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| 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team |
| Caption | Shoulder sleeve insignia |
| Dates | 2008–present (as brigade combat team) |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army (National Guard) |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Combined arms |
| Size | Brigade |
| Command structure | United States Indo-Pacific Command (state alignment Washington National Guard) |
| Garrison | Tacoma, Washington |
| Battles | World War I, World War II, Iraq War, Afghanistan War |
79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
The 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is a United States Army National Guard formation rooted in earlier formations with lineage tied to the Washington National Guard and Territorial forces that served in major 20th and 21st century conflicts. It functions as a modular brigade combat team designed to provide scalable infantry, reconnaissance, artillery, and sustainment capabilities to higher echelons such as I Corps and United States Indo-Pacific Command. The brigade has participated in mobilizations, multinational exercises, and domestic support missions in coordination with state and federal authorities including the Governor of Washington and the Secretary of Defense.
The unit traces heritage to regiments that mobilized for World War I and World War II, including elements that fought in the Philippines campaign (1941–1942), the Aleutian Islands Campaign, and later Cold War reorganizations under the United States Army Regimental System. Post-Cold War restructuring and the Army's modular transformation led to the 2008 reflagging as a brigade combat team aligned with combat brigades such as those under 25th Infantry Division and joint task forces deployed to Iraq War and the Afghanistan War. Its history includes state activation for responses to disasters alongside agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency and participation in Defense Support to Civil Authorities during storms, wildfires, and civil events.
The brigade follows the standardized BCT template with subordinate battalions and companies drawn from the Washington Army National Guard and allied state units. Typical subordinate elements include an infantry battalion, a cavalry reconnaissance squadron, a field artillery battalion, a brigade engineer battalion, and a brigade support battalion—each organized under the United States Army Combat Arms and sustainment frameworks such as the Brigade Combat Team model. Command relationships often align with higher headquarters including I Corps, United States Army Pacific, and state joint task forces. Administrative control is exercised through the Adjutant General of Washington during domestic missions.
Elements have deployed in support of operations in Iraq War, contributing to stability operations, convoy security, and training missions for host-nation forces; and in the Afghanistan War in advisory and force protection roles. Units have integrated into coalitions alongside partners from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan during multinational rotations and were assigned to task organizations under commands such as Multi-National Force – Iraq and International Security Assistance Force. The brigade has also provided personnel to expeditionary rotations in the Horn of Africa and participated in security cooperation missions tied to United States Indo-Pacific Command objectives.
The brigade takes part in major exercises and collective training at national and regional centers including Joint Base Lewis–McChord, the National Training Center (Fort Irwin), and rotations to the Combat Training Center programs. It has participated in multinational exercises such as RIMPAC, Cobra Gold, and bilateral events with Republic of Korea Armed Forces and Philippine Marine Corps units, integrating live-fire drills, combined arms maneuver, and urban operations training. Certification exercises follow Mission Command doctrines and incorporate military education institutions like the United States Army War College and the United States Army Combined Arms Center frameworks.
The brigade fields standard infantry and support equipment consistent with U.S. Army modernization efforts, including variants of the M4 carbine, the M240 machine gun, the M2 Browning, platoon-level indirect fires with the M224 mortar, and brigade artillery with systems such as the M119 howitzer or M777 howitzer depending on unit configuration. Armored reconnaissance elements use platforms like the M1126 Stryker or armored vehicles assigned by the National Guard Bureau. The shoulder sleeve insignia and distinctive unit insignia reflect heraldry approved under United States Army Institute of Heraldry procedures and are worn according to Army Regulation 670-1 guidelines.
Subordinate units and antecedent regiments carry campaign streamers and decorations earned in World War I, World War II, and recent overseas campaigns including campaign credits for Iraq and Afghanistan theaters. Awards and unit citations are processed through the Department of the Army and may include Meritorious Unit Commendation and state-level recognitions issued by the Governor of Washington for domestic missions.
Leaders and personnel associated with the brigade have included senior National Guard officers who interfaced with commands such as United States Northern Command, educators from institutions like the United States Military Academy, and politicians who served in the National Guard before holding public office at the state and federal levels including members of the United States Congress and state legislatures. Career senior noncommissioned officers and officers have completed professional development at schools including the Noncommissioned Officer Academy and Officer Candidate School programs.
Category:Brigade combat teams of the United States Army Category:National Guard (United States) brigades