83rd Chemical Battalion (CBRN)

The 83rd Chemical Battalion is assigned to the 48th Chemical Brigade at Fort Hood, Texas. Stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana, the 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade provides administrative control while in garrison to the Battalion.

The 83rd Chemical Battalion was first constituted on 12 March 1942 in the Army of the United States as the 83rd Chemical Battalion and activated on 10 June 1942 at Camp Gordon, Georgia. It was reorganized and redesignated on 27 June 1944 as the 83rd Chemical Battalion, Motorized and again on 7 December 1944 as the 83rd Chemical Mortar Battalion. Deployed to Europe during the Second World War, the Battalion participated in 8 campaigns: Sicily (awarded a streamer with arrowhead to indicate participation in the initial assault), Naples-Foggia (streamer with arrowhead), Anzio (streamer with arrowhead), Rome-Arno, Southern France (streamer with arrowhead), Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. After the end of the Second World War, the Battalion was inactivated on 26 November 1945 at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts.

Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 83rd Chemical Mortar Battalion was redesignated on 5 June 1951 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 83rd Chemical Smoke Generator Battalion, and allotted to the Regular Army. Concurrently, remainder of Battalion was disbanded. The unit was activated on 16 July 1951 in Germany. It was inactivated on 15 January 1952 in England. Concurrently, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 83rd Chemical Smoke Generator Battalion was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 83rd Chemical Mortar Battalion. The unit was redesignated on 1 February 1955 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 83rd Chemical Battalion and activated on 18 March 1955 at Fort McClellan, Alabama. The Battalion was inactivated on 20 December 1966 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The Battalion was reactivated on 1 October 1993 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina as part of XVIII Corps. The mission of the Battalion was to, on order, deploy worldwide and upon arrival provide effective NBC reconnaissance, biological surveillance, decontamination, and smoke support to protect the forces assigned to XVIII Airborne Corps or a joint task force Commander. The unit also provided support to the Warrior Brigade at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Lousiana.

In 2007, the 48th Chemical Brigade was activated at Fort Hood, Texas. The 83rd Chemical Battalion subsequently became a subordinate unit of the new brigade. The unit continued to provide support to the JRTC via the 1st Combat Support Brigade, later known as the 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.

On 31 May 2012, the 83rd Chemical Battalion uncased its colors in a ceremony at Fort Stewart, after having relocated there. At that time, the Battalion was to consist of 4 EOD companies (38th, 731st, 756th, and 766th Ordnance Companies) along with 2 Chemical Companies (51st and 92nd Chemical Companies), in addition to the Battalion's Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment.