519th Military Police Battalion
"Vipers"

The mission of the 519th Military Police Battalion is to rapidly deploy and conduct military police operations along the Full Spectrum of Army Operations, in support of the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) and the 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade and US Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) operational deployments and worldwide contingencies. The Battalion also provides continuous law enforcement support to the Fort Polk community.

The 519th Military Police Battalion was first constituted on 18 October 1927 in the Regular Army as the 15th Military Police Battalion (less Company A). It was redesignated on 1 June 1940 as the 519th Military Police Battalion (less Company A). Company E, 524th Military Police Battalion, which had been activated on 21 July 1942, was redesignated on 14 April 1944 as Company A, 519th Military Police Battalion. The rest of the Battalion was activated on 20 April 1944 at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas. The Battalion was subsequently deployed to the Pacific Theater were it participated in the Ryukyus campaign. The Battalion subsequently participated in the occupation of Japan. While occupying the island of Okinawa, the 519th Military Police Battalion assisted in processing over 400,000 enemy prisoners taken during the seven-month battle.

Stationed in Japan at outbreak of the Korean War, the Battalion deployed to Korea. The Battalion landed with the advanced elements of the United Nations Force to bolster the threatened Pusan perimeter and subsequently took part in 10 campaigns of the conflict: UN Defensive, UN Offensive, CCF Intervention, First UN Counteroffensive, CCF Spring Offensive, UN Summer-Fall offensive, Second Korean Winter, Korea Summer-Fall 1952, Third Korean Winter, and Korea Summer 1953. The Battalion received 2 Meritorious Unit Commendation and a Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation while in Korea. After the Armistice in Korea, the Battalion returned to Japan were it was inactivated on 25 March 1956.

The Battalion was reactivated on 23 December 1966 at Fort Dix, New Jersey. While the 519th Military Police Battalion was not deployed to Vietnam to participate in the conflict there, it did perform the mission of training for military police contingency missions at Fort Dix. Companies A, B, and C were inactivated on 1 November 1970 at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. The unit was subsequently redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 519th Military Police Battalion. The unit received an Army Superior Unit Award in 1988.

Elements of the Battalion deployed to Panama in support of Operation Just Cause in 1989-1990 and elements deployed to Southwest Asia in 1990-1991 in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, where it was awarded campaign streamers for the Defense of Saudi Arabia and Liberation and Defense of Kuwait. The Battalion began its deployment to Southwest Asia on 6 October 1990, for Operation Desert Shield. On 16 January 1991, the 519th Military Police Battalion began its participation in Operation Desert Storm, providing battlefield circulation control, security of enemy prisoners of war, and security of Main Supply Routes into Iraq. The Battalion also received another Meritorious Unit Commendation while deployed in Southwest Asia. The 519th Military Police Battalion returned to Fort Meade, Maryland on 28 March 1991.

On 27 November 1991, elements of the 519th Military Police Battalion were deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to assist in the relocation of Haitian civilians. They redeployed on 15 February 1992. Due to restructuring of the Army, the 519th Military Police Battalion was relocated from Fort Meade to Fort Polk, Louisiana in August of 1992, but remained assigned to the 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), XVIII Corps (Airborne). On 8 September 1992, elements of the 519th Military Police Battalion were deployed to Florida to provide humanitarian assistance and support for hurricane relief efforts as part of Joint Task Force Andrew.

On 28 June 1994, the Battalion's 258th Military Police Company deployed to Panama in support of Operation Promote Liberty and Safe Haven. The Company established Cuban containment facilities, and provided forces to restore order during camp riots in December 1995.

On 20 September 1994, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 519th Military Police Battalion and the 204th Military Police Company deployed to the Republic of Haiti in support of Operation Uphold Democracy. The Battalion conducted various missions in and around the Capital city of Port-au-Prince, assisting in the re-establishment of the democratically elected government within Haiti.

On 14 October 1995, the Battalion's 204th Military Police Company deployed to the Republic of Haiti a second time in support of Operation Uphold Democracy.

On 17 July 1996, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 519th Military Police Battalion, the 258th Military Police Company, the 293rd Military Police Company from Fort Stewart, Georgia, and the 65th Military Police Company (Airborne) from Fort Bragg, North Carolina deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Endeavor and Operation Joint Guard. The Battalion assumed a sector in the Serb-controlled Posavina Corridor of Northern Bosnia and conducted the full spectrum of peace enforcement missions. The Battalion provided comprehensive support to the first-ever democratic elections in Bosnia. The Battalion also provided support to operations in the contested areas of Brcko and Celic.

As of 15 January 1997 about 8,900 US troops were in Bosnia, including 2 engineer battalions dismantling IFOR base camps. Operation Joint Endeavor gave way to Operation Joint Guard on 20 December 1996. NATO's 60,000-member implementation force completed its mission, and a 31,000-strong stabilization force deployed for the next phase of the alliance peace effort. At the height of the IFOR mission, 19,000 US troops served at 38 base camps in the northern sector. About 1,200 troops from the 720th Military Police Battalion from Fort Hood, Texas, and the 519th Military Police Battalion from Fort Polk, Louisiana, who deployed during the summer of 1996, remained as part of the stabilization force.

On 27 July 1999, the Battalion's 204th Military Police Company deployed to Panama in support of the US relinquishing canal authority to the Panamanian government, ending the 1977 Carter-Torrijos Treaty. The Company returned on 16 December 1999. In addition, the 2nd Platoon from the 204th Military Police Company deployed to support JTF-Bravo operations in Honduras.

In 2006, the 1st Combat Support Brigade was established at Fort Polk, Louisiana and the 519th Military Police Battalion was reassigned to the new unit from the 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne). In 2008, the 1st Combat Support Brigade was redesignated as the 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, to which the Battalion remained assigned.

On 16 October 2012, the 50th Police Detachment (Military Working Dog) was activated at Fort Polk, Louisiana as part of the 519th Military Police Battalion. The detachment had narcotics, patrol, and explosive detection dog teams.