The Battalion

The U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion Los Angeles is headquartered in Encino and commands five companies comprised of 32 total recruiting stations. The battalion spreads as far south as Long Beach and into the San Joaquin Valley to the north.

The battalion falls under the command of the 6th Recruiting Brigade, located in Las Vegas.  The brigade is under the U.S. Army Recruiting Command at Fort Knox, Ky., which is responsible for all U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserve recruiting.

There are approximately 160 Los Angeles battalion recruiters working in the field to recruit the best and brightest future soldiers for the Army. The headquarters staff includes an additional 15 soldiers and 17 civilians.

Battalion Leadership

The battalion is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Somport Jongwatana, a 1989 graduate of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.  Prior to arriving at the battalion, he served in a variety of military intelligence assignments.

He served with the Army’s storied 82nd Airborne and 10th Mountain divisions and has served abroad in Iraq, Kuwait, Egypt, South Korea and Panama.