The XVIII Airborne Corps is a

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

that has been in existence since 1942 and saw extensive service during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. The corps is designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world and is referred to as "America's Contingency Corps." Its headquarters are at

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cu ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

. XVIII Airborne Corps returned to Fort Bragg in October 2022 after a nine month deployment to Germany, in support of NATO and European Allies and partners.Sgt. Maj. Alex Licea
(31 October 2022) XVIII Airborne Corps Headquarters returns from Europe
/ref> The mission was to provide a joint task force-capable headquarters in light of the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. A ...

.Sgt. Jameson Harris
(1 November 2022) Secretary Austin welcomes XVIII Airborne Corps Soldiers home

Leadership

Its command group includes: * Commanding General:

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

Christopher T. Donahue * Deputy Commanding General:

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Brian J. Mennes * Deputy Commanding General (Operations): Brigadier General Robert (Bob) T. Richie,

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

John P. Cogbill *

Command Sergeant Major A command sergeant major (CSM) is a non-commissioned rank and position of office in the United States Army. The holder of this rank and position is the most senior enlisted member of a color-bearing Army unit (battalion or higher). The CSM is ap ...

: Command Sergeant Major Gregory "The OG" Seymour

History

World War II

File:II Armored Corps.png, II Armored Corps File:XVIII Army Corps SSI.png, XVIII Corps File:XVIII Airborne Corps CSIB.svg, XVIII Airborne Corps The corps was first activated on 17 January 1942, five weeks after the entry of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

into

, as the II Armored Corps at Camp Polk,

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

, under the command of

William Henry Harrison Morris, Jr. When the concept of armored corps proved unnecessary, II Armored Corps was re-designated as XVIII Corps on 9 October 1943 at the

Presidio of Monterey, California The Presidio of Monterey (POM), located in Monterey, California, is an active US Army installation with historic ties to the Spanish colonial era. Currently, it is the home of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLI-FLC). ...

. XVIII Corps deployed to Europe on 17 August 1944 and became the XVIII Airborne Corps on 25 August 1944 at Ogbourne St. George,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, assuming command of the 82nd and

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

s, as part of the preparation for

Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during the Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a salient into German territory with a bridgehead over the River Rhine, ...

. Prior to this time, the two divisions were assigned to

VII Corps 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to: * VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I * VII R ...

and jumped into Normandy during

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

, the Allied

invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

, as part of VII Corps. Major General

Matthew Bunker Ridgway General Matthew Bunker Ridgway (March 3, 1895 – July 26, 1993) was a senior officer in the United States Army, who served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1952–1953) and the 19th Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1953–1955). Altho ...

, a highly professional, competent and experienced

airborne Airborne or Airborn may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis * ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film * ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...

commander who had led the 82nd Airborne Division in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and Normandy, was chosen to command the corps, which then consisted of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and was part of the newly created First Allied Airborne Army. The corps headquarters did not see service in

, with the British I Airborne Corps being chosen instead to exercise operational command of all Allied airborne forces in the operation, including the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. Following the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

, in which the corps played a significant part (and which, during the early stages of the battle, the corps was commanded by Major General James M. Gavin of the 82nd Airborne), all American airborne units on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers * Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...

fell under command of the corps. XVIII Airborne Corps planned and executed Operation Varsity, the airborne component of Operation Plunder, the crossing of the

River Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

into

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. It was one of the largest airborne operations of the war, with the British 6th and U.S. 17th Airborne Divisions under command. After taking part in the

Western Allied invasion of Germany The Western Allied invasion of Germany was coordinated by the Western Allies during the final months of hostilities in the European theatre of World War II. In preparation for the Allied invasion of Germany east of the Rhine, a series of offen ...

, the XVIII Airborne Corps, still under Ridgway, returned to the United States in June 1945 and was initially to take part in the invasion of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

, codenamed

Operation Downfall Operation Downfall was the proposed Allied plan for the invasion of the Japanese home islands near the end of World War II. The planned operation was canceled when Japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ...

. However, the Japanese surrendered just weeks later and XVIII Airborne Corps was inactivated on 15 October 1945 at Fort Campbell,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

World War II units

* 1st Infantry Division — 26 January 1945 – 12 February 1945. * 4th Infantry Division * 8th Infantry Division — 26 January 1945 – 10 July 1945. * 17th Airborne Division — 12 August 1944 – 1 January 1945; 15 February 1945 – 24 March 1945. * 29th Infantry Division * 30th Infantry Division — 21 December 1944 – 3 February 1945. * 34th Infantry Division * 75th Infantry Division — 29 December 1944 – 2 January 1945; 7 January 1945. * 78th Infantry Division — 3 February 1945 – 12 February 1945. *

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops Magazine'', 25 November 2012. Archived from tho ...

— 12 August 1944 – 17 September 1944; 19 December 1944 – 14 February 1945; 30 April 1945 – 3 January 1946. * 84th Infantry Division — 20 December 1944 – 21 December 1944. * 86th Infantry Division — 5 April 1945 – 22 April 1945. * 89th Infantry Division * 97th Infantry Division — 10 April 1945 – 22 April 1945. *

— 12 August 1944 – 21 September 1944; 28 February 1945 – 1 April 1945. * 106th Infantry Division — 20 December 1944 – 6 February 1945. * 3rd Armored Division — 19 December 1944 – 23 December 1944. * 5th Armored Division — 4 May 1945 – 10 October 1945. * 7th Armored Division — 20 December 1944 – 29 January 1945; 30 April 1945 – 9 October 1945. * 13th Armored Division — 10 April 1945 – 22 April 1945.

Cold War

The Corps was reactivated at Fort Bragg on 21 May 1951 under the command of

John W. Leonard Lieutenant General John William Leonard (January 25, 1890 – October 26, 1974) was a senior United States Army officer who served during World War I, World War II and Cold War. Early years and World War I John William Leonard was born on Janu ...

. Since then, the corps has been the primary strategic response force, with subordinate units participating in over a dozen major operations (listed below) in both combat and humanitarian roles, primarily in Central America and the

CENTCOM The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Ta ...

area of responsibility. In 1958 the XVIII Airborne Corps was given the additional mission of becoming the Strategic Army Corps. The corps was now tasked, in addition, to provide a flexible strike capability that could deploy worldwide, on short notice, without a declaration of an emergency. The 4th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington, and the

at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, were designated as STRAC's first-line divisions, while the 1st Infantry Division at

Fort Riley Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Ge ...

, Kansas, and the

at Fort Bragg were to provide backup in the event of general war. The 5th Logistical Command (later inactivated), also at Fort Bragg, would provide the corps with logistics support, while Fort Bragg's XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery would control artillery units. The Corps deployed forces to the United States occupation of the Dominican Republic ('Operation Power Pack') in 1965. The Corps deployed forces to the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, including the entire 101st Airborne Division and the 3rd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne division. In 1967 elements of the Corps were deployed to Detroit to suppress riots, and also to The Congo to support the government there and to rescue civilian hostages as part of Operation Dragon Rouge. In 1982 the Corps first rotated elements to the Sinai Peninsula as part of the Multinational Force and Observers (UN) to guarantee the Camp David Peace Accords. In 1983 elements of the Corps were deployed to the island of Grenada as part of Operation Urgent Fury, with the stated goal of reestablishing the democratically elected government. In 1989 XVIII Airborne Corps, commanded by then LTG Carl Stiner, participated in the invasion of Panama in

Operation Just Cause Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...

. Stiner served concurrently as Commander of Joint Task Force South.

Structure in 1989

At the end of the Cold War in 1989 the corps consisted of the following formations and units: * XVIII Airborne Corps,

** Headquarters & Headquarters Company ** 18th Personnel Group ** 18th Finance Group ** 1st Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery, Fort Stewart ** 10th Mountain Division (Light), Fort Drum, New York **

24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) The 24th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army that was inactivated in October 1996. Formed during World War II from the disbanding Hawaiian Division, the division saw action throughout the Pacific theater, f ...

Fort Stewart Fort Stewart is a United States Army post in the U.S. state of Georgia. It lies primarily in Liberty and Bryan counties, but also extends into smaller portions of Evans, Long and Tattnall counties. The population was 11,205 at the 2000 census. ...

, Georgia **

, Fort Bragg, North Carolina **

101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

, Fort Campbell, Kentucky ** XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery, Fort Bragg *** 18th Field Artillery Brigade (Airborne), Fort Bragg **** Headquarters & Headquarters Battery **** 3rd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery (24 × M198 155mm towed howitzer) **** 5th Battalion, 8th Field Artillery (24 × M198 155mm towed howitzer) **** 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery (27 × M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System) **** 1st Battalion, 39th Field Artillery (Airborne) (24 × M198 155mm towed howitzer) **** 1st Field Artillery Detachment (Target Acquisition) ** 18th Aviation Brigade (Airborne), Fort Bragg *** Headquarters & Headquarters Company *** 1st Battalion, 58th Aviation (Air Traffic Control) *** 1st Battalion, 159th Aviation (General Support) *** 2nd Battalion, 159th Aviation (Medium Lift) *** 3rd Battalion, 159th Aviation (Attack) *** 2nd Battalion, 229th Aviation (Attack) (former 2nd Battalion, 101st Aviation) ** 20th Engineer Brigade (Airborne), Fort Bragg *** 27th Engineer Battalion (Airborne) *** 30th Engineer Battalion (Topographic) *** 37th Engineer Battalion (Airborne) *** 175th Engineer Company *** 264th Engineer Company (Bridge) *** 362nd Engineer Company ** 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), Fort Bragg *** 503rd Military Police Battalion (Airborne) ** 35th Signal Brigade (Airborne), Fort Bragg *** 25th Signal Battalion (Corps Area) *** 50th Signal Battalion (Corps Command Operations) (Airborne) *** 327th Signal Battalion (Corps Radio) *** 426th Signal Battalion (Corps Area) ** 525th Military Intelligence Brigade (Airborne), Fort Bragg *** 224th Military Intelligence Battalion (Aerial Exploitation), Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia ***

319th Military Intelligence Battalion The 319th Military Intelligence Battalion is a military intelligence battalion in the United States Army and is part of the 525th Military Intelligence Brigade (Expeditionary). History The 319th Military Intelligence Battalion (Operations) trace ...

(Operations) ***

519th Military Intelligence Battalion The 519th Military Intelligence Battalion is a unit of the United States Army.mirror The battalion was first created in 1948. The battalion served in the Vietnam War; the Invasion of Grenada; the Invasion of Panama; Desert Storm; the Invasion ...

(Tactical Exploitation) (Airborne) ** 1st Corps Support Command (Airborne), Fort Bragg ***subordination formations and units

Desert Storm

In 1991, XVIII Airborne Corps participated in the Persian Gulf War. The corps was responsible for securing VII Corps' northern flank against a possible Iraqi counterattack. Along with the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, 24th Infantry Division and

3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment The 3rd Cavalry Regiment, formerly 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment ("Brave Rifles") is a regiment of the United States Army currently stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. The regiment has a history in the United States Army that dates back to 19 May 1 ...

, XVIII Airborne Corps also gained operational control of the French 6th Light Armor Division (LAD) (which also included units from the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, cavalry, engineers, airborne troops. It was created in 1831 to allow foreign nationals into the French Army ...

). During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery consisted of the 3d Battalion, 8th Field Artillery; 5th Battalion, 8th Field Artillery; and the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 39th Field Artillery. The living quarters for these three units were situated between the

82d Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops Magazine'', 25 November 2012. Archived from thori ...

and the

Special Forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equi ...

. Of the three units, only 1-39th was

qualified and served as the only fully airborne deployable 155 mm Field Artillery unit in history. The 1-39th FA and 3-8th FA were key components of the thrust into

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

in the first

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, providing

fire support Fire support is defined by the United States Department of Defense as " Fires that directly support land, maritime, amphibious, and special operations forces to engage enemy forces, combat formations, and facilities in pursuit of tactical and ope ...

for the

and the

. The 5th Battalion, 8th Field Artillery also served in a major support role for 82d and French troops during the Gulf War. It consisted of three individual batteries. Batteries A and B were Airborne-qualified, while Battery C was

air assault Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft—such as the helicopter—to seize and hold key terrain which has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind ...

. Batteries A and B were assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina and Battery C was assigned to Fort Campbell, Kentucky. All of the battalions were subsequently re-flagged during the years following the Gulf War. Task Force 118 had flown the

OH-58D Kiowa Warrior The Bell OH-58 Kiowa is a family of single-engine single- rotor military helicopters used for observation, utility, and direct fire support. It was produced by the American manufacturer Bell Helicopter and is closely related to the Model 206A ...

off naval vessels during

Operation Prime Chance Operation Prime Chance (August 1987 – June 1989) was a United States Special Operations Command operation intended to protect U.S.-flagged oil tankers from Iranian attack during the Iran–Iraq War. The operation took place roughly at the sa ...

in the 1980s, operating against

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...

. It was redesignated the 4th Squadron,

17th Cavalry The 15th Lancers (Baloch) is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 17th Cavalry and the 37th Lancers (Baluch Horse).Ahmad, Lt Col RN. (2010). ''Battle Honours of the Baloch Regiment''. Abbottaba ...

on 15 January 1991. During the Gulf War of 1991 it was part of the 18th Aviation Brigade.

Major formations, 1950–2006

The 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions have served with the corps since the 1950s. The 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) was 'reflagged' as the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) in April 1996. * 7th Infantry Division (Light) *

10th Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to rec ...

(Light Infantry) * XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery ** 18th Field Artillery Brigade *

1st Sustainment Command (Theater) The 1st Theater Sustainment Command (1st TSC) is a major subordinate unit of United States Army Central at Fort Knox, Kentucky, United States. History The 1st Logistical Command was activated as a planning headquarters in October 1950 at Fort Mc ...

* 35th Signal Brigade * 18th Aviation Brigade (no longer active) *

20th Engineer Brigade The 20th Engineer Brigade is a combat engineer brigade assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps of the United States Army stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Although the brigade was identified as an airborne unit, not all of its subordinate un ...

525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade The 525th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade (Expeditionary) is a unit of the United States Army specializing in the acquisition and analysis of information with potential military value. On 28 October 2014, the unit was reflagged from th ...

108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

* 16th Military Police Brigade *

44th Medical Command The 44th Medical Brigade is a US Army unit located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, providing health care and medical services to the Fort Bragg community, and continuing training in its combat support mission. It was the U.S. Army's second oper ...

* ''additional smaller, National Guard, and Reserve units''

21st century

The Corps headquarters was deployed to Afghanistan from May 2002 – 2003, and became Combined Joint Task Force 180 for the deployment. XVIII Airborne Corps was deployed from January 2005 to January 2006 to

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

, Iraq, where it served as the Multi-National Corps – Iraq. Following its return, XVIII Airborne Corps and its subordinate units began the process of modernization and reorganization. Under the previous Army Chief of Staff's future restructure of the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, the corps headquarters of the XVIII Airborne Corps will lose its airborne (specifically parachute) certification as a cost-cutting measure—the same will occur to the divisional headquarters of the

. This plan is designed to follow the U.S. Army's restructuring plan to go from being division-based to brigade-based. This will mean that the largest units that will be airborne – specifically parachute certified – will be at the brigade level. Even so, for traditional and historical reasons, the formation will continue to be called the XVIII Airborne Corps. The divisions that fall under the XVIII Airborne Corps (as well as the other two corps in the Army) are in a period of transition, shifting from corps control to fall directly under FORSCOM, eliminating the corps status as a middle man. This ties in with the Army's broad modularity plan, as a corps can deploy and support any unit, not just the units subordinate to the corps. The 3d Infantry Division, the

(Light Infantry), and the

(

Air Assault Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft—such as the helicopter—to seize and hold key terrain which has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind ...

) have already changed over to direct FORSCOM control. The

will transfer after the division returns from Afghanistan. In August 2006, XVIII Airborne Corps traveled to South Korea to participate in Ulchi Focus Lens, a joint training exercise between the Republic of Korea Army and coalition forces stationed there. In mid-April, 2007, the Department of the Army confirmed the next OIF deployment schedule, with XVIII Airborne Corps deploying to relieve III Corps as the MNC-I at Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq. XVIII Airborne Corps is scheduled to replace III Corps in November, 2007. The corps will deploy along with 1st Armored Division and 4th Infantry Division, as well as 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and 1st BCT, 82nd Airborne Division. On 21 December 2016, ''Stars and Stripes'' reported that in August the XVIII Airborne Corps deployed to Iraq for

Operation Inherent Resolve Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) is the U.S. military's operational name for the International military intervention against IS, including both a campaign in Iraq and a campaign in Syria, with a closely-related campaign in Libya. Throu ...

, in December this included the XVIII Airborne Corps headquarters and the 1st Special Forces Command, which is deployed as the Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve. The 18th Field Artillery Brigade deployed into Iraq with High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems. A

General has served with the XVIII Corps since 2007.

Current structure

XVIII Airborne Corps,

3rd Infantry Division,

, Fort Drum * 82nd Airborne Division CSIB

, Fort Bragg * Combat service identification badge of the 101st Airborne Division

, Fort Campbell * 3rd Sustainment Command CSIB

3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) The 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command is a United States Army unit. It derives its lineage from the 3rd Logistical Command, which was activated in Japan on 19 September 1950 for service in Korea. The 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command co ...

, Fort Bragg * 7SustainBdeSSI

7th Transportation Brigade, Fort Eustis * US Army 16th Military Police Brigade CSIB-without tab

16th Military Police Brigade, Fort Bragg ** 83rd Civil Affairs Battalion distinctive unit insignia

83rd Civil Affairs Battalion, Fort Bragg (Administratively assigned, operationally controlled by XVIII Airborne Corps) * 18thFABDENOTAB

18th Field Artillery Brigade, Fort Bragg * 20EngrBdeCSIB

, Fort Bragg * 35th home

35th Signal Brigade,

Fort Gordon Fort Gordon, formerly known as Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established in October 1941. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps, United States Army Cyber Command, and the Cyber Center of Excellence. ...

44th Medical Brigade The 44th Medical Brigade is a US Army unit located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, providing health care and medical services to the Fort Bragg community, and continuing training in its combat support mission. It was the U.S. Army's second oper ...

, Fort Bragg * 525 BfSB

525th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade The 525th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade (Expeditionary) is a unit of the United States Army specializing in the acquisition and analysis of information with potential military value. On 28 October 2014, the unit was reflagged from th ...

, Fort Bragg Other supporting units: * 52nd EOD Group SSI

52nd Ordnance Group (EOD), Fort Campbell and Fort Bragg, part of

20th CBRNE Command The 20th CBRNE Command (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high- yield Explosives or CBRNE) is the United States Army's Chemical, Biological, Nuclear, Radiological and high-yield explosives headquarters. Command Overview The 20th ...

, Fort Bragg, part of 32nd Army Air & Missile Defense Command * USAF - 18th Air Support Operations Group

18th Air Support Operations Group The 18th Air Support Operations Group is a combat support group of the United States Air Force. It is located at Pope Field, North Carolina. The group was originally the 18th Air Support Communications Squadron and served in the Mediterranean and ...

, Pope Field (United States Air Force unit responsible for coordinating corps tactical air support)

Operations

The corps has participated in a number of operations since then: * Operation Power Pack –

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

, 1965 *

Operation Urgent Fury The United States invasion of Grenada began at dawn on 25 October 1983. The United States and a Caribbean Peace Force, coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fur ...

–

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pet ...

, 1983 *

Operation Golden Pheasant Operation Golden Pheasant was an emergency deployment of U.S. troops to Honduras in 1988, in response to Nicaraguan attacks on Contra logistics in Honduras. History In early March, 1988, the Nicaraguan Sandinista government launched Operation Da ...

–

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

, 1988 * Operation Nimrod Dancer – Panama, 1989 * Operation Hawkeye – U.S. Virgin Islands, 1989 *

–

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

, 1989 *

Operation Desert Shield The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

–

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

, 1990–1991 *

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...

– Saudi Arabia,

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...

and

, 1991 * Operation GTMO –

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

, 1991 * Operation Hurricane Andrew –

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, 1992 *

Operation Restore Hope The Unified Task Force (UNITAF) was a United States-led, United Nations-sanctioned multinational force which operated in Somalia from 5 December 1992 until 4 May 1993. A United States initiative (code-named Operation Restore Hope), U ...

–

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constitut ...

, 1992 * Operation Uphold/Maintain Democracy –

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and s ...

, 1994 *

Operation Vigilant Warrior Operation Vigilant Warrior ( ar, عملية المحارب اليقظ) was a military operation from 8 October 1994 to 15 December 1994 by the United States in response to two divisions of Iraqi Republican Guard troops moving toward the Kuwait ...

– Kuwait, 1994 *

Operation Joint Forge The Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Bosnian war. Although SFOR was led by NATO, several non-NATO countries contributed troops. It ...

–

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...

, 1998 *

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 a ...

–

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

, 2002, 2014 *

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

– Iraq, 2005 *

– Iraq, 2008 * Operation Unified Response – Haiti, 2010 * Operation New Dawn – Iraq, 2011 *

– Iraq and

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, 2015–2016

Notable members

* John D. Altenburg, MG – Deputy Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Army. * Lloyd Austin, GEN — Commanding General of XVIII Airborne Corps, Commanding General of

, 28th

United States Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The se ...

. * Ralph Eaton, BG –

and XVIII Airborne Corps

. * Michael C. Flowers, BG – Commander, Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command. * Michael T. Flynn, LTG – 25th

National Security Advisor A national security advisor serves as the chief advisor to a national government on matters of security. The advisor is not usually a member of the government's cabinet but is usually a member of various military or security councils. National sec ...

, Director of the

Defense Intelligence Agency The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is an intelligence agency and combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense, specializing in defense and military intelligence. A component of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the ...

, and ISAF Commander. * Charles D. Gemar, LTC – US

Astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

. * Teresa King, SGM – First female Commandant of the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Academy. * Gary Luck, GEN - Corps commander and later CG, USFK * Stanley A. McChrystal, GEN – ISAF Commander. *

Raymond T. Odierno Raymond Thomas Odierno (8 September 1954 – 8 October 2021) was an American military officer who served as a four-star general of the United States Army and as the 38th chief of staff of the Army. Prior to his service as chief of staff, Odiern ...

, GEN – 38th Army Chief of Staff. * James Peake, LTG – Secretary of Veterans Affairs. *

David Petraeus David Howell Petraeus (; born November 7, 1952) is a retired United States Army general and public official. He served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from September 6, 2011, until his resignation on November 9, 2012. Prior to ...

, GEN – ISAF Commander and Director of the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

. *

Matthew Ridgway General Matthew Bunker Ridgway (March 3, 1895 – July 26, 1993) was a senior officer in the United States Army, who served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1952–1953) and the 19th Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1953–1955). Altho ...

, GEN - U.S. Army Chief of Staff *

David M. Rodriguez David Mitchell "Rod" Rodriguez (born May 23, 1954) is a retired United States Army four-star general who served as the Commander of the United States Africa Command from April 2013 to July 2016. Rodriguez previously served as the Commanding Gen ...

, GEN – Commander, U.S. Africa Command and FORSCOM. *

Arthur D. Simons Arthur D. "Bull" Simons (June 28, 1918 – May 21, 1979) was a United States Army Special Forces colonel best known for leading the Sơn Tây raid, an attempted rescue of U.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War from a North Vietnamese ...

, COL – Led the Son Tay raid during the

. *

Thomas Tackaberry Thomas Howard Tackaberry (September 6, 1923 – April 3, 2017) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army. He was a veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War and was a recipient of three Distinguished Service Crosses a ...

, LTG - Veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. * Michael Tomczyk, CPT – Computer entrepreneur and joint developer of the

VIC-20 The VIC-20 (known as the VC-20 in Germany and the VIC-1001 in Japan) is an 8-bit home computer that was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the ...

. *

Thomas R. Turner II Lieutenant General Thomas R. Turner II (born August 24, 1955) is a retired United States Army officer, who served as the commander of the 101st Airborne Division and United States Army North, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Military career Turner ...

, LTG – Commanding General of United States Army North. * James C. Yarbrough, BG – Commander, Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk. * Wayne Eyre, GEN – Commander of the

and Chief of Defence Staff.

References

External links

*
Global Security: XVIII Airborne Corps

XVIII Airborne Corps Desert Storm/Desert Shield Photographs
US Army Heritage and Education Center, Carlisle, Pennsylvania {{DEFAULTSORT:Xviii Airborne Corps (United States) 18 18

018 018 may refer to * Air Canada Flight 018, an airline flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver, Canada, illegally boarded by a Chinese man wearing a disguise in 2010 * Area code 018, a telephone area code in Uppsala, Sweden * BMW 018, an experimental turb ...

1942 establishments in Louisiana