort Ord, California, before being inactivated on 3 April 1956 at Fort Ord, California, and relieved from assignment to the 6th Infantry Division.

Battery A, 6th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion was consolidated on 1 September 1963 with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 6th Artillery (active) (first organized in 1838), and the consolidated unit was designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 6th Artillery, an element of the 3rd Armored Division. The Battalion's organic elements were constituted on 30 August 1957 and activated on 1 October 1957. The consolidated unit had participation credit for 6 campaigns in both the Europe and Pacific Theaters during the Second World War: Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe, New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, and Luzon.

The unit was redesignated (less former Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 6th Artillery) on 1 September 1971 as the 2nd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery. It was concurrently inactivated in Germany, and relieved from assignment to the 3rd Armored Division. Former Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 6th Artillery was concurrently reorganized and redesignated as the 2nd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery and thereafter had a separate lineage.

Headquarters, 2nd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery was transferred on 16 June 1987 to the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and activated at Fort Bliss, Texas. There it became part of The School Brigade, US Army Air Defense Artillery School (USAADASCH). It assumed the primary Air Defense Artillery School support mission for the Chaparral, Vulcan, and HAWK systems. In 1988, The School Brigade was reflagged as the 6th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and 2-6th Air Defense Artillery was assigned to the newly activated unit.

In 1993, 2-6th Air Defense Artillery spearheaded the experimental phase of many new systems into the Air Defense Artillery branch. The battaPand evaluation of the Light and Special Division Interim Sensor, Bradley Stinger Fighting Vehicle, Ground-Based Sensor (e.g., Sentinel Radar, and Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence systems). Progress was evident on 18 June 1996, when an Avenger crew being trained by 2-6th Air Defense Artillery made history by becoming the first short-range air defense team to successfully destroy a modern cruise missile surrogate.

By 2000, the 2nd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery was responsible for conducting all institutional Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) weapons training and equipment testing. It executed SHORAD subject matter expert requirements in support of USAADASCH and on order, supported the Fort Bliss mobilization mission.

The Battalion conducted and supported SHORAD systems institutional training. Headquarters and A Battery was responsible for the Officer Basic Course, SHORAD Weapons Track: MOS 14B (SHORAD System Officer); FAAD C2, Sentinel, Stinger, Bradley Linebacker, and Avenger community training (e.g., communications, Visual Aircraft Recognition [VACR], and Stinger target engagement in the Improved Moving Target Simulator) for MOSs 14J10 (FAAD Command, Control, Communications, Computers, And Intelligence [C4I] Tactical Operations Center Enhanced Operator/Maintainer), 14M10 (MANPADS Crewman), 14R10 (Bradley Stinger Fighting Vehicle Crewman), and 14S10 (Avenger Crewman). Battery B was responsible for the Bradley Linebacker: MOSs 14R10 (Bradley Stinger Fighting Vehicle Crewman) and 14B (SHORAD System Officer). Battery C was responsible for the Avenger and Stinger: MOSs 14M10 (MANPADS Crewman), 14S10 (Avenger Crewman), and 14B (SHORAD System Officer). Battery D was responsible for FAAD C2 and Sentinel: MOSs 14J10 (FAAD C4I Tactical Operations Center Enhanced Operator/Maintainer), 140A (FAAD C4I System Integrator), and 14B (SHORAD System Officer).

The Battalion staff designed, developed, reviewed, and updated POIs, lesson plans, and related material for institutional training. The Battalion maintained an audit trail of POI and lesson plans development. It qualified instructors, following their graduation from the Brigade TAITC, via the Battalion Qualification Board. The Battalion also scheduled and adjusted classes in accordance with the Structure Manpower Decision Review and Training Requirements Arbitration Panel processes, producing appropriate training schedules. The Battalion performed academic counseling; conducted academic boards, when necessary, and rendered recommendations and performed organizational maintenance on assigned conventional and tactical equipment and training devices. At base the Battalion maintained unit physical readiness and executed and supported soldier and family care and community responsibilities.

The unit was redesignated on 1 October 2005 as the 2nd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery Regiment. By the mid-2000s, 2-6th Air Defense Artillery was responsible for Advanced Individual Training on the Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar System (C-RAM). C-RAM was a joint fires system that involved and was supported by the Navy and the Army's Field Artillery and Air Defense Artillery branches. The 2-6th Air Defense Artillery also trained Advanced Individual Training students on the Avenger/Stinger and the Sentinel Radar Systems.

In June 2009, as a result of the 2005 BRAC recommendations, the 6th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and its subordinate units followed the Air Defense Artillery School to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In May 2012, the 6th Air Defense Artillery Brigade was inactivated and reflagged as the 30th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, which was activated in its place. 2-6th Air Defense Artillery was assigned to the newly activated brigade.