Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team

The 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion (BSTB) was created as part of the transformation of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team to the US Army's modular force structure. As part of this reorganization assets previously held at Division level Engineer, Military Intelligence, and Signal Battalions were made organic to the Division's brigades with the creation of Special Troops Battalions, which incorporated engineers, military intelligence, and signals elements.

The 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion traces its lineage and honors back to when it was first constituted on 5 August 1917 in the National Army as Headquarters, 156th Infantry Brigade, and assigned to the 78th Division. This unit was organized on 25 August 1917 at Camp Dix, New Jersey and demobilized on 3 June 1919 at Camp Dix, New Jersey.

It was reconstituted on 24 June 1921 in the Organized Reserves as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 156th Infantry Brigade, and assigned to the 78th Division. This unit was organized in November 1921 at Newark, New Jersey. It was redesignated on 23 March 1925 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 156th Brigade, and again on 24 August 1936 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 156th Infantry Brigade.

The unit was converted and redesignated on 20 February 1942 as the 3rd Platoon, 78th Reconnaissance Troop, 78th Division (the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 155th Infantry Brigade was concurrently converted and redesignated as the 78th Reconnaissance Troop, less 3d Platoon, of the 78th Division).

The Troop was ordered into active military service on 15 August 1942 and reorganized at Camp Butner, North Carolina, as the 78th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop, an element of the 78th Infantry Division. It was reorganized and redesignated on 9 August 1943 as the 78th Reconnaissance Troop, Mechanized and again on 7 August 1945 as the 78th Mechanized Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop. It was inactivated on 22 May 1946 in Germany.

It was activated again on 21 February 1947 at Plainfield, New Jersey and the location changed on 20 June 1947 to Newark, New Jersey. It was reorganized and redesignated on 21 February 1949 as the 78th Reconnaissance Company and the location changed again on 5 June 1951 to Irvington, New Jersey. This unit was inactivated on 29 April 1953 at Irvington, New Jersey and disbanded on 1 May 1959.

3rd Platoon, 78th Reconnaissance Company was reconstituted on 22 October 1963 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 156th Infantry Brigade (the remainder of company thereafter had a separate lineage). It was subsequently redesignated on 6 March 1964 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division and activated on 25 May 1964 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division was reorganized and redesignated 16 January 2006 as Special Troops Battalion, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, with Headquarters, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division thereafter having a separate lineage.

In July 2006, the 3rd Brigade Special Troop Battalion deployed with other elements of the reorganized 3rd Brigade Combat Team to Iraq for a 15 month tour of duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In May 2008 the Department of Defense announced 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division as one of a number of units scheduled to rotate to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom starting in fall 2008. Elements of the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion would be included in any such deployment.