The 16th Parachute Brigade was an airborne forces

Airborne forces

Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...

 brigade

Brigade

A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...

 of the British Army

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

.

It can trace its formation to February 1948, when the 2nd Parachute Brigade left the 6th Airborne Division and moved to Germany, becoming part of the British Army of the Rhine

British Army of the Rhine

There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...

. The 6th Airborne Division was disbanded soon afterwards, leaving the 2nd Parachute Brigade as the only brigade-sized airborne formation in the British Army. In June the 5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion

5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion

The 5th Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, raised by the British Army in 1942.The four proceeding British parachute battalions had been raised by volunteers from all ranks of the army...

 was renumbered the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, the 4th/6th Parachute Battalion became the 1st Battalion, and the 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion

7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion

The 7th Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, formed by the British Army during the Second World War. The battalion was raised by the conversion of the 10th Somerset Light Infantry to parachute duties...

 became the 3rd Battalion. Finally, in July 1948, the brigade was renumbered the 16th Parachute Brigade Group, taking the "1" and "6" from the two wartime divisions.