31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade (United States)
| 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade | |
|---|---|
|
Shoulder sleeve insignia | |
| Active | 1918 – 46 1960's – 79 1988 – present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Type | Air defense artillery |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | 32nd Army Air & Missile Defense Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Fort Sill |
| Motto | "Ready and Vigilant" |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | COL Kevin F. Ciocca |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive unit insignia |
 |
The 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade is an air defense artillery brigade of the United States Army based at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
Organization
-
31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade (after BRAC & GTA FY11)
- Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
-
3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment (United States) (PATRIOT) -
4th Battalion, 3rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment (United States) (PATRIOT) -
5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (United States) (Counter Rocket Artillery and Mortar)
History
The 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade was constituted on 1 January 1918 in the National Army as Headquarters, 31st Heavy Artillery Brigade, Coast Artillery.[1] Rapidly transitioning into World War I, the Brigade earned four battle streamers for participation in the campaigns Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne, Meuse-Argonne, and Champagne 1918. The unit was demobilized at Fort Lewis, Washington on 30 June 1921. In 1942, the brigade reorganized and was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 31st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade as part of the Coastal Air Defense stationed on the West Coast. The brigade was later deployed to the European Theater where it participated in and earned three more battle streamers for campaigns in Rome-Arno, Southern France, and the Rhineland. On 30 June 1946, the Brigade was deactivated at Laned-Sebold, Germany. Following World War II, the brigade underwent a series of activations and deactivations, reorganizations, and deployments. The unit would be inactivated in 1960 at McChord Air Force Base, Wash. and then reactivated in 1961 at Lockport Air Force Station, N.Y. During assignments during the Nike missile era its name was the 31st Artillery Brigade (Air Defense). In response to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the brigade formed with nine Hercules and Hawk battalions defending Southern Florida from attack by Cuba and the Soviet Union. On 30 September 1979, the brigade was deactivated at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. On 1 April 1988, the 31st Air Defense Brigade was officially activated at Fort Hood, Texas to support III Corps."