1st Armored Division (United States) - Unit History - Move To Fort Bliss

Move To Fort Bliss

In 2005 the Base Realignment and Closure or BRAC commission decided to move the 1st Armored Division to Fort Bliss, Texas no later than 2012. As part of the current Army-wide transformation, several division units will be inactivated or converted to other units.

• 1st Brigade: The 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division cased its colors at Friedberg, Germany on 20 April 2007, ending 62 years of military presence in Germany. 1st Brigade reactivated and uncased its colors on 27 October 2008.
• 2d Brigade: 2d Brigade, 1st Armored Division in Baumholder, Germany, remained assigned to USAREUR until 15 July 2009, when it was reflagged as the separate 170th Infantry Brigade. It is scheduled to relocate to the U.S. in 2012. As part of the Grow the Army Plan announced 19 Dec 2007, the 170th is one of two Infantry Brigades to be activated and retained in Germany until 2012 and 2013. The other Brigade is the 172nd Infantry Brigade in Schweinfurt, Germany, which reflagged from 2d Brigade, 1st Infantry Division on 16 March 2008. In 2010, the U.S. Army attached 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division to the BMC, assigning it the evaluation mission previously held by the 5th Brigade, 1st Armored Division, AETF. The 2/1 AD has been given the mission of validating the operational relevancy of solutions and developing doctrine prior to fielding to deploying forces. It is an HBCT tasked organized that is equipped to replicate heavy, light and Stryker formations. 2/1 AD evaluates all network capability solution candidates and other Army Modernization capability candidates in a full spectrum operational environment at Fort Bliss, Texas and White Sands Missile Range. This unique Army mission supports adaptive evaluation of capability candidates, unit organizational design and operational concepts. The brigade provides immediate feedback that permits TRADOC to assess modernization concepts, identify implications, and enables the Army Test and Evaluation Command to assess the technical performance of materiel technologies.
• 3d Brigade: On 28 March 2008, the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division (HBCT) inactivated at Fort Riley and reflagged as 2d (Dagger) Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (HBCT). The 3rd Brigade was reactivated as an Infantry Brigade Combat Team on 2 July 2009 at Fort Bliss.
• 4th Brigade: On 4 March 2008, 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division activated at Fort Bliss as a HBCT and reflagged from the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
• 5th Brigade: In 2007, a new unit, 5th Brigade, 1st Armored Division, activated at Fort Bliss as an Army Evaluation Task Force. 5th BCT tested the Future Force Warrior system. Fifth BDE 1 AD evaluated multiple types of Spin Out Equipment and prepared them for fielding to the rest of the Army. 5th Brigade was deactivated in 2010.
• Aviation Brigade: The Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division inactivated on 7 June 2006 at Fliegerhorst Kaserne, Hanau, Germany and relocated to Fort Riley, Kansas to reflag as the modular Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. The Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th ID has been reflagged to CAB, 1st AD.
• Engineer Brigade: The Engineer Brigade, 1st Armored Division, the last of its kind in the Army, cased its colors and inactivated at Giessen, Germany on 26 April 2007.
• Division Artillery: Division Artillery, 1st Armored Division cased its colors and inactivated at Baumholder, Germany on 1 May 2007. The 1st AD DIVARTY was the last standing Division Artillery unit in the Army.

The division's colors were officially moved from Germany to Fort Bliss beginning on 13 May 2011.