3rd Combat Aviation Brigade
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The Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division is the Combat Aviation Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division of the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
based at
Fort Stewart Fort Stewart is a United States Army post in the U.S. state of Georgia. It lies primarily in Liberty and Bryan counties, but also extends into smaller portions of Evans, Long and Tattnall counties. The population was 11,205 at the 2000 census. Th ...
.


History

The original predecessor of the Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division was the 3rd Aviation Company, activated and assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division on 1 July 1957 at Fort Benning, Georgia. Twenty-seven years later, on 16 November 1984, the CAB was provisionally activated as the U.S. Army’s first combat aviation brigade in a mechanized infantry division. The brigade was officially activated 15 March 1985 and designated the Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division and then inactivated on 16 August 1991. It was reactivated on 16 February 1996 at Fort Stewart, Georgia as part of the reflagging of the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) as the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized). In February 1998 the Aviation Brigade, 3d Infantry Division deployed to
Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
as part of the division's mission in support of
Operation Desert Thunder Operation Desert Thunder was a response to threats by Iraq's president Saddam Hussein to shoot down U-2 spy planes, and violate the no-fly zone set up over his country. The operation was designed to bring stability to the region by bringing in a ...
. At the time the brigade was organized to provide the 3d Infantry Division with a maneuver brigade consisting of an attack helicopter battalion, a general support aviation battalion, and a cavalry squadron. From September 2000 to October 2001, elements of the Aviation Brigade deployed to
Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...
for Stabilisation Force (SFOR) 8 and SFOR 9 and enforcement of the Dayton Peace Accords. The Stabilization Force has a unified command and is
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
-led under the political direction and control of the Alliance's North Atlantic Council, as stipulated by the Peace Agreement. Less than a year after 9/11, the Aviation Brigade deployed to Kuwait in support of OIF. On 20 March 2003, the brigade’s helicopters served as part of the 3d Infantry Division’s main effort on the March to
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
. During the battle at An Nasiriah, the brigade shaped the battlespace in order for 3d Brigade Combat Team, 3d Infantry Division to destroy enemy units near the Highway 1 Bridge and
Tallil Airbase Nasiriyah Airport is a public and military airport located 23 km (14 mi) southwest of Nasiriyah, Iraq. It is also known as Tallil Air Base until December 2011 and Imam Ali Air Base until March 2017, when the base was used by United ...
. After the fall of Baghdad, the brigade continued to play a vital role in the ongoing fight for the security of the city and the country. In 2004, the unit was redesigned as the U.S. Army’s first modular combat aviation brigade (CAB). Soon thereafter, the brigade deployed to
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
in January 2005 in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
III. The brigade significantly increased its ability to operate 24 hours a day for an indefinite period of time providing aviation combat power to the division. The brigade flew more than 80,000 hours in support of more than 26,000 combat missions. In May 2007, as part of the "Surge", the CAB deployed to Iraq again, this time in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom V. During the Surge, the CAB was tasked with supporting the main mission of Multi-National Division-Center stopping the flow of accelerants into
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
. Over a 15-month deployment, the brigade completed more than 250 air assaults resulting in numerous arrests and captures of high-value targets and other enemy fighters, and executed 5,700 MEDEVAC missions supporting Coalition Forces,
Iraqi Army The Iraqi Ground Forces (Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), or the Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was known as the Royal Iraqi Army up until the coup ...
and local nationals. The brigade accounted for 64% of the Multi-National Division-Center enemy killed in action and more than 80 wounded in action. The brigade also moved over 205,000 personnel and 21 million pounds of cargo around the battlefield. The CAB returned to
Hunter Army Airfield Hunter Army Airfield , located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart located in Hinesville, Georgia. Hunter features a runway that is 11,375 feet (3,468 m) long and an aircr ...
in August 2008, preparing for another deployment. Less than eight months after learning of the new mission in Afghanistan, the CAB, reorganized as Task Force Falcon, joined the surge into Afghanistan in November 2009. The arrival of the CAB marked a new chapter for the brigade and the 3d Infantry Division as the Combat Aviation Brigade was the first brigade-sized element from the Marne Division to serve in OEF X. Task Force Falcon flew in excess of 160,000 combat flight hours and provided much needed humanitarian relief efforts to both Afghanistan and
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. On 9 January 2013, Task Force Falcon assumed responsibility of US Army conventional rotary wing aviation operations across Regional Commands – South, Southwest, and West supporting U.S. conventional and special operations forces,
International Security Assistance Force ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , comman ...
s, and Afghan National Security Forces. The task force provided continuous attack, reconnaissance and security, medical evacuation, personnel and cargo transport, downed aircraft recovery, and deliberate and hasty air assault capabilities in support of ground forces. Task Force Falcon provided flexibility and freedom of maneuver to enable ground forces to extend their security operations and assist
Afghan National Security Forces The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), also known as the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), were the military and internal security forces of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Structure The Afghan National Security Forc ...
with independent operations. Partnered missions proved essential in assisting Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to achieve its objective of providing independent security of the people of Afghanistan. During Operations Enduring Freedom XIII, Task Force Falcon flew over 100,000 hours, averaging almost 12,000 hours per month during the height of the fighting season, and supported 625 deliberate operations, 2,000 MEDEVAC missions, and moved 4.9 million pounds of cargo and 15,000 personnel. Task Force Falcon expanded the capabilities of previous units. MEDEVAC aircraft increased the use of critical blood transfusions during flight and added back wall medics and emergency critical care nurses to enable life saving operations. The task force completed the largest forward operating base closure in Regional Command – South during OEF XIII –
Forward Operating Base Wolverine Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...
– ahead of schedule, while providing continued aviation support in Zabul Province. In April, when a sudden hailstorm grounded 84 helicopters on Kandahar, the task force repaired all damaged aircraft within 3 weeks without a gap in air support to teammates on the ground. During this deployment, the unit lost seven soldiers. In October 2017, half of the brigade deployed to Afghanistan as Task Force Falcon, replacing the
16th Combat Aviation Brigade The 16th Combat Aviation Brigade is a Combat Aviation Brigade of the United States Army. It is subordinate to 7th Infantry Division and I Corps and based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM). Structure The 16th Combat Aviation Brigade currently ...
of the 7th Infantry Division. In November 2019, the brigade took over responsibility as the rotational combat aviation brigade of
Operation Atlantic Resolve Operation Atlantic Resolve, though not a "named" operation, refers to military activities in response to Russian operations in Ukraine; mainly the War in Donbass. It was funded under the European Deterrence Initiative. In the wake of Russia's 201 ...
in Germany from the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. The brigade returned to Fort Stewart after the conclusion of the nine-month rotation in July 2020, being replaced by the
Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division The Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division is a Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) of the United States Army. It was first organized in July 1968 as an aviation group and stands as the most decorated aviation unit in the United States Army. ...
.


Units


References

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External links


Birth of the 3rd Combat Aviation Battalion
Aviation Brigades of the United States Army Military units and formations established in 1985 1985 establishments in the United States