The Army's only airborne brigade combat team in the Pacific theater has been spared — at least for another year.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley on Wednesday testified on Capitol Hill that he wants to defer for "at least one year" any decision to convert the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division into a smaller, battalion-size task force.
"I think it would be contrary to U.S. national security interests to go ahead and pull out 4/25 at this time," Milley said during testimony on Capitol Hill. "My thought is to extend them at least a year to see how the strategic situation develops."
Milley, in response to a question from Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, said he conducted "pretty intensive study" over the last four to six months and cited Russian aggression not only in Europe but "in the Pacific and, specifically, in the Arctic" for guiding his recommendation.
"We can't predict the future, but we want that capability in the kit bag," Milley said. "We've got a national capability there that I think is worthwhile keeping. I think we need to at least keep them for an additional year."
The 25th Infantry Division's 4th BCT is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. As part of sweeping cuts being made across the Army due to budget cuts, the Army in July announced the brigade would be converted into a battalion-size task force. The conversion would bring the unit from about 4,000 soldiers down to about 1,050.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley discusses the fiscal 2017 budget request Wednesday before the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee in Washington, D.C.
Photo Credit: Mike Morones, Military Times
Lawmakers from Alaska have pushed back against the cut, arguing that the brigade, with its airborne and extreme cold-weather fighting capabilities, provides the Army with an invaluable asset. Senior Army leaders also have expressed concern that a force of about 1,050 soldiers is too small to conduct a joint forcible entry exercise.
Just this month, the brigade traveled to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, for their combat training center rotation. To kick off the training, paratroopers conducted a joint forcible entry exercise using a force of about 1,600 paratroopers.
"We're looking at validating a unit of about 1,600 in our JRTC rotation, and that'll give us a good look at what we really need to maintain the capabilities we have now but scoped down a bit," Maj. Gen. Bryan Owens, commanding general of U.S. Army Alaska, said in late January. "We're looking at a solution that does not lose the capabilities we have now, and the JRTC rotation is part of the assessment."
A joint forcible entry operation calls for troops to seize and hold an airfield or other hostile area, which is then used to allow for subsequent troops and materiel to flow into the area.
The intent of the validation exercise was to help inform Milley as he considers what to do with the brigade.
Officials from U.S. Army Alaska announced the successful validation of the 1,600-strong task force.
Paratroopers assigned to U.S. Army Alaska's 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, watch for enemies while moving toward an objective Feb. 13 at the Joint Readiness Training Center's Peason Ridge on Fort Polk, La.
Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Sean Brady/Army
The validation took place over three days as a portion of the brigade's JRTC rotation. More than 730 paratroopers jumped from eight Air Force C-130s and four C-17s to initiate the execution portion of the exercise, according to U.S. Army Alaska.
Immediately after hitting the ground, the paratroopers seized five initial objectives and secured the airfield. These six sites were dispersed across more than five square kilometers of fields, forests and notional towns surrounding the airstrip, according to U.S. Army Alaska.
Infantry soldiers provided security while engineer soldiers built survivability berms and protective defilades. The soldiers also made improvements to the airstrip, including repairing an 18-foot-wide crater so planes could land safely, and managed the inflow of aircraft delivering supplies, equipment and personnel, according to U.S. Army Alaska.
Michelle Tan is the editor of Army Times and Air Force Times. She has covered the military for Military Times since 2005, and has embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Haiti, Gabon and the Horn of Africa.
