The Department of Defense announced today additional major units scheduled to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The announcement involves one corps headquarters, one division headquarters, one Marine expeditionary force headquarters and seven brigade combat teams consisting of approximately 26,000 people. The deployment window for these units will begin in the winter and continue into Summer 2009.
Specific units receiving deployment orders include:
Headquarters units:
I Corps Headquarters, Ft. Lewis, Wash.
1st Cavalry Division Headquarters, Ft. Hood, Texas
II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Brigade combat teams:
4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Ft. Bliss, Texas
4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg, N.C.
5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Ft. Lewis, Wash.
1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg, N.C.
3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Ft. Lewis, Wash.
4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Ft. Riley, Kan.
Security force brigade:
115th Fires Brigade, Cheyenne, Wyo.
The deployed headquarters units will provide command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in support of security operations in the country.
Six brigade combat teams will replace formations currently on the ground in Iraq. Those units will assume responsibility for a battlespace where they will conduct the full spectrum of operations.
The one security force brigade will be assigned tasks which will assure freedom of movement and continuity of operations in the country. Those tasks will include base defense and route security.
The Defense Department has announced replacement units scheduled to deploy next year to Iraq.
About 26,000 troops from an Army corps headquarters, an Army division headquarters, a Marine expeditionary force headquarters, an Army fires brigade and six Army brigade combat teams are scheduled to rotate into Iraq between this winter and next summer, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
Units receiving deployment orders are:
-- 1st Corps Headquarters, Fort Lewis, Wash.;
-- 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas;
-- 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters, Camp Lejeune, N.C.;
-- 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas;
-- 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.;
-- 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis;
-- 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg;
-- 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis;
-- 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.;
-- 115th Fires Brigade, Cheyenne, Wyo.
The Wyoming Army National Guard's 115th Fires Brigade is made up of artillery battalions and batteries and will be assigned tasks to ensure freedom of movement and continuity operations throughout the country. This includes route clearance operations, searching for roadside bombs and escort security for supply convoys, Whitman said.
The six brigade combat teams are scheduled to deploy as part of DoD's continuing commitment to maintain the current projected level of forces in Iraq, which is 14 brigade combat teams, he said.
"There are no dwell-time issues," he said, referring to the amount of time at home these units will have had since their last deployment. Today's announcement is consistent with President Bush's recent announcements to reduce Iraq troop levels, Whitman added, though a possibility exists for any of the brigade combat teams to be re-tasked for Afghanistan deployments.
Based on future decisions and recommendations from ground and combatant commanders, Iraq troop numbers and security efforts will be adjusted accordingly, he explained.
