172nd Infantry Brigade (Separate)
"Snow Hawks"
The mission of the 172nd Infantry Brigade is to, on order deploy worldwide, secure a lodgment, and conduct military operations in support of U.S. national interests.
The 1st Brigade 6th Infantry Division (Light) was redesignated the 172nd Infantry Brigade (Separate) April 17, 1998.
On 01 July 1998, US Army Alaska's 172d Infantry Brigade (Separate) (172d SIB) took on the role of U.S. Pacific Command's (USPACOM's) Initial Entry Force (IEF). The IEF - designed for Force XXI missions that require battalion-sized or smaller forces - responds rapidly to three types of crises: humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and permissive NEOs. The three light infantry battalions of the 172d SIB share the IEF mission on a three-month rotational basis. The IEF provides the USPACOM commander with an efficient, flexible force that can be deployed rapidly throughout the USPACOM area of operations. The IEF accomplishes small contingency missions, making it unnecessary to reorganize the Division Ready Brigade (DRB) of the 25th Infantry Division (Light), in Hawaii. The DRB mission remains an ongoing requirement in US Army Pacific, which mobilizes in brigade-sized elements for larger operations and sustained combat operations.
The 172d SIB is uniquely qualified for the IEF mission. The 172d SIB has its own airborne infantry battalion in addition to two light infantry battalions. Furthermore, it has a field artillery battalion and a support battalion. The 172d SIB is also supported by an aviation battalion (4th Battalion, 123d Aviation Regiment, Fort Wainwright, Alaska). This unique pool of assets allows the IEF to tailor the force package to fit in a specified number of airframes and to accomplish the mission at hand.
In July 2001 the Army announced that the 172nd Infantry Brigade (Separate) Forts Wainwright and Richardson, Alaska and the 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Light), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii were among the next locations for the stationing of Interim Brigade Combat Teams (IBCTs) as a part of Army Transformation. These latest brigade transformations are conditional upon the outcome of an Army Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) that was completed in the fall of 2001. The Interim Force, which will include the Alaska and Hawaii IBCTs, will be fielded with the Interim Armored Vehicle (IAV), a General Motors Light Armored Vehicle. The IAV, which weighs 19 tons and has 8 wheels will be C-130 transportable and will normally be able to operate without any further logistical support for three days once on the ground.
The 172nd Infantry Brigade was constituted Aug. 5, 1917, as part of the 86th Division and activated 20 days later at Camp Grant, Ill. The division arrived at Bordeaux, France, for combat duty in September 1918.
At that time, the brigade consisted of the 343rd and 344th Infantry Battalions, and the 333rd Machine Gun Bn. Its combat record during the war is sketchy. Known for sure is that the division was depleted by calls for replacements at the front, and what remained of it was sent to Le Mans, France. The 86th returned to the United States in January 1919. The 172nd Infantry Brigade received the World War I campaign streamer without inscription and was disbanded in January 1919 at Camp Grant.
The brigade was reconstituted in June 1921 in the reserves, again as an element of the 86th Division, and was activated in January 1922 in Springfield, Ill. The brigade headquarters was converted and renamed the 3rd platoon, 86th Reconnaissance Troop, in March 1942, ordered to active duty at Camp Howze, Texas, in December, and mechanized in August 1943.
The 86th Reconnaissance Troop moved to Camp Livingston, La., in January 1944 and to Camp Coke, Calif., in September. It moved to Camp San Luis Obispo, Calif., for amphibious training in December. The 86th Division staged at Camp Miles Standish, Mass., and shipped for France on Feb. 19, 1945.
The unit arrived at Le Havre on March 1 and participated in amphibious assaults across the Danube, Bigge, Altmuhl, Isar, Inn, Mittel-Isar and Salzach rivers in Germany and Austria. The division received the Central Europe campaign streamer, and during its few combat months was assigned to the First, Third, Seventh, and Fifteenth U.S. Armies.
The 86th arrived in New York on June 17 and staged at Camp Stoneman, Calif., in August. The troop left San Francisco for the Philippines and arrived at Leyte on Sept. 7, serving there on occupation duty until its inactivation in December 1946.
The 3rd Platoon, 86th Mechanized Reconnaissance Troop, was reborn on May 20, 1963. Taken from the reserves, the unit was given to the regulars, converted and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 172nd Infantry Brigade. It was formally activated on July 1 at Fort Richardson as part of the U.S. Army, Alaska. It was reassigned to Forces Command on July 1, 1974.
The 172nd Infantry Brigade (Alaska) served as a nucleus of the 6th Infantry Division when it was activated on April 16, 1986. The Division had two active brigades and a reserve round-out brigade.
The 1st Infantry Brigade was first constituted on November 16, 1917 in the regular Army as Headquarters, 11th Infantry Brigade. It was assigned to the 6th Infantry Division while the Division was forming at Camp McClellen, Alabama. On December 4, 1917, the 11th Infantry Brigade was organized at Camp Forrest, Georgia where it began training for action in World War I. During World War I, the Brigade distinguished itself while participating in fighting in the Meuse-Argonne and Alsace campaigns. In 1921, after its success in France, the Brigade was reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Infantry Brigade. On September 7, 1921, the Brigade was inactivated at Camp Grant, Illinois.
On April 15, 1966, the Brigade was reconstituted as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Infantry Brigade. On July 1st, 1966, the Brigade was activated in Hawaii. During Vietnam the Brigade participated in numerous campaigns and received three Republic of Vietnam Crosses of Gallantry with Palm for 1968, 1969/1970, and 1971. Following Vietnam the Brigade was inactivated at Fort Lewis, Washington on November 30, 1971.
On April 16, 1986, the 11th Infantry Brigade was redesignated as the 1st Brigade, 6th Infantry Division (Light) and activated at Fort Richardson, Alaska. The Brigade was reorganized on July 16, 1994 at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. The 1st Brigade - the ARCTIC WARRIOR BRIGADE - served as the only arctic infantry brigade in the U.S. Army.
During the 6th Infantry Division's inactivation in July 1994, the 1st Brigade was inactivated at Fort Richardson and activated at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
New designations were announced in December 1994 for brigades in Alaska and Washington. The 1st Brigade, 6th Inf. Div., at Fort Richardson, Alaska, retained its designation but was aligned with the 10th Mountain Div. At Fort Lewis, Wash., the 1st Bde., 7th Inf. Div., commonly referred to as the 9th Inf. Regimental Combat Team, was redesignated as the 1st Bde., 25th Inf. Div. The redesignation took place before the end of fiscal 1995.
As of mid-1997, the brigade's 21st Signal Company "Blackjack" was the only Separate Tactical Signal Company (MSE) in the U.S. Army.
The 172nd Separate Infantry brigade was originally slated to deploy for a six-month period to the Sinai region of Egypt in July 2002 as part of the U.S. portion of the Multinational Force and Observers mission there. As of mid-April 2002, the 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment, of the Oregon National Guard, was preparing to assume that deployment, in order to free up the active-duty 172nd Infantry Brigade for other possible missions related to the War on Terrorism.
The US Army announced on May 5, 2003, that Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) Three, the 172d Separate Infantry Brigade, U.S. Army Alaska, would be the first Army unit manned under the Unit Manning Initiative instead of the pre-existing personnel system of individual replacements. Unit manning the 172d SBCT would aim to provide the Army with an important opportunity to develop and implement evolving personnel policies tailored to both building and regenerating SBCTs.
The Army hoped to gain important insights for unit manning Objective Force units in support of the Army's Transformation Campaign Plan. Unit manning would also enable the Army to convert current units into Objective Force units in conjunction with fielding of Future Combat Systems (FCS). The goal is a trained and ready Alaska SBCT deployable for operations from the time of its initial operating capability (IOC) in summer, 2005 and beyond.
In May 2004 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment was the first unit in the Brigade to receive the Stryker. Soldiers were excited about the new equipment. Stryker Brigades provide the Army with a lethal, deployable, survivable, and mobile force featuring 10 variants of our trademark Stryker vehicle and are designed to fill a capability gap between the Army's light forces and the heavy forces still fielded with M1 Abrams tanks and M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles.
A new 23 Million dollar facility formally opened on 22 April 2004. The Combined Arms Collective Training Facility (CACTF) provided state-of-the-art military operations in urban terrain (MOUT) training to all USARAK soldiers, and greatly enhance the readiness of the USARAK’s newly formed SBCT. The dedication ceremony included dignitaries from Alaska’s Congressional delegation, Brigade personnel and leadership, as well as local community leaders. The facility includes infra-red digital cameras to record training events, pop-up targets, and a 25 acre built-up area that resembles a typical third-world village.
In July 2005 the 1-501 PIR (Airborne) "Geronimo" was transferred to the newly formed 4th Brigade, 25th Infantry "Spartan" ABN, stationed at Fort Richardson.
Prior to 2005 the was nominally considered to be a component of the 10th Mountain, and through it the XVIII Airborne Corps. However, this alignment ended when 10th Mountain stood up new Third and Fourth Brigades.
