History Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (United States)

10th mountain soldier in patrol in nuristan province.

upon return of division headquarters , 1st brigade deployment afghanistan, 10th mountain division began process of transformation modular division. on 16 september 2004, division headquarters finished transformation. 1st brigade became 1st brigade combat team, while 3rd brigade combat team, 10th mountain division activated first time. in january 2005, 4th brigade combat team, 10th mountain division activated @ fort polk, louisiana. 2nd brigade combat team not transformed until september 2005, pending deployment iraq. special troops battalion, 3rd brigade combat team first constituted on 16 september 2004 in regular army special troops battalion, 3rd brigade combat team, 10th mountain division, , activated @ fort drum, new york. army s modular force structure transformation included creation of brigade special troops battalions. these units designed provide organic signals, engineering, military intelligence, military police, , other support had historically been achieved habitual attachment of companies , platoons units assigned parent divisions. elements of 10th signal battalion, 110th military intelligence battalion, 41st engineer battalion, , 10th military police company inactivated , reflagged elements of new brigade special troops battalions.

true new battalion’s motto vanguard, unit quick prove place tip of combat spear. in february 2006, unit deployed member of task force spartan in support of operation enduring freedom, operating within regional command east. intelligence , signal companies provided critical support entire task force, while headquarters company , alpha company conducted combat operations in logar province, , paktiya province, respectively. vanguard battalion participated in major operational campaigns, including operation mountain lion, operation mountain thrust, operation mountain fury , operation mountain eagle. in february 2007, spartan task force faced additional four-month extension in order facilitate surge several northern provinces experiencing increased insurgent activity. battalion relocated gardez jalalabad , moved quell violence in provinces of nuristan, nangahar, kunar , laghman. battalion’s extended oef tour culminated successful relief in place task force airborne, 173 abn bct.

upon redeployment afghanistan, battalion began preparing future combat operations in iraq. scheduled deploy baghdad in fall of 2008, unit conducted rigorous training , field exercises, culminating in successful rotation @ joint readiness training center @ fort polk in may 2008. in september 2008, brigade combat team dramatically redirected new mission of deploying quell increased insurgent activity within afghanistan’s logar , wardak provinces. on december 29, 2008, task force vanguard deployed afghanistan in support of international security assistance force, symbolizing commitment of united states government ensuring continued peace , prosperity within islamic republic of afghanistan. battalion again spearheaded brigade’s movement theater , rapidly established communication , intelligence assets entire task force in logar , wardak provinces in order enable remainder of brigade move sector. soldiers bstb operated within regional command east in 3 different provinces include logar, wardak , kunar. on february 4, 2009 3rd bstb conducted successful transfer of authority 4th bstb, 101st airborne division , officially inherited responsibility development of logar province. immediately, 3rd bstb began myriad missions subordinate units split off support missions throughout bct operating environment. first half of deployment, 3rd bstb focused squarely upon non-security lines of operation. charged partnering czech republic provincial reconstruction team , afghan provincial leadership, 3rd bstb reorganized staff attack issues along lines of infrastructure, economic, , governance development. however, in may 2009, 3rd bct reorganized combat power within ao spartan, giving 3rd bstb security responsibility 4 northern districts of logar province, in addition development responsibility entire province. soldiers 3 line companies served infantry combat soldiers, given manpower shortages , mission requirements. @ height of deployment, prior afghan national elections of august 2009, 3rd bstb consisted of on 700 soldiers; during time, these extraordinary men , women found conducting combat patrols, pulling security @ far-flung outposts, conducting offensive combat operations, clearing routes of ieds , promoting increased economic , governance development throughout province, regardless of mos. 3rd bstb had arguably 1 of successful deployments of special troops battalion within history of army. testament fact ever-increasing , ever-changing mission set met little argument, rather, can-do effort more portrait of brave men , women comprise 3rd bstb. battalion concluded successful tour flawless relief in place 173rd stb in december 2009. upon return fort drum in january 2010 battalion executed compressed refit , regeneration in preparation aggressive training cycle included support every collective training event in brigade combat team. training culminated in exceptional jrtc rotation 11-02. battalion ready , made final preparations next mission.

on 6 march 2011, deployment ceremony held vanguard battalion deployed once again afghanistan, time regional command – south vanguard soldiers stood trained , ready support spartan brigade engineer, intelligence, signal, , military police support counter-insurgency operations in zhari , maiwand district of kandahar province. on 18 april 2011, 3rd bct relieved 2nd bct, 101st airborne division (air assault) in sector. vanguards conducted rip/toa ceremony raptor battalion 2-101 bstb on 15 april 2011 , sent elements in every part of battlespace enabling bct , maneuver bns sigint, humint, isr, engineer, military police , communication platforms onset of spring fighting season. additionally, vanguards assumed mission of base defense 5000 man fob pasab, operation of bct field detention site, zharay district center security , highway 1 repair , revitalization, , bct cerp management. battalion’s key enablers participated in every bct named operation , majority of 5 maneuver battalions operations. during deployment, engineers credited reducing on 76 ieds, , 4 kilometers of tree-line, construction of 57 pieces of tactical infrastructure, emplacement of on 15 km of wire obstacles , live fire of 19 miclics , 100 apobs. military intelligence company flew more other bct in afghanistan on hundreds of missions totaling on 5100 hours of flight time. huminters involved in on 50 source meetings , 200 dismount patrols. sigint platoon assisted in capture of 46 hvis. charlie company “chargers” provided constant communication largest network in rc-s , 1 of complex in afghanistan. responsible management , construction of ten temporary schools on 1000 students within ctf spartan ao.

the vanguard battalion revitalized 72 km of highway 1 through zharay , maiwand district managing on 50 pothole repair projects, dozens of culvert repairs, painting , sealing of 50 km of highway, , 2 main bridge repairs totaling on $2m in development projects local government. cerp manager spartan bct, vanguards staffed, managed, , pushed hundreds of projects totaling on $15m, increasing safety coalition forces , local nationals , making visible change in security , sign of progress in both districts. vanguard battalion returned afghanistan in march 2012 , conducted uncasing ceremony in late march 2012.

in october 2013, vanguard battalion deployed afghanistan, returning regional command-east headquarters on fob lightning, paktiya province. deployment 3rd bstb provided unmatched advise , assist support afghan national security forces (ansf) in addition providing engineer, military intelligence, force protection , signal support task force spartan. augmented bandit troop, 3rd squadron 71st cavalry regiment , golf forward support company, 710th brigade support battalion, battalion made critical contributions development of ansf , instrumental in overwhelming success of 3rd bct. 3rd bstb advise , assist teams provided crucial support afghan partners, ensuring successful 2014 afghan presidential election. additionally, battalion provided training , advising support afghan police 203rd corps’ hq , engineer, military intelligence, , signal battalions vanguard battalion returned afghanistan last time , uncased colors on july 23, 2014.

recent deployments

10th mountain division troops 1st battalion, 32nd infantry hike through kunar province.

the division headquarters , 3rd brigade combat team redeployed afghanistan in february 2006, staying in country until june 2007. division , brigade served in eastern region of country, along border pakistan, fulfilling similar role did during previous deployment. prior end of twelve-month deployment cycle, brigade extended additional 4 months, in end serving sixteen-month tour; replaced 173rd airborne brigade combat team rerouted iraq.

after one-year rest, headquarters of 10th mountain division deployed iraq first time in april 2008, along 4th brigade combat team. division headquarters served command element southern baghdad, while 4th bct operated in north baghdad. 10th mountain participated in larger scale operations such operation phantom phoenix.

the 3rd brigade combat team slated deploy iraq in 2009, deployment rerouted. in january 2009, 3rd bct instead deployed logar , wardak, nangargar , kunar provinces in eastern afghanistan relieve 101st airborne division, part of new buildup of forces in country. brigade responsible expanding forward operating bases in region, strengthening military presence in region in preparation additional forces arrive.