Photo By Staff Sgt. Andrew Valenza | New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. April Bennett(left), the 152nd Brigade Engineer...... read more read more
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FORT DRUM, N.Y. --The New York Army National Guard’s 27th Brigade Special Troops Battalion turned into the 152nd Brigade Engineer Battalion during a reflagging ceremony held here on Saturday, October 20.
The ceremony marked the end of a transition that began two years ago, according to Lt. Col. April Bennet, the battalion commander.
The change means more engineer support for the New York Army National Guard’s 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and results in a more lethal and mobile brigade, Bennet explained.
The ceremony began with the 27th Brigade Special Troops Battalion flag being marched to the front of the battalion formation. The chaplain delivered an invocation and the history of the 27th Brigade Special Troops Battalion (BSTB) was read.
Then Bennet and battalion Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Czarnecki stepped forward to furl the colors of the 27th BSTB and unfurl the flag of the 152nd Brigade Engineer Battalion (BEB).
The 27th Brigade Special Troops Battalion was born in 2007 when the 27th Infantry Brigade (Light) was reorganized into a brigade combat team as part of the Army’s modular organization. The special troops battalion provided a home for the brigade combat support elements: a signal company, an intelligence company, an engineer company, and other specialized assets.
The 27th Infantry Brigade had been one of the National Guard’s 15 enhanced brigades that were designed to mobilize and deploy earlier than other units.
The reorganization designated the 27th as an element of the 42nd Infantry Division.
Experience with the brigade combat team structure revealed that more engineer elements were needed and the Army decided to add an additional engineer company to the special troops battalion and restructure it, according to Bennet.
A 152nd Engineer Battalion served as part of the New York Army National Guard from 1946 until 2007. At that time it had been part of the 42nd Infantry Division’s Engineer Brigade of three engineer battalions.
The reflagging ceremony was a way to mark the history of the 27th BSTB, Czarnecki said. The battalion served in Afghanistan when the 27th Brigade deployed there in 2008 and 2009 and responded to emergencies here in New York, he said.
This history will be carried on by the 152nd BEB, the sergeant major added.
The changes in organization results in the engineers of Alpha Company in the former special troops battalion now being joined by a Bravo Company, Bennet said.
This means more engineers and more equipment to provide engineer coordination for combined arms maneuver, obstacle construction, and digging positions for brigade Soldiers and equipment, she said.
Alpha Company fields two combat engineer —or Sapper— platoons and an engineer support platoon which provides general engineering support, Bennett said.
Bravo Company fields a combat engineer platoon, an engineer support platoon and a route clearance platoon which is equipped with the Buffalo, a wheeled mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) armored vehicle.
The restructured battalion also has a forward support company dedicated to keeping its engineer and other elements supplied, Bennett said.
Another change, which is also very important, is that the battalion’s headquarters company has been beefed up to allow better planning and command of engineer missions, Bennett said. This provides more capability to the brigade commander, she said.
In the past, the New York Army National Guard’s engineer units have been based in central New York. The 152nd BEB’s Bravo Company will be headquartered at the Lexington Avenue Armory in New York City.
This will allow engineers to be recruited in New York City and provide a domestic response capability there, Bennett said.
| Date Taken: | 10.20.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 10.23.2018 13:01 |
| Story ID: | 297407 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 998 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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