Approximately 500 members of the New Jersey Army National Guard's 3rd Battalion 112th Field Artillery and an additional 120 members of the 50th Finance Battalion were notified yesterday that their units had been placed on "alert". This is a preliminary action that may or may not lead to a formal mobilization of all or part of the total number of personnel in the Battalions. The 3-112th is headquartered in Morristown with additional batteries stationed in Lawrenceville, Toms River, and Cherry Hill. The 50th Finance Battalion is headquartered in Flemington. This action follows an announcement from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that an additional 40,000 Guard and reserve personnel would be called to federal active duty to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, the ongoing global war against terrorism.

Only a portion of each unit's total strength is expected to be activated. Once a formal mobilization order is received, unit commanders will decide which of their troops will deploy.

Army Guard personnel from the 5th Squadron 117th Cavalry (with units in Vineland, West Orange, Dover (Morris County), and Woodstown) and the 42nd DISCOM (Division Support Command) headquartered in Somerset were activated to provide additional security at military installations throughout the Garden State while the 150th Adjutant General Detachment (headquartered in Lawrenceville) and the 444th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (headquartered at Fort Dix) also were mobilized for federal service and currently are stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey.

Brigadier General Glenn K. Rieth, The Adjutant General of New Jersey and the Commander of both the New Jersey Army and Air National Guard had publicly stated just two weeks ago that additional New Jersey units in all likelihood would be called to service in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Guard's 253rd Transportation Company headquartered in Cape May Courthouse already is deployed to Iraq and is serving with the 101st Airborne Division.

Both the New Jersey Army National Guard Family Support Program and Family Assistance Centers are available to help families cope with the absence of mobilized/deployed soldiers and airmen. The New Jersey Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Committee (NJESGR) is also ready to assist mobilized Guardsmen or reservists and their civilian employers address any complications that arise from extended, active duty military service.