Two Oregon National Guard units are mobilizing for overseas deployments. Idaho soldiers will be joining one of the missions.
Oregon has sent thousands of soldiers overseas to fight in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those conflicts now require fewer boots on the ground and need more specialized support.
Lieutenant Colonel Pete Derouin says five soldiers from Oregon and five from Idaho will head to Kandahar. “They are a fixed-wing or airplane unit and their job is to go to Afghanistan and conduct a mission called the CEASAR mission."
CEASAR stands for Communications Electronic Attack with Surveillance and Reconnaissance.
CEASAR planes often share airspace with drones and can intercept or scramble electronic communications. Another unit of 20 Oregon soldiers will go to Kosovo to assist with medical evacuations. Both deployments will last nine months. Oregon soldiers serving in Kuwait have just returned home from their mission.