11th Signal Brigade (United States)

11th Corps Signal Brigade
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Commanders
Commander	COL James C. Sullivan
Command Sergeant Major	CSM Eddie N. Guerra III
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia

The 11th Corps Signal Brigade ("Desert Thunderbirds") of the

Designated Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 11th Signal Group, 4 September 1964, to support the Joint Chiefs of Staff worldwide contingencies. The 11th Signal Group was originally assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington, as part of STRATCOM, the U.S. Army Strategic Communications Command. The group became a regular participant in exercises in Alaska.

On 25 April 1966 the group was reorganized and redesignated Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Signal Group. The following December, the group was reassigned to Fort Huachuca, Arizona.

As the 11th Signal Group the unit contained: HQ, HHQ, and five companies, 505th, 521st, 526th, 557th, and Mobile Operations Signal Companies.

Units of the group participated in

The group was designated 1 October 1979 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Signal Brigade.

During the 1980s, the 11th Signal Brigade forward-deployed two provisional companies: Company B (Separate) at Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras to support Joint Task Force Bravo, and Company C (Separate)in Bahrain to support United States Central Command.

After Iraq's invasion of

The 11th Signal Brigade deployed some of its Signal personnel to East Timor in 1999 supporting the U.S. contingent with INTERFET.

On 7 June 2013, the unit cased their colors for the last time on Fort Huachuca and unfurled them on 26 June 2013, at Fort Hood, Texas.^[3]

Operation Enduring Freedom

The 11th Signal Brigade deployed shortly after the

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Shortly after its deployment supporting OEF, the 11th Signal Brigade reconstituted and deployed to the now closed

The 11th Signal Brigade is an Echelons Above Corps or "EAC" Signal Brigade. It comprises the following units:

• Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), 11th Signal Brigade
• 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion (40th ESB), Location: Fort Huachuca, AZ
• 57th Expeditionary Signal Battalion (57th ESB), Location: Fort Cavazos, TX
• 62nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion (62nd ESB), Location: Fort Cavazos, TX
• 86th Expeditionary Signal Battalion (86th ESB), Location: Fort Bliss, TX

Capabilities

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The 11th Signal Brigade provides echelon-above-corps signal support (EAC). It has the capability to install, operate, and maintain a tactical communications network supporting either joint or Army organizations, establish command center communications nodes, area signal centers, and small extension nodes. It provides installation, construction, and test teams on a worldwide basis during peacetime, war, and operations other than war, and in response to emergency requirements to restore or expand information systems facilities. Also, the brigade provides on-site training in the operation and maintenance of new or modified non-tactical information systems and limited commercial-off-the-shelf communications equipment and systems at worldwide locations.

Due to its total communications capabilities, the brigade can support the full spectrum of operations ranging from combat to peacekeeping to humanitarian. Since 1990, the brigade has participated in numerous contingency operations. The entire brigade took part in

The principal communications capabilities of the unit include tactical satellite, tropospheric scatter, super high frequency, and ultra high frequency line-of-sight transmission systems, and voice, message, and data switches. The brigade's communications networks are compatible with the mobile subscriber equipment communications networks found at corps and division level. Commanders use C2 to control, direct, and coordinate military forces to accomplish their missions. This process encompasses the personnel, equipment, communications, facilities, and procedures necessary to gather and analyze information; to plan for what is to be done; to issue instructions; and to supervise the execution of operations. Communications allows commanders to direct operations on the battlefield and to monitor their execution. It is a critical element to battlefield synchronization.

Past commanders

NOTE: This is an incomplete list. Please update with previous commanders

Group Commander || BG  Anthony F. Albright || 1975

References

External links

• 11th Signal Brigade Homepage
• Fort Huachuca Homepage
• 9th ASC/NETCOM
• Unofficial 11th Signal Brigade MySpace Groups Page^{[permanent dead link]}
• Department of Defense News Release on relocation of the 86th Signal Battalion from Fort Huachuca, Ariz. to Fort Bliss, Texas