The battalion was last active as a HAWK unit subordinate to the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina until 1993.

The 2nd Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment was first organized on 01 April 1917 as the 6th Company, Fort Terry, New York.

The unit was reorganized and redesignated on 22 July 1917 as Battery B, 7th Provisional Regiment (Coast Artillery Corps) and deployed to France for World War I.

The unit was reactivated again on 22 March 1951 at Camp Carson, Colorado and relocated to West Germany where it was inactivated on 01 June 1958.

Battery B was moved to Johnston Atoll on 13 September 1962 to participate in nuclear tests during Operation Dominic.

On 25 October 1962, the unit was deployed to South Florida in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis (minus Battery B).

On 03 November 1962, Battery B fired a Nike Hercules missile with a W31 10-kiloton warhead as the last atmospheric nuclear test conducted by the United States.