4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division (United States)

The 4th Brigade Combat Team, "Highlanders", is a Heavy Brigade Combat Team (HBCT) of the 1st Armored Division. The brigade is mechanized and its major combat equipment include the M1A2SEP Abrams Tank, M2A3 & M3A3 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, M109A6 Paladin Howitzer, M1151 HMMWV and MRAP (armored vehicle).

Current Organization
4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division consists of the following elements:
 * 2nd Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment "Saber"
 * 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment "Regulars"
 * 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment "Steel Tigers"
 * 2nd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment "Pathfinders"
 * 123rd Brigade Support Battalion "Iron Support"
 * Special Troops Battalion "Strike Force"

Heraldry
4th BCT was organized in 2005 at Fort Bliss, Texas. It was originally part of the 1st Cavalry Division. The brigade reflagged to the 1st Armored Division on 4 March 2008.

The 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division —nicknamed "Highlander"— is a Heavy Brigade Combat Team brigade of the 1st Armored Division, United States Army with base of operations at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Command and Staff
As of 22 May 2012 its command personnel includes:

Commander: Colonel Terry Cook Command Sergeant Major: Command Sergeant Major Richard Clark

Insignia
Soldiers assigned to the brigade wear insignia of the 1st Armored Division.

The division was nicknamed "Old Ironsides", by its first commander, Major General Bruce R. Magruder, after he saw a picture of the frigate USS Constitution, which is also nicknamed "Old Ironsides". The large "1" at the top represents the numerical designation of the division, and the insignia is used as a basis for most other sub-unit insignias. The cannon and tracked vehicle symbols represent the mechanized role of the division.

The three colors, red, yellow, and blue represent the Artillery, Cavalry, and Infantry Branches respectively, which are the colors of the three original combat arms which, when forged into one, created the field of Armor. This "pyramid of power" was devised by the order of then-Lieutenant Col. George S. Patton, Jr. in Bourg, France in early 1918 during Patton's formation and training of the Tank Corps in support of the American Expeditionary Force under General John J. Pershing.

Each brigade within the 1st Armored Division has created their own unique insignia in relation to their brigade nickname. The 4th Brigades nickname is the "The Highlander Brigade" and for that reason the 1st Armored Division Shoulder Sleeve insignia bearing the Arabic numeral 4 below the cannon and track symbols. The 4 is green, reminiscent of the second color of the Armor branch displayed on armor unit guidons. The shoulder sleeve insignia is that super imposed onto two crossed Scottish broadsword, weapons commonly associated with the highlands of Scotland.

Origins
The brigade was established on 4 March 2008 during a reflagging ceremony from the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Bliss, Texas. The first commander of the Highlander Brigade was Col. Stephen Twitty. The unit is the first brigade combat team to be activated at Fort Bliss from the 1st Armored Division. The Division will relocate to Fort Bliss in 2012 as a result of Base Realignment and Closure, 2005.

The unit's nickname "Highlander" alludes to the West Texas highlands--Franklin Mountains (Texas)--surrounding Fort Bliss. Additionally, this is a historical reference to the 1st Armored Division's participation in campaigns across the North Apennine Mountains during World War II.

Operation Iraqi Freedom
The entire brigade deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in May 2009. The brigade is the proof of principle unit for the Advise and Assist Brigade concept also known as Brigade Combat Team-Stability (BCT-S/BCT-A). The 4th BCT, 1AD will focus on Security Force Assistance during the deployment.

The unit will operate in Southern Iraq in the provinces of Al Muthanna, Dhi Qar, and Maysan.

Operation New Dawn
In August of 2011 4th Brigade deployed to Iraq. Except for 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment all 4th Brigades battalion were assigned to bases and Forward Operating Bases in the North and West of Iraq. When the governments of the United States and Iraq could not come to an agreement regarding immunity for US service member in Iraq 4th Brigade was one of the last units to withdraw from Iraq as part of the closing of Operation New Dawn.

1st Battalion, 77th Armor stayed in Kuwait while the rest of 4thBrigade deployed forward to Iraq. 1-77 was assigned as the theater wide Quick Reaction Force (QRF) directly under US 3rd Army.

Operation Enduring Freedom
Shortly after the brigades return from Iraq in February 2012, members of the brigade were warned of another imminent deployment. 4th Brigade had be selected by the Army as one of the new Security Forces Advise and Assist Teams (SFAAT). These small teams would deployment to Afghanistan advising Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police command teams and staff from the battalion to corps level.

After a month long training rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center, Ft Polk Louisiana Fort Polk the first of three groups of SFAATs deployed in May of 2012. While soldiers were awarded the Purple Heart Purple Heart no 4th Brigade soldiers died while deployed.

The 4th Brigades commanding officer Colonel Terry Cook returned with the last of the teams and the brigade colors in June of 2013.