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NEWS | Dec. 10, 2025

Georgia National Guard Unit Returns Home from D.C.

By Amanda Russell

DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. – After a three-month mobilization to D.C., Soldiers attached to the 170th Military Police Battalion return home to Georgia, December 9, 2025.

The unit supported the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission by providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department and community partners to enhance public safety and quality of life throughout the district. Senior leaders of the Georgia Army National Guard welcomed the Soldiers home once they landed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base.

Commander of the 201st Regional Support Group, Col. Copeland Rowell commended the unit on how they accomplished the mission.

“I am very proud of these Soldiers,” Rowell stated. “They mobilized in a very short amount of time, put their lives on hold, and did a phenomenal job.”

Part of the D.C. mission required troops to patrol in heavily populated areas, typically in four to six man teams, leaving the junior non-commissioned officers in charge to operate independently on their own with general guidance.

The 170th MP BN task force commander, Lt. Col. John Turk, praised these NCO’s on how they operated.

“Our sergeants and staff sergeants were the tip of the spear on ground,” Turk stated. “They went out and made those hard in the moment decisions which was the key to our success.”

Supporting local authorities in providing a safe and secure environment isn’t new to the 170th MP BN, 201st RSG. Their primary mission is to provide Defense Support of Civil Authority for the state of Georgia, FEMA Region 4.

“The 170th MP BN has a history in supporting these types of mission,” Rowell stated. “Where it be hurricane response or civil disturbance support, particularly in the southeast, they will probably be the ones on call for it.”

Soldiers have come back just in time to spend holidays with their families and friends.

Sgt. Tatyana Jenkins expresses her excitement in coming home to her two children.

“I have two kids, 2 years old and 9 months old,” stated Jenkins. “I’m ready to get home to them.”

 

The 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade has an assigned strength of more than 1,800 Soldiers, and is headquartered at Fort Benning, Ga. The 648th MEB is a mission-tailored force which conducts support area operations, maneuver support operations, and stability operations in order to ensure the mobility, protection, and freedom of action to the supported force. While its warfighting mission is paramount, the brigade is also tasked as the premier Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) response headquarters for the Georgia Army National Guard. Maneuver enhancement brigades are uniquely designed for both war fighting and operational support roles due to their diverse mixture of officers, warrant officers, and enlisted personnel. The 648th MEB consists of the 878th Engineer Battalion, headquartered in Augusta; the 1st Battalion, 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade, at Fort Benning; the 1st Battalion, 214th Field Artillery Regiment, headquartered in Elberton; 3rd Infantry Division Main Command Post Operational Detachment (MCPOD), stationed at Fort Stewart; and the 420th Network Signal Company, stationed in Cumming.