The Combat Aviation Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Johnson, formally Fort Polk, La., in February 2021. (Vincent Levelev/U.S. Army)
WASHINGTON — Two Army brigades are slated for deployments in the fall as part of regular troop rotations, the service has announced.
The 82nd Airborne Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade will deploy to U.S. Central Command to replace the 185th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade from the Mississippi Army National Guard. The brigade is based in Fort Liberty, N.C., formerly known as Fort Bragg. CENTCOM covers 21 countries in the Middle East, as well as West and Central Asia.
The 1st Infantry Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade from Fort Riley, Kan., will deploy to Europe to replace the 3rd Infantry Division Combat Aviation Brigade as part of a regular rotation of forces to support NATO allies and partners.
The brigade’s most recent deployment was in early 2021 in Eastern Europe as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve in response to Russian operations, Fort Riley said in a statement.
“The 1st Combat Aviation Brigade has some of the Army's best soldiers and aviators. We have trained diligently over the past year in preparation for our deployment,” said Col. Chad Corrigan, the brigade’s commander.
The brigade will be in Europe for nine months, an Army official said.
Europe was a focus during summer rotations. The bulk of troops announced in March came from Fort Stewart, Ga., and units from Fort Bliss, Texas, and then-Fort Bragg, N.C., joined rotations to strengthen NATO to deter Russian aggression. The U.S. military has maintained about 100,000 troops on the Continent since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
