3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (United States)

The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division is an infantry brigade combat team of the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. It is a subordinate unit of the 10th Mountain Division.

Activated in September, 2004 as part of an expansion of the 10th Mountain Division, the brigade was quickly deployed to Afghanistan as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom, and had its first tour extended during the deployment. The brigade had been planned to deploy to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2009, but it was rerouted back to Afghanistan for a second tour in the eastern regions of the country, in order to prepare for additional troops to move into the region. In 2011 it was deployed back to Afghanistan in the southern region of the country.

Organization
The brigade consists of six subordinate battalions; its combat element consists of two infantry battalions, the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment and the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment. The 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment provides reconnaissance services to the brigade, and the 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment provides field artillery support. The 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion (3rd BSTB) provides various combat support functions for the brigade, specifically one platoon of military police and one company each of engineers, military intelligence personnel, and communications specialists. All logistics services for the brigade are provided by the 710th Brigade Support Battalion (710th BSB). All of these battalions are located at Fort Drum with the majority of the 10th Mountain Division.

History


The 3rd Brigade Combat Team was activated in 2004 as part of the overall Army transformation, and the transformation of the 10th Mountain division into a modular division. On 16 September 2004, the division headquarters finished its transformation, with 1st Brigade becoming the 1st Brigade Combat Team, and 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division being activated for the first time. In January 2005, the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division was also activated at Fort Polk, Louisiana. 2nd Brigade Combat Team would not be transformed until September 2005, pending a deployment to Iraq.

Recent deployments
The 3rd Brigade Combat Team deployed to eastern Afghanistan in 2006 along with 10th Mountain Division Headquarters, staying in the country until 2007. The Division Headquarters served as the command and control element for Regional Command East and 3rd Brigade served under this command along the Afghan border with Pakistan, fulfilling a similar role as it did during its previous deployment. During this time, the deployment of the brigade was extended along with that of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division; however, it was eventually replaced by the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team which was rerouted from Iraq.

The brigade was slated to deploy to Iraq in 2009, but that deployment was rerouted. In January 2009, the brigade instead deployed to Kunar, Logar and Wardak Provinces, eastern Afghanistan to relieve units from the 101st Airborne Division, as part of a new buildup of US forces in that country. The brigade was responsible for expanding forward operating bases and combat outposts (COPs) in the region, as well as strengthening the US military presence in preparation for additional US forces to arrive.

After spending approximately twelve months back at Fort Drum, the brigade again deployed to Afghanistan in March 2011. For the first time, the brigade deployed to southern Afghanistan, specifically to Kandahar Province, again relieving a brigade from the 101st Airborne Division. During this deployment, units from the brigade mainly occupied forward operating bases (FOBs) and combat outposts (COPs) in the Maywand, Zhari, and Arghandab Districts of Kandahar Province. The brigade redeployed to Fort Drum in March 2012 after a twelve month deployment.