It served in France during the First World War with the 5th Division, at St. Mihiel and Lorraine before inactivation on 5 September 1921 at Camp Bragg, North Carolina.

The 2nd Battalion, nicknamed "Deep Strike", is currently assigned to 75th Field Artillery Brigade, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and equipped with the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System.

Soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, held a launching ceremony 17 April to present the new MLRS to the 4th Infantry Division.

In March 2003 the battalion took part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, where they performed not only their traditional field artillery tasks, including firing the Division’s first deep missile fires in combat, but performed armed reconnaissance missions, joint security patrols, cordon and searches, raids, and a wide variety of civil military operations.

Upon returning to Fort Hood the unit underwent training equipment maintenance until it was once again called into action in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in December 2005.

In addition, a previous support company, the 67th FSC, which had only been temporarily (ad hoc) attached at the beginning of the deployment was made a permanent part of the battalion.