What is odd is the organization:
What happened to the modular organization? We are supposed to have brigade combat teams of two line battalions plus a very small and light "recon" battalion. Each battalion in turn has four companies (two armor and two infantry if a heavy brigade).
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 172nd Infantry Brigade (formed from HHC, 2-1 ID)- 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry (formed from 1-26 Infantry)
- 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry (formed from 1-18 Infantry)
- 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor (formed from 1-77 Armor)
- Troop E, 5th Cavalry (formed from Troop E, 4th Cavalry)
- 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery (formed from 1-7 Field Artillery)
- 172nd Support Battalion (formed from 299th Support Battalion)
But this brigade has three line battalions and a recon company ("troop" in cavalry terms).
Yet it also has the artillery and support battalions that make it a self-contained brigade.
Why the apparent hybrid organization?
UPDATE: I sent off an email to ask about the brigade and to get clarification on the organization of the line battalions. The United States Army Europe public affairs office responded to my query with commedable speed:
The 172d Infantry Brigade is a modified legacy formation consisting six battalions and four separate companies (Military Intelligence, Signal, Reconnaisance and of course the HHC). Normally legacy bdes don't havethe MI and SIG company but the brigade (then 2-1 ID) acquired these before the last OIF deployment. The Armor and Infantry battalions have 3 line companies and an HHC.
So there you go, it is indeed a hybrid. Or more accurately, a modified legacy formation not intended to go forward. I don't know what the sixth battalion is, however. Perhaps he meant to write five. Or maybe another battalion is attached for adminsitrative purposes as long as it is in Europe but not part of the official organization. Oh, and the unit is activated and not "being activated".
And boy does this response compare favorably to the complete non-response from a Navy PAO (listed on the actual story about the issue) when I had a question about the Marine deployment to Guamfrom Okinawa.
