86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
| 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team | |
|---|---|
 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team shoulder sleeve insignia (without the "mountain" tab) | |
| Active | 1925- |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | U.S. Army |
| Nickname(s) | Vermont Brigade |
| Insignia | |
| subdued shoulder sleeve insignia | File:86th BCT.jpg |
The 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain) is a Vermont National Guard light infantry brigade. It was reorganized from an armored brigade into a light infantry brigade as part of the United States Army's transformation for the 21st century. The brigade commander is taking advantage of the state's (and the Army's only) Mountain Warfare school to transform the brigade into specialized mountain troops. This is a capability the Army had lost after the 10th Mountain Division inactivated after World War II, except for one battalion split between the north-eastern states.
History
The brigade was originally a component of the 43rd Infantry Division when the division was organized in 1925 after World War I. In the period before World War II, as the Army reorganized from "square" to "triangular" divisions, the brigade was reorganized into the 43rd Reconnaissance Troop. In 1968 the brigade was assigned to the 50th Armored Division. In 1988 the brigade was reassigned to the 26th Infantry Division. When that division inactivated in 1993, the brigade joined the 42nd Infantry Division. The brigade welcomed the addition to the 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery Regiment from the Massachusetts National Guard in a change of command and patch re-designation ceremony on September 14, 2008 at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (Camp Edwards), Falmouth, MA.
Order of battle
- Headquarters & Headquarters Company
- 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry (Mountain)(Connecticut Army National Guard)
- 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry (Mountain) (Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island National Guard)
- 1st Squadron, 172nd Cavalry (RSTA)
- 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery (Massachusetts and Vermont National Guard)
- 86th Special Troops Battalion
- 186th Brigade Support Battalion