101st Airborne Division troops headed to Middle East, 3rd Infantry will go to Europe

The 101st Airborne Division is deploying to the Middle East and the 3rd Infantry Division will go to Europe to support NATO operations.
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U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 34th Infantry Division “Red Bulls” load a plane at Robert Gray Army Airfield, Fort Cavazos, Texas, March 10, 2024, in preparation for the unit’s movement overseas. Red Bull Soldiers will spend nearly 10 months away from their homes in support of Operation Spartan Shield as part of a regularly planned operation. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mahsima Alkamooneh)
The Army announced two brigade deployments to the Middle East and Europe as part of regular force rotations. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mahsima Alkamooneh) Staff Sgt. Mahsima Alkamooneh

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Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division are deploying to the Middle East and 3rd Infantry Division troops are headed to Europe, Army officials announced Friday. 

The 101st Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade, also known as the “Wings of Destiny” will replace the 10th Mountain Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, currently deployed to the U.S. Central Command’s theater of operations which includes Iraq and Syria. Officials did not announce when the division would begin its Middle East rotation.

The 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command will also replace the 364th Expeditionary Sustainment Command in the Middle East.

The Army also said that the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team “Raider” will join an ongoing mission to “deter further aggression” against NATO countries and participate in multinational exercises with U.S. allies and partners from across the continent.

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The 3rd Infantry Division brigade’s deployment, which kicks off in January, will last around nine months and includes nearly 3,500 Soldiers who will replace similar elements of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team in Poland. Raider soldiers will fall under command of the 1st cavalry as part of a regular rotation of forces in Europe to support NATO.

“Raider is ready and willing to take on this vital mission,” Col. James Armstrong, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team commander said in an Army press release. “We have trained hard, and we have no doubt in our ability to answer the nation’s call.” 

To prep for their second rotation to Europe since 2022, the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team conducted multiple field training exercises and a culminating event at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.  

The 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade will replace the 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade in Europe.

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