PYEONGTAEK, South Korea — A new Patriot missile battalion replaced a departing unit during a ceremony Friday at Camp Carroll.

The 4th Battalion, 5th Air and Missile Defense Artillery Regiment, known as the Renegades, will serve a one-year tour at Camp Carroll in Waegwan as part of the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade.

The brigade maintains batteries at points around the peninsula. Patriot missiles are designed to down aircraft and missiles.

Camp Carroll is in the southeast part of the peninsula. The missile unit at Carroll operates batteries there and at Kunsan Air Base, on South Korea’s western coast, in what the brigade calls its "Patriot South" region.

The 4-5 AMD takes over at Carroll from the 1st Battalion, 44th Air and Missile Defense Artillery Regiment, which had spent the past year at Carroll under command of Lt. Col. Christopher Todd Burgess. It will spend a brief period at Fort Bliss, Texas, before moving to Fort Hood, Texas, in mid-November.

Each battalion has about 600 soldiers.

At Friday’s ceremony, Col. James H. Dickinson, commander of the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, praised the departing unit’s Korea tour achievements. A highlight: More than 30 missile crews were recertified to air defense gunnery training standards — twice.

Also, 101 soldiers took college courses during their year in Korea; 378 certified at level 1 in combatives, or hand-to-hand combat skills, and 423 were trained and certified as combat lifesavers.

"As I am, you should be proud of your achievements and contributions here in this great country," Dickinson told the troops formed up inside the Carroll gym.

Lt. Col. William T. Brooks, commander of the 4-5 AMD, said his unit will assume its duties at Camp Carroll "with great pride and honor."