POWHATAN, Va. –
Approximately 120 Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Powhatan-based 180th Engineer Support Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group, returned home from their federal mobilization July 9, 2026, after completing their mission with Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa. The unit conducted their transfer of authority ceremony with the Rhode Island National Guard’s 861st Engineer Company June 17, 2026.
The engineers mobilized in October 2025, supporting CJTF-HOA and U.S. Africa Command to enhance regional stability and strengthen relationships with partner nations through various construction projects coordinated across the Horn of Africa. The engineers returned to the U.S. earlier in July, landing at Fort Bliss, Texas, to conduct their de-mobilization operations before flying home to Virginia.
According to the 180th’s commander, the unit set a high standard for engineer units following in their footsteps.
"I am exceptionally proud of the Soldiers of the 180th Engineer Support Company and their successes on this deployment,” said Capt. Catherine Bean, commander of the 180th. “We executed over 260 engineering and construction projects across the theater. We also directly supported two major named operations, including forward-deploying a platoon to Kenya to establish a footprint for a crisis-response facility alongside allied militaries, partner nations and U.S. interagency partners.”
Adding to the unit’s motivation was the news they received the Itschner Award as the top Army National Guard engineer company, as awarded by the Society of American Military Engineers.
“The absolute biggest highlight is returning home as the 2025 Itschner Award winner, officially recognizing the 180th as the best Engineer Company in the Army National Guard, said Bean. “But that award is just a reflection of what the Soldiers actually did on the ground.”
Based at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, the 180th spread out across the Horn of Africa to provide engineer support to different outposts, working jointly with other services and allied forces to move equipment and complete engineer projects. The vast area comprising the HOA presented a unique challenge for the 180th.
“The Horn of Africa is a highly complex, unforgiving operational environment,” explained Bean. “Our biggest challenge, and our greatest success, was managing our massive geographic dispersion. Rather than operating together as a single company, we had to split our force across six distinct outstations spanning three different countries. Managing that footprint required us to lean heavily into decentralized command.
“We had to trust our platoon leaders, platoon sergeants and squad leaders to operate independently hundreds of miles away from the company headquarters. They executed brilliantly, acting as project managers, diplomatic liaisons, and tactical commanders all at once.”
One stand-out project involved moving a Caterpillar D6K Dozer from their main camp to an outstation in the region via a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft with the support of the West Virginia Air National Guard. This was the first time a dozer has been moved by air to an outstation during the CJTF-HOA mission.
That variety of missions and shifting priorities ultimately helped make the 180th successful.
“Because mission requirements downrange often shift rapidly, our Soldiers demonstrated incredible adaptability,” explained Bean. “Traditionally, engineer units have strict lanes for ‘horizontal' and ‘vertical' platoons. Out there, unit integrity went out the window in the best way possible. Our Soldiers merged into hybrid teams to get the projects done, proving they could master any engineering challenge regardless of their primary MOS.”
The Soldiers of the 180th not only completed each mission with professionalism, they also were productive while off duty, Bean said, volunteering and furthering their education.
“Our Soldiers completed over 1,100 community volunteer hours to local organizations on and off base, said Bean. “They also relentlessly pursued personal and professional development: Thirty Soldiers earned the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge, 17 earned the Norwegian Foot March badge, three graduated from the Marine Corps Corporals Course and several even completed their college degrees or completed trade certifications while overseas.”
Bean said the Soldiers’ experiences are ones that will stick with them and benefit their unit.
“I want them to take back an immense sense of confidence and an expanded worldview,” she said. “Many of our junior enlisted Soldiers were working directly with the Air Force, Navy, the Marine Corps, and foreign militaries like the British and Kenyans. They saw firsthand how their specific skills fit into the global strategic picture. More than anything, I hope they remember the grit it took to complete 260 projects in a harsh environment. That resilience is going to serve them for the rest of their military careers and in their civilian lives back home.”
Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa has about 2,000 personnel from across the U.S. military operating in Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Seychelles and Kenya.