43rd Sustainment Brigade
43rd Area Support Group
"Rough Riders"
"Providers"

The mission of the 43rd Sustainment Brigade, "Rough Riders," is to provide sustainment support to all Fort Carson, Colorado units. It would, on order, deploy as an expeditionary force to C2 tactical sustainment and distribution operations in an assigned area of operations. It would train and certify attached and assigned units upon completion of reception and reintegration in order to achieve a trained and ready force to meet future operational requirements.

The 43rd Sustainment Brigade was first constituted in the Regular Army on 18 January 1966 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 43rd General Support Group. The unit was activated on 26 March 1966 at Fort Carson, Colorado and organized on 16 May 1966. The first battalion to join the Group was the 68th Transportation Battalion, which was activated in August 1966. Three more battalions joined the Group in 1967: the 195th Maintenance Battalion on 23 February 1967, the 242nd Maintenance Battalion on 25 February 1967, and the 70th Ordinance Battalion on 1 March 1967.

On 26 July 1967, acting on a 7 hour notification, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 43rd General Support Group, along with the 352nd Transportation Company (Light Truck), deployed to Selfridges Air Force Base, Michigan, to provide logistical support for the elements of the XVIII Airborne Corps during riot control operations. Between August and September of 1967, units of the Group deployed to Alaska during severe flooding to establish a field laundry site.

In 1968, the organization of the Group changed: the 336th Ordnance Battalion joined the Group on 20 May 1968 and the 242nd Maintenance Battalion, one of the Group's original members, inactivated on 25 August 1968. In addition to Group organization changes, the 336th Ordnance Battalion deployed to Southeast Asia on 26 September 1968.

Several more changes to the Group organization occurred between 1970 and 1972. 3 military police companies, the 19th, 148th and 984th, along with the 283rd Aviation Company, joined the Group in May 1970. The 40th Supply and Service Company joined the Group in November 1970. The 195th Maintenance Battalion, another of the Group's original members, inactivated on 4 December 1970. The 283rd Aviation Company was transferred to Fort Bragg, North Carolina in June 1971. The 4th Military Police Company joined the Group in November 1971 and in the same month the third original member, the 70th Ordnance Battalion, was inactivated. In 1972 the 19th Military Police Battalion was formed as a headquarters for the Group's 3 military police companies. In July 1972, the 52nd Engineer Battalion joined the Group. The 4th Military Intelligence Company and B Company, 75th Infantry (Ranger) joined the Group in August 1972. The Group was redesignated as the 43rd Corps Support Group in 1973 at Fort Carson, Colorado.

The 43rd Corps Support Group deployed to Southwest Asia in support first of Operation Desert Shield and then Opertion Desert Storm from 15 October 1990 to 23 April 1991. The Group also deployed to Somalia as a part of Operation Restore Hope from December 1992 to September 1993. The Group was redesignated as the 43rd Area Support Group on 16 April 1994. In September 1994, the 43rd Area Support Group deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to participate in support of Operation Sea Signal as the 43rd Joint Logistics Support Group for Joint Task Force 160. The 43rd Area Support Group returned from Cuba in February 1995.

At that time, the 43rd Area Support Group was assigned to Forces Command (FORSCOM). Major subordinate elements of the 43rd Area Support Group included the 759th Military Police Battalion, the 68th Corps Support Battalion, the 10th Combat Support Hospital, the 52nd Engineer Battalion, the 4th Finance Battalion, and the 4th Personnel Services Battalion. There were over 2,900 soldiers assigned to the 43rd Area Support Group, and its mission was to provide combat support and combat service support to an army corps.

In 2008, both as part of a realignment of US Army units at Fort Carson, Colorado and the transformation of the US Army to the modular force structure, the 43rd Area Support Group was reorganized and redesignated as the 43rd Sustainment Brigade. Assigned to the new brigade were its Special Troops Battalion and the 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. While its mission was the support of all US Army units at Fort Carson, it established an informal relationship with the 4th Infantry Division, the largest entity at Fort Carson after the realignment. It effectively replaced the 4th Sustainment Brigade, which was remained at Fort Hood, Texas during the realignment, being reassigned to the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary).