By Capt. Dylan Bradford
SALISBURY, Md. — The Maryland Army National Guard completed the relocation of the 200th Military Police Company to Salisbury July 22, returning the historic unit to Maryland’s Eastern Shore after nearly two decades in central Maryland.
The company’s lineage traces back to May 8, 1923, when it received federal recognition in Pocomoke City as an infantry unit assigned to the 29th Division. In 1968, the organization converted to a military police unit and consolidated in Salisbury in 1970, where it remained for more than three decades before relocating to central Maryland in 2006. Nearly two decades later, the company returned to the Eastern Shore while continuing its long tradition of service across Maryland.
“As someone who grew up on the Eastern Shore, it’s special to see this historic company return to the area,” said Capt. Dylan Bradford, a Berlin native and commander of the 200th Military Police Company. “Our soldiers come from every corner of Maryland, and we’re proud to carry on the 200th’s long tradition of service from Salisbury.”
The relocation brought approximately 100 soldiers and a fleet of high-clearance military vehicles to the Eastern Shore, enhancing the Maryland National Guard’s ability to assist civil authorities during flooding, severe winter weather, hurricanes, and other emergencies. The multiday operation also served as a large-scale readiness exercise, requiring soldiers to rapidly deploy the company’s entire inventory of vehicles and equipment more than 100 miles before reestablishing operations at its new home station.
The company trains for emergency response missions, security operations and support to civil authorities. Military police soldiers are prepared to conduct domestic response operations, provide security support and deploy worldwide in support of overseas contingency operations.
Over the years, soldiers from the unit have supported domestic response operations across Maryland, served among the first military police units to respond to the Pentagon following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and deployed overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2013.
