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167th Support Battalion (United States)
Encyclopedia
The 167th Support Battalion is a support battalion
of the United States Army Reserve
based at Londonderry, New Hampshire
, assigned to the 94th Regional Readiness Command.
Activated in 1971 as the 167th Support Group (Corps), it was reorganised as a battalion in 2006. The 167th is a logistical support battalion capable of a variety of actions, capable of independent operations and taking on subordinate units to fulfill a larger scale sustainment operation for the United States Army
.
(the former Grenier Air Force Base), the 167th Support Group used a nominal Manchester, New Hampshire
postal address, although that portion of the airport was on the Londonderry side of the city boundary.
In 1980, the peacetime Army Reserve chain of command
was overlaid with a CAPSTONE wartime trace. In an expansion of the roundout and affiliation program begun ten years earlier, CAPSTONE purported to align every Army Reserve unit with the active and reserve component units with which they were anticipated to deploy. Like other Army Reserve units, the 167th Support Group maintained lines of communication with the units – often hundreds or thousands of miles away in peacetime – who would presumably serve above or below them in the event of mobilisation. This communication, in some cases, extended to coordinated annual training opportunities.
Many of the 167th's units and individual soldiers rotated through Honduras
in the 1980s. Operation Fuertes Caminos ("strong roads") provided villagers with roads on which to move their crops to market, while providing invaluable real-world training and experience to reserve engineers, medical personnel, logisticians and others.
Operation Nordic Shield was held in the summer of 1987. Units of the 94th Army Reserve Command; principally the 167th Support Group, the 187th Infantry Brigade (Separate)
, and their subordinate battalion
s and companies
; deployed to Canadian Forces Base
Gagetown
in southern New Brunswick
, to simulate the defense of Iceland
against Warsaw Pact
forces, the CAPSTONE mission of both the 187th and 167th.
Units under the 167th participated in a series of mobilisation exercises in the 1980s, including the Selected Reserve Call-Up (23–25 October 1987), Golden Thrust '88 (November 1988), and Proud Eagle 90 (12 October through 2 November 1989). Each of these was designed to evaluate not only the units' ability to prepare to mobilise, but to examine the mobilisation processes, systems, and logistical coordination so as to find and correct the unanticipated flaws.
In 1990–1991, many of the soldiers from the 167th Support Group's units were called to active duty and served both domestically and overseas in support of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Despite the commonly held belief that CAPSTONE traces were set in stone, the process of selecting units to mobilise and deploy largely ignored CAPSTONE.
Operation Nordic Shield II was held in the summer of 1992. As they did five years before, the 167th Support Group, 187th Infantry Brigade and other units of the 94th ARCOM deployed to Canadian Forces Base
Gagetown
in southern New Brunswick
, to simulate the defense of Iceland
against Warsaw Pact
forces, the CAPSTONE mission of both the 187th and 167th. Part of the 1992 exercise included lanes training as part of the United States Army Forces Command
's "Bold Shift" initiative to reinforce unit war-fighting task proficiency.
In the 1990s, the airport's expansion necessitated a land-swap between the airport authority and the federal government, resulting in a new Army Reserve Center being built on the south edge of the airport's periphery. Since relocating, the 167th and its co-located units use a Londonderry postal address.
The 167th Support Group deployed soldiers to Honduras
and Guatemala
in 1999 in support of Operation New Horizon.
In 2006, the group was reorganised as a battalion.
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of the United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
based at Londonderry, New Hampshire
Londonderry, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,236 people, 7,623 households, and 6,319 families residing in the town. The population density was 555.8 people per square mile . There were 7,718 housing units at an average density of 184.6 per square mile...
, assigned to the 94th Regional Readiness Command.
Activated in 1971 as the 167th Support Group (Corps), it was reorganised as a battalion in 2006. The 167th is a logistical support battalion capable of a variety of actions, capable of independent operations and taking on subordinate units to fulfill a larger scale sustainment operation for the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
Organization
Due to the battalion's modular design, it is also capable of gaining additional subordinate units upon deployment to a theatre of operations.History
Established at Grenier Field U.S. Army Reserve Center, on Galaxy Way, on the grounds of Manchester-Boston Regional AirportManchester-Boston Regional Airport
Manchester-Boston Regional Airport , commonly referred to simply as "Manchester Airport," is a public airport located three miles south of the central business district of Manchester, New Hampshire on the county line of Hillsborough and Rockingham counties...
(the former Grenier Air Force Base), the 167th Support Group used a nominal Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
postal address, although that portion of the airport was on the Londonderry side of the city boundary.
In 1980, the peacetime Army Reserve chain of command
Chain of Command
Chain of Command may refer to:* Chain of command, in a military context, the line of authority and responsibility along which orders are passed* "Chain of Command" , the fifth episode of the first season of Beast Wars...
was overlaid with a CAPSTONE wartime trace. In an expansion of the roundout and affiliation program begun ten years earlier, CAPSTONE purported to align every Army Reserve unit with the active and reserve component units with which they were anticipated to deploy. Like other Army Reserve units, the 167th Support Group maintained lines of communication with the units – often hundreds or thousands of miles away in peacetime – who would presumably serve above or below them in the event of mobilisation. This communication, in some cases, extended to coordinated annual training opportunities.
Many of the 167th's units and individual soldiers rotated through Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
in the 1980s. Operation Fuertes Caminos ("strong roads") provided villagers with roads on which to move their crops to market, while providing invaluable real-world training and experience to reserve engineers, medical personnel, logisticians and others.
Operation Nordic Shield was held in the summer of 1987. Units of the 94th Army Reserve Command; principally the 167th Support Group, the 187th Infantry Brigade (Separate)
187th Infantry Brigade (United States)
The 187th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the United States Army. It was first formed under the United States Army Reserve's 94th Army Reserve Command, which wore the patch of the inactivated 94th Infantry Division, from which the 187th was formed when the 94th was inactivated and the...
, and their subordinate battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s and companies
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
; deployed to Canadian Forces Base
Canadian Forces base
A Canadian Forces Base or CFB is a military installation of the Canadian Forces. For a facility to qualify as a Canadian Forces Base, it must station one or more major units .Minor installations are named Canadian Forces Station or CFS A Canadian Forces Base or CFB (French Base des forces...
Gagetown
CFB Gagetown
Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, referred to as CFB Gagetown is a large Canadian Forces Base located in southwestern New Brunswick.- Construction of the base :...
in southern New Brunswick
Sunbury County, New Brunswick
Sunbury County is located in central New Brunswick, Canada. A large military base is located in the western part of the county south of the town of Oromocto...
, to simulate the defense of Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
against Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
forces, the CAPSTONE mission of both the 187th and 167th.
Units under the 167th participated in a series of mobilisation exercises in the 1980s, including the Selected Reserve Call-Up (23–25 October 1987), Golden Thrust '88 (November 1988), and Proud Eagle 90 (12 October through 2 November 1989). Each of these was designed to evaluate not only the units' ability to prepare to mobilise, but to examine the mobilisation processes, systems, and logistical coordination so as to find and correct the unanticipated flaws.
In 1990–1991, many of the soldiers from the 167th Support Group's units were called to active duty and served both domestically and overseas in support of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Despite the commonly held belief that CAPSTONE traces were set in stone, the process of selecting units to mobilise and deploy largely ignored CAPSTONE.
Operation Nordic Shield II was held in the summer of 1992. As they did five years before, the 167th Support Group, 187th Infantry Brigade and other units of the 94th ARCOM deployed to Canadian Forces Base
Canadian Forces base
A Canadian Forces Base or CFB is a military installation of the Canadian Forces. For a facility to qualify as a Canadian Forces Base, it must station one or more major units .Minor installations are named Canadian Forces Station or CFS A Canadian Forces Base or CFB (French Base des forces...
Gagetown
CFB Gagetown
Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, referred to as CFB Gagetown is a large Canadian Forces Base located in southwestern New Brunswick.- Construction of the base :...
in southern New Brunswick
Sunbury County, New Brunswick
Sunbury County is located in central New Brunswick, Canada. A large military base is located in the western part of the county south of the town of Oromocto...
, to simulate the defense of Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
against Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
forces, the CAPSTONE mission of both the 187th and 167th. Part of the 1992 exercise included lanes training as part of the United States Army Forces Command
United States Army Forces Command
United States Army Forces Command is the largest Army Command and the preeminent provider of expeditionary, campaign-capable land forces to Combatant Commanders. Headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, FORSCOM consists of more than 750,000 Active Army, U.S. Army Reserve, and Army National...
's "Bold Shift" initiative to reinforce unit war-fighting task proficiency.
In the 1990s, the airport's expansion necessitated a land-swap between the airport authority and the federal government, resulting in a new Army Reserve Center being built on the south edge of the airport's periphery. Since relocating, the 167th and its co-located units use a Londonderry postal address.
The 167th Support Group deployed soldiers to Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
and Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
in 1999 in support of Operation New Horizon.
Global War on Terror
In 2003, the 167th Corps Support Group was mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and deployed to the Persian Gulf in February 2004. In March 2004, the 167th deployed into Iraq, to FOB Speicher.In 2006, the group was reorganised as a battalion.