HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) About 90 Connecticut soldiers are deploying to Afghanistan and Guantanamo, Cuba.

About 35 soldiers of the Middletown-based 143rd Regional Support Group will provide command, control and administration to base life support operations in Afghanistan. Maj. Gen. Thaddeus J. Martin, adjutant general and commanding officer of the Connecticut National Guard, announced the deployment Wednesday.

The 192nd Military Police Battalion based in Niantic will mobilize and deploy about 55 soldiers to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in support of detainee operations.

A send-off ceremony is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the William A. O'Neill Armory in Hartford.

The Connecticut National Guard says it's preparing to deploy more than 250 soldiers over the next 15 months for missions around the world.