Fort Campbell, KY – The Department of Defense officially announced today the deployment of approximately 1,900 active component soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team “Bastogne,” 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) to Afghanistan, as both battle space integrators and functional advisory and assistance teams for the Afghan Security Forces.
As one of the first Security Force Assistance Brigades in the Army, Bastogne soldiers have been preparing for months for this deployment to Afghanistan to provide training, advice and assistance to the Afghan National Security Forces.
Their mission is focused on improving the overall proficiency of the Afghan Security Forces so they can independently secure their country in the near future.“I have complete confidence that our soldiers, the Screaming Eagles from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, are highly trained, disciplined and fit,” said Maj. Gen. James C. McConville, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). “The training that these warriors have conducted over the last year here at Fort Campbell, in the mountains of Colorado and at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, has thoroughly prepared them for their upcoming mission in Afghanistan. Our 1st Brigade Combat Team stands ready to serve alongside our Afghan and NATO alliance partners and is prepared to carry out the required tasks ahead. Bastogne, Air Assault!”