27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
27th Infantry Brigade (Enhanced) (Separate)
27th Infantry Brigade (Light)

The federal mission of the 27th Infantry Brigade (Separate) was to maintain a light Infantry Brigade manned, trained and equipped to deploy by land, sea and air to an area of operations and be prepared to fight and win upon arrival in any intensity conflict. It was also to maintain an army force manned, trained and equipped t deploy by land, sea and air to the area of operations designed by CINCUSACOM CONPLAN and be prepared to fight and win upon arrival.

The state mission of the 27th Infantry Brigade was to maintain a manned, trained and equipped force capable of rapid deployment to any area within New York to aid civil authorities. Operations could consist of assistance for natural disasters, civil disturbances and other emergency situations beyond the capabilities of civil authorities.

The 27th Infantry Brigade takes its lineage and history of the 27th Infantry Division, reformed as a National Guard division after WWII, an armored division (27th Armored Division) from 1954 to 1967.

The 27th Brigade was reconstituted as a Separate Infantry Brigade (Light) in the 1980s and was originally established as a "round-out" Brigade to the Army's 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) at Fort Drum.

In the 1990s, the Army National Guard nationwide was reorganized and the 27th was established as one of 15 separate "Enhanced" brigades, subject to priority call up in the event of a federal mobilization.

In 1998, the 27th Brigade was committed to disaster recovery operations in the New York's North Country following a devastating ice storm which struck in January. The 27th was called again for state emergency response in the wake of a destructive wind storm which struck Syracuse on Labor Day that year forcing an early close to the New York State Fair.

In the summer of 2001, the 27th Brigade deployed for an intense three-week training period at the U.S. Army's Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, LA. Nearly 4,000 Soldier for the New York Army National Guard participated, making it the largest single exercise for the New York National Guard since World War II. The terrorist attacks of 9-11, 2001 struck within weeks of the units return home.

Following extensive state and federal active duty for Home Land Defense in response to the terrorist attacks of 9-11, 2001 subordinate units of the 27th underwent individual call ups for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. In 2006, following the return of most New York National guard units from federal Active Duty in Iraq, the New York Army National Guard was "re-set" and the 27th was reorganized as an Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

Elements of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team were deployed in 2008 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan, to lead Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix, tasked with training the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police.