The McLeansville community welcomed their newest neighbor and large employer, the North Carolina National Guard, at the groundbreaking for the NCNG Regional Readiness Center, Feb. 11, 2026.
More than 440 Soldiers assigned to the NCNG’s 113th Sustainment Brigade, 113th Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, Support Operations Office, 196th Signal Company, 882nd Engineer Company and Field Maintenance Shop 9 will serve at the 70-acre campus ready to deploy.
“A lot of training will be done on site, a lot of the training as far as operations training and tactical training,” said the Commander of the 113th Sustainment Brigade U.S. Army Col. Teonnie Dotson. “We also prepare for any type of call-ups that the Governor has for us.”
With a slash of scissors North Carolina Senator Phil Berger, North Carolina State Representative Alan Branson, Johnston County District 6 Commissioned Bill Stovall, North Carolina Department of Public Safety Chief of Staff San Hoekstra and NCNG Construction Facility Management Officer Kenney Cook joined the Adjutant General of North Carolina, U.S. Maj. Gen. Todd Hunt, NCNG State Command Sgt. Maj. Sid Baker, and the builders of the center Robert Carmac, Smith Sinnett Architecture, Seth Hanner, New Atlantic Construction, and Daniel Lynch, Jr., Lynch Construction to cut the red ribbon ceremonially opening the site.
“New facilities, like the RRC and FMS 9, inspire Soldiers by giving them something to have pride in and providing a facility that will improve jobs in the local area and promote a sense of community,” Hunt said.
The state of the art facility is the largest financed NCNG construction project as the result of years of planning, coordination, and effort begun in 2018 by leaders from the city of McLeansville, NCNG Construction, Facilities, and Management Office with state and (Federal) legislative support. Construction started in 2021.
“This has been a monumental journey and it would not have been possible without the immense support we’ve received from leaders throughout the state,” U.S. Army Capt. Timmy Marshburn, an administrative officer assigned to the NCNG’s 130th Finance Battalion, 113th Sustainment Brigade said.
More than 440 Soldiers can serve and respond to any need with a host of military equipment from the center. The facilities will be used for day-to-day state and federal military operations and prepares faster deployment of Soldiers for federal and state active duty missions.
“This facility actually gives the National Guard the ability to be able to respond to the domestic needs of our citizens in the central and western North Carolina area,” said Dotson.
National Homeland Defence and State missions to save lives and property demanded a new 100 million dollar facility be built with a blend of North Carolina State funding for the FMS and Federal funding for the readiness center.
“It shows that we are being good stewards of North Carolina taxpayer trust,” said Hunt.
The full time and traditional part-time drilling Soldiers will support the surrounding community. The 113th will be ready to respond at a moment's notice for the local community and across central and western parts of the state. The FMS technicians will make the best use of taxpayer dollars repairing weapons systems, vehicles and other equipment beyond the unit level maintenance all Soldiers perform on duty.
“This modernization of infrastructure keeps the NCNG as a strategic and operational reserve of the Joint Force,” said Hunt.
That infrastructure began to pay back the investment in readiness in about 30 minutes after the ceremony ended as the first vehicle, a M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, rumbled into the FMS.
“It was the center of attention, it is great to see the support maintenance is getting from the state,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Clinton Morrison, assigned to Greensboro’s A Battery, 5th - 113th Field Artillery, a HIMARS crew chief said. “It is a good feeling that we have this and can continue the fight and mission.”
The guests swarmed over the 22-foot-long, 30,000 pound foot long long range rocket launcher, some asked the crew questions as others climbed inside the armored cab.
“We talked with several lawmakers and explained what HIMARS is and how we affect the battlespace,” said Morrison.