27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
Steven Williamson (HiB2Bornot2B at English Wikipedia), U.S. Army · Public domain · source
Unit name	27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
Caption	Shoulder sleeve insignia
Dates	1908–present
Country	United States
Allegiance	United States Army National Guard
Branch	United States Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Combined arms combat
Size	Brigade combat team
Garrison	Syracuse, New York
Nickname	"Empire Brigade"
Motto	"Defend the Empire State"
Battles	World War I, World War II, Global War on Terrorism

27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

The 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is a New York Army National Guard formation with roots in the New York National Guard and a lineage tracing to pre-World War I militia organizations. It serves under state authority for Governor of New York activation and under federal authority for mobilization to the United States Department of Defense and United States Army Forces Command. The brigade has participated in major 20th- and 21st-century conflicts and supports civil authorities during domestic emergencies, working alongside units from the United States Northern Command, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and local New York City Police Department elements.

History

The brigade's antecedents formed during the Militia Act of 1903 reforms and were federalized for the Mexican Expedition and subsequently reorganized for World War I as part of formations that fought in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, linking to campaigns involving the American Expeditionary Forces and commanders such as John J. Pershing. During World War II, elements served in the European Theater of Operations, participating in campaigns associated with the Normandy landings, Battle of the Bulge, and operations coordinated with the British Expeditionary Force and Free French Forces. Postwar restructuring during the Cold War era aligned the brigade within the National Guard Bureau framework, seeing deployment cycles during the Vietnam War era and peacetime readiness through the Total Force Policy alongside the United States Army Reserve.

In the post-9/11 era, the brigade mobilized for operations in the Global War on Terrorism including rotations tied to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, integrating with formations under Multinational Force Iraq command and contributing to missions involving Counterinsurgency and provincial reconstruction efforts similar to those in Baghdad Governorate and Kandahar Province. The brigade has also supported domestic crisis response during events like Hurricane Sandy and COVID-19 pandemic in New York (2020–21), operating in coordination with the National Guard Bureau and the FEMA National Response Coordination Center.

Organization and Structure

The brigade is structured as a modular Brigade Combat Team comprising infantry, reconnaissance, artillery, engineer, and sustainment elements. Core subordinate units have included infantry battalions drawn from historic regiments associated with New York State Military Museum lineages, a brigade reconnaissance squadron employing concepts from the Brigade Combat Team Modernization effort, a fires battalion fielding systems interoperable with M777 howitzer doctrine, an engineer battalion coordinating with United States Army Corps of Engineers civil support functions, and a sustainment battalion aligned with Logistics Civil Augmentation Program principles.

Command relationships place the brigade under state command of the Governor of New York for domestic missions and under operational control of United States Army Forces Command or United States Central Command upon federal activation. The unit maintains liaison arrangements with neighboring National Guard formations such as the 42nd Infantry Division and multi-component interoperability with Active duty Army brigades, reflecting doctrine from Joint Chiefs of Staff publications and National Guard modernization programs.

Operational Deployments

Federal activations have seen the brigade and its elements deploy to theaters overseen by United States European Command, United States Central Command, and United States Southern Command for training exchanges, peacekeeping, and contingency operations. Deployments to Iraq War zones involved coordination with coalition partners including contingents from the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland, and integration into command structures like Multinational Division Baghdad.

State activations have involved domestic support missions after natural disasters and civil disturbances, working with agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, and municipal authorities in New York City, Buffalo, New York, and other communities. The brigade has also provided personnel to multinational exercises such as Exercise Noble Partner and interoperability events connected to North Atlantic Treaty Organization cooperative programs and Partnership for Peace initiatives.

Training and Readiness

Training cycles follow Army National Guard readiness models with pre-mobilization collective training at regional centers and validation at locations like the Joint Readiness Training Center and the National Training Center. Individual and collective readiness is assessed against standards from the Department of the Army and the National Guard Bureau. Soldiers undertake leader development courses at institutions including the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy and United States Army Command and General Staff College.

Domestic preparedness includes exercises in consequence management, mass care, and support to civilian authorities, cooperating with the FEMA Incident Command System, New York State Police, and municipal emergency management offices. The brigade also engages in multinational exercises that enhance capabilities in areas emphasized by U.S. European Command and U.S. Northern Command readiness initiatives.

Equipment and Insignia

The brigade employs small arms such as the M4 carbine and crew-served weapons compatible with AN/TPQ-53 counterfire radar integration, tactical vehicles including the M1151 Up-Armored HMMWV and modular platforms from the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles series, and field artillery that has included the M777 howitzer and towed systems interoperable with Counterbattery fire networks. Sustainment elements use logistics equipment standardized under Army Future Command modernization efforts.

Insignia and heraldry draw on state and historical motifs approved by the United States Army Institute of Heraldry, incorporating symbols that reference New York heritage and campaign credit emblems from World War I and World War II. Unit awards and recognitions have been issued under authorities such as the Secretary of the Army and include commendations similar to those given during multinational operations and domestic emergency responses.

Category:Brigade combat teams of the United States Army National Guard Category:Military units and formations in New York (state)