4th Sustainment Brigade Conducts Battle Handoff

4th Sustainment Brigade
Story by Sgt. John Ortiz

Date: 12.13.2008
Posted: 12.13.2008 09:22
News ID: 27645

By Spc. John D. Ortiz
4th Sustainment Brigade

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait -- For more than nine months, the Wrangler Brigade has been conducting theater-level deployment/redeployment operations and combat logistics patrols with units attached to the brigade.

With the deployment of the 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and the reorganization of Theater Gateway to fall under deployment/redeployment operations of the 311th ESC, the 4th Sustainment Brigade will move from having command and control of six battalions to three.

At the start of the Wrangler's deployment, two battalions were attached to the brigade to provide convoy security escort.

1-126th Cavalry and 1-148th Infantry, both of the 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team with the Ohio and Michigan National Guard provided the security elements to protect Wrangler convoys traveling throughout Iraq.

Upon the redeployment of the 37th IBCT and the deployment of the 29th IBCT, there came a change of mission; convoy escort units will remain with their parent unit.

This decision to re-organize the 4th Sustainment Brigade, will allow the Wranglers to focus and continue to perform and execute the theater-level distribution mission through two transportation battalions, and include support for those combat logistics patrols.

From six battalions to three, the Wrangler Brigade will re-organize to include the Joint Logistics Task Force 28, 6th Transportation Battalion and the Brigade Troops Battalion.

The 4th SB will have a consistent relationship with the 29th IBCT, whose two security force battalions, the 1-299th Cavalry and the 100 th-442nd Infantry, will provide escort security for all Wrangler convoys throughout the Iraqi Theater of Operations.

There is one constant that transcends changes to the formation, the Wrangler's ability to provide quick, quality support to execute the theater-level distribution mission.