1st Brigade Combat Team (1st Infantry Division)

1st Brigade Combat Team (1st Infantry Division)
Unit name	1st Brigade Combat Team (1st Infantry Division)
Caption	Shoulder sleeve insignia
Dates	1917–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Brigade combat team
Role	Combined arms maneuver
Size	Brigade
Command structure	1st Infantry Division
Garrison	Fort Riley
Nickname	"Devil"

1st Brigade Combat Team (1st Infantry Division) is a combined arms brigade of the United States Army assigned to the 1st Infantry Division. The brigade traces lineage to formations raised for World War I and has served in major campaigns including World War II, the Vietnam War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. It is organized, equipped, and trained to conduct sustained maneuver operations in support of United States Central Command and allied partners.

History

The brigade's antecedents were organized as part of the 1st Division for deployment to the Western Front during World War I, participating in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the Battle of Cantigny, and the Battle of Saint-Mihiel. Between wars the unit served at Camp Lewis, Fort Riley, and other posts during reductions and reorganizations under the National Defense Act of 1920. In World War II, elements of the brigade fought in the North African Campaign, the Sicily Campaign, the Normandy Campaign, and the Battle of the Bulge. During the Cold War the brigade rotated to forward stations in West Germany and participated in readiness exercises such as REFORGER. In the Vietnam War the brigade and its subordinate units conducted counterinsurgency operations in III Corps Tactical Zone and the Tet Offensive period. After the September 11 attacks the brigade deployed repeatedly to Iraq War and Afghanistan theaters in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, partnering with formations from the Iraqi Army, Afghan National Army, and coalition partners such as the United Kingdom and NATO.

Organization and Structure

The brigade is a modular Brigade combat team comprising combined arms battalions, a cavalry reconnaissance squadron, a field artillery battalion, a brigade engineer battalion, and a brigade support battalion. Typical subordinate units have included infantry battalions previously designated as 16th Infantry Regiment, 18th Infantry Regiment, or similar regimental affiliations, armored battalions aligned with 2nd Armored Division traditions, and cavalry squadrons with roots in the 1st Cavalry Division lineage. Command relationships integrate the brigade under the 1st Infantry Division headquarters while enabling task-organized attachments from III Corps, V Corps, and joint enablers from U.S. Army Aviation Branch and Special Forces when required.

Operational Deployments and Combat History

The brigade has deployed to multiple theaters across the 20th and 21st centuries. In World War I it executed offensive operations during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive alongside units from the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). In World War II operations included amphibious and airborne support roles during the Allied invasion of Sicily, follow-on operations in Normandy, and the advance across the Rhine into Germany. Vietnam-era combat included counterinsurgency and search-and-destroy missions in operations contemporaneous with Operation Junction City and the Cambodian Campaign. Post-9/11 deployments saw brigade combat teams conduct stability operations in Baghdad, Fallujah, and the Anbar Province during Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as partnered security force assistance in Kandahar and Helmand Province during Operation Enduring Freedom. The brigade has also participated in multinational exercises with allies from Poland, Germany, South Korea, and Japan during rotations to Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Equipment and Insignia

The brigade fields modern U.S. Army equipment including variants of the M1 Abrams, M2 Bradley, M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle, M109 Paladin, and support vehicles such as the M1151 Up-Armored HMMWV and M1070 Heavy Equipment Transporter. Fires and air defense integration include systems interoperable with Patriot batteries and close support from AH-64 Apache attack helicopters of Army Aviation. Personal equipment aligns with Soldier modernisation programmes and small arms like the M4 carbine and M240 machine gun. The brigade shoulder sleeve insignia derives from the heraldry of the 1st Infantry Division and its distinctive unit insignia reflects campaign streamers from World War I, World War II, Vietnam War, and Global War on Terrorism service.

Training and Exercises

Brigade training cycles follow the Army Force Generation model and include collective training at centers such as the National Training Center (Fort Irwin), the Joint Readiness Training Center, and bilateral exercises like Saber Strike and Operation Atlantic Resolve. Pre-deployment preparations emphasize combined arms live-fire exercises, urban operations at the MOUT facilities, and interoperability with NATO forces and partner nations' militaries. Leader development is conducted through Combat Training Center rotations, Advanced Warfighting School syllabi, and professional military education institutions including United States Army War College and Command and General Staff College exchanges.

Honors and Decorations

Subordinate elements of the brigade and the parent 1st Infantry Division have earned campaign participation credit for Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne, St. Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne campaign credits, as well as Normandy and Rhineland campaign streamers from World War II. Decorations include awards such as the Presidential Unit Citation, Valorous Unit Award, and foreign honors presented by allied governments for coalition operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Individual soldiers have received decorations ranging from the Medal of Honor recipients of the 1st Infantry Division in earlier conflicts to multiple Silver Star and Bronze Star Medal awards for actions during recent deployments.

Category:Brigades of the United States Army Category:1st Infantry Division