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Unit History Links
1st
Cavalry Division
Div Special Troops Battalion
1st
Cavalry Division Band
Horse
Cavalry Detachment
1st
Brigade
1st Sqdn., 7th
Cavalry
2nd Bn., 8th
Cavalry
2nd Bn., 5th
Cavalry
1st
Bn., 82nd Field Artillery
115th
Brigade Support Battalion
1st Bde Special Troops Battalion
2nd
Brigade
4th Sqnd., 9th
Cavalry
1st Bn., 8th
Cavalry
1st Bn., 5th
Cavalry
3rd
Bn., 82nd Field Artillery
15th
Brigade Support Battalion
2nd Bde Special Troops Battalion
3rd
Brigade
6th Sqdn., 9th
Cavalry
3rd Bn., 8th
Cavalry
1st Bn., 12th
Cavalry
2nd
Bn., 82nd Field Artillery
215th
Brigade Support Battalion
3rd Bde Special Troops Battalion
4th Brigade
1st Sqdn., 9th
Cavalry
2nd Bn., 12th
Cavalry
2nd Bn., 7th
Cavalry
5th
Bn., 82nd Field Artillery
27th
Brigade Support Battalion
4th Bde Special Troops Battalion
Air
Cavalry Brigade
1st Bn., 227th
Aviation
2nd Bn., 227th
Aviation
3rd Bn., 227th
Aviation
4th Bn., 227th
Aviation
615th
Aviation Support Battalion
Recently Inactivated or Reassigned
Units
History Links
15th
Sustainment
Brigade
15th Personnel Services Bn.
13th Signal Battalion
312th
Military Intelligence Bn.
Division Artillery
1st
Bn., 21st Field Artillery
4th
Bn., 5th Air Defense Artillery
Engineer Brigade
8th Engineer Battalion
20th Engineer Battalion
91st Engineer Battalion
68th
Chemical Company
545th
Military Police Company
Other Related
Links
Call To Duty
Division Matrix
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The 1st Cavalry Division transformed to the Army's new modular
design after returning from Iraq where they participated in Operation
Iraqi Freedom II. This transformation changes the structure of the
Army from a division-based force to a brigade-based force by making each
brigade a self-sufficient unit that is readily deployable and able to
provide increased combat power for the commander. These
organization changes occurred in the Spring and Summer of 2005 and have
continued with the reassignment of the 15th Sustainment Brigade on 15
February, 2008 and the inactivation of the 15th Personnel Services
Battalion on 15 April, 2008.
The 1st Cavalry
Division Today
The Task Organization chart below provides a snapshot of
how the 1st Cavalry Division is currently organized.
The 1st Cavalry Division is
currently stationed at Fort Hood, Texas and is commanded by MG Daniel P.
Bolger. It is assigned four numbered Heavy Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs),
the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, and the Division Special
Troops Battalion. The Division and its brigades were recently deployed in
support of Operation Iraqi Freedom controlling a 17,000-square mile area that
includes Baghdad and the region south to the border of Saudi Arabia.
To accomplish its missions, the Division uses its
Troopers and their major weapons
systems, which include the M1A2 System Enhanced Package (SEP) Abrams
tanks, M2A3 and M3A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, M2A2 ODS Bradley Fighting
Vehicles, Bradley Fire Support Vehicles, M109A6 Paladin howitzers, AH-64 Longbow
Apache helicopters, UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, and CH-47D Chinook helicopters.
The four heavy BCTs are balanced combat organizations built around a
brigade special troops battalion (BSTB), two combined arms maneuver
battalions, a fires battalion, a reconnaissance squadron, and a brigade
support battalion (BSB).
The BSTB, contains the BCT headquarters and headquarters company (HHC),
military intelligence and signal companies. The BSTB HHC contains
the military police platoon, NBC platoon, medical platoon, support
platoon, maintenance platoon, and all other attachments.
The two balanced, combined arms, maneuver battalions are the BCT
maneuver and close combat elements. They are modular in design,
combining two Armor, two Infantry, one Engineer, and a forward support
company with organic reconnaissance, snipers, mortars, and a fire
support element.
The reconnaissance squadron is responsible for conducting reconnaissance
and counter-reconnaissance and includes three ground troops equipped
with M3 fighting vehicles and M1114s.
The fires battalion is organized to provide responsive and accurate fire
support using two batteries of self-propelled 155 mm howitzers, plus
counter-fire radar for target acquisition.
The brigade support battalion (BSB) is organized and equipped to sustain
brigade operations and is organized around the BSB’s forward support
companies.
The 1st Air Cavalry Brigade (ACB) conducts reconnaissance, security, mobile
strike, vertical maneuver, support to close combat with ground forces, aerial
sustainment, and command and control operations with its four aviation
battalions and one support battalion. The
1st ACB currently has four aviation battalions and an aviation support battalion
assigned.
The
Division Special Troops Battalion (DSTB) provides the Division
headquarters and its tactical command posts (TCPs) with communications,
maintenance, security, and life support. The DSTB contains the
Division HHC, the headquarters/service company (HSC) of the DSTB, a
signal company (A Company), the Division Band, and the Horse Cavalry
Detachment (HCD). The HSC provides maintenance support to the
Division Headquarters.
The major changes in the
1st Cavalry Division organization structure include the loss of the Division
Artillery (DIVARTY); the Division Support Command (DISCOM); the Engineer Brigade; the 8th
Engineer, 20th Engineer and 91st Engineer Battalions; the 13th
Signal Battalion; the 312th Military Intelligence Battalion; the 545th
Military Police Company; and the 68th Chemical Company which were inactivated
in 2005. Additionally, the 4th Battalion 5th Air Defense Artillery
was reassigned to the 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade and the
1st Battalion, 21st Field Artillery was reassigned to the 4th
Infantry Division in 2005 and was reassigned to the 41st Fires Brigade in 2007. The
8th Engineer Battalion and the 20th Engineer Battalion have been reactivated at
Fort Hood as part of the 36th Engineer Brigade. They are no longer assigned or attached to
the 1st Cavalry Division. The 15th
Sustainment Brigade was reassigned to the 13th Sustainment Command
(Expeditionary) on 15 February, 2008 after returning from a 15-month tour of
duty in Iraq where they provided combat service and support (CSS) to the Division and forces
attached to it. The colors of the 15th
Personnel Services Battalion were cased on Cooper Field marking the inactivation
of that unit on 15 April, 2008.
The
1st Cavalry Division in 1921
The
following is excerpted from, "MANEUVER AND FIREPOWER - THE EVOLUTION OF
DIVISIONS AND SEPARATE BRIGADES" by John B. Wilson published in
1998. This work is part of the Army Lineage series and the entire work can
be found on the Center of Military History web page. The following
information is provided to compare and contrast the current structure of the 1st
Cavalry Division against the initial design of a Cavalry Division.
- "The postwar cavalry division, approximately
two-fifths the size of its predecessor, abandoned the three-brigade
structure (Chart 6). It included two cavalry brigades (two cavalry
regiments and one machine gun squadron each), one horse artillery battalion,
and combat and service support units. Each cavalry regiment consisted of two
squadrons (of three troops each), a headquarters and headquarters troop and
a service troop. Initially the committee desired a third squadron to train
men and horses, which represented a major investment in time and money.
March denied the request because the Army was to maintain training centers.
Unlike the infantry, which incorporated the machine gun into the regiment,
cavalry maintained separate machine gun squadrons of three troops each
because of the perceived immobility of such weapons compared with other
divisional arms. A headquarters for special troops was authorized, under
which were placed the division headquarters troop, a signal troop, an
ordnance maintenance company, and a veterinary company. All transportation
was pack- or animal-drawn, except for 14 cars, 28 trucks, and 65 motorcycles
scattered throughout various headquarters elements in the division. Without
trains, the division measured approximately 6.5 miles if the men rode in
columns of twos. The Army chief of staff approved the new cavalry division
on 31 August 1920.
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- After approving both types of divisions, March
directed the preparation of final tables of organization. When published the
following year, the infantry division fell just below Pershing's
recommendation of 20,000, numbering 19,997 officers and enlisted men. The
cavalry division totaled 7,463."
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- Cavalry Division, 4 April 1921
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