4th Brigade - 1st Cavalry Division
"Long Knife"
4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division was activated on October 18, 2005 at Fort Bliss as part of the Army's transformation towards a modular force. This activation replaced the 4th Aviation Brigade which was reflagged as the 1st Air Cavalry Air Combat Battalion.
On Order 4th BCT deploys to an area of operations and executes full spectrum operations in support of the theater Commander’s objectives. On Order the Brigade redeploys and prepares for future operations.
The 1st Cavalry Division, which was originally activated at Fort Bliss in 1921, has now returned by activating its 4th Brigade Combat Team in a ceremony held 18 October 2005 at Noel Field. The 4th BCT, one of several new units of action throughout the Army, became the first brigade combat team to stand up at Fort Bliss.
The BCT is part of the total Army transformation process, which will replace the current structure of the fighting force. The purpose of the transformation is to create smaller, more lethal and rapidly deployable teams that live, work and train together year-round.
The 4th BCT is a heavy maneuver brigade which consists of three cavalry regiments, a field artillery battalion and two support units. The support units contain a military intelligence company, a signal company, military police officers, medics, a headquarters company and nearly every asset needed to successfully fight and win wars.
