Arkansas Army National Guard and the Cold War

In 1959 the state re-organized and restationed units in response to the Army's adoption of the Pentomic Division, the structure which was designed to counter the Soviet threat in eastern Europe.

Secretary of the Army Wilber M. Brucker settled the question on 24 January 1957 when he approved the Combat Arms Regimental System.

Under the new concept, the Department of the Army assumed control of regimental headquarters – the repository for a unit's lineage, honors, and traditions – and used elements of the regiments to organize battle groups, battalions, squadrons, companies, batteries, and troops, which shared in the history and honors of their parent units.

Eventually seven Arkansas National Guard units would be mobilized for a period of up to 12 months under Presidential Executive Order 10957.

The Battle Groups of the Pentomic Division had proved to be unwieldy, and it was felt that their span of control was not sufficient to handle all of the various units and troops assigned to their command.

[10] These changes, which were implemented on 1 May 1963, cause another massive restationing of units around the state:[10] During the 1960s, the Department of Defense continued to scrutinize the reserve forces.

In 1967, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara decided that 15 combat divisions in the Army National Guard were unnecessary.

Their objections included the inadequate maneuver element mix for those that remained and the end to the practice of rotating divisional commands among the states that supported them.

No reduction, however, in total Army National Guard strength was to take place, which convinced the governors to accept the plan.