The 504th Military Intelligence Brigade (504th MIB) is located at
Fort Hood
Fort Cavazos is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located halfway between Austi ...
, Texas. The brigade is tasked to improve the
situational awareness
Situational awareness or situation awareness, often abbreviated as SA is the understanding of an environment, its elements, and how it changes with respect to time or other factors. It is also defined as the perception of the elements in the envi ...
for commanders at
division level or higher, so they can adapt their units combat power for the current operations. For this the Military Intelligence Brigades can deploy
unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Dron ...
s, signals gathering equipment,
human intelligence collectors and
long range surveillance
Long-range surveillance (LRS) teams (pronounced "lurse") were elite, specially-trained surveillance units of the United States Army employed for clandestine operation by Military Intelligence for gathering direct human intelligence information ...
patrols. From 2007 to 2015 the 504th served as an expeditionary military intelligence brigade (EMIB) becoming one of three
active duty
Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force.
Indian
The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be one of the largest active service forces in the world, with almost 1.42 million Active Standin ...
Surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing, or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as ...
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...
s of the United States
Army
An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
. In 2015, the brigade returned to its original name and mission as the 504th Military Intelligence Brigade conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in support of
III Armored Corps
III Corps is a corps of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Cavazos, Texas. It is a major formation of the United States Army Forces Command.
Activated in World War I in France, III Corps oversaw US Army divisions as they repelled s ...
.
[75 years of service, 504th leads a storied history on military intelligence triumphs](_blank)
by CPT Kevin Sandell, 504th MI Bde, Public Affairs; dated 26 January 2017, last accessed 2 July 2017
The 504th Military Intelligence Brigade is currently composed of:
*
Headquarters and Headquarters Company
In United States Army units, a headquarters and headquarters company (HHC) is a company-sized military unit, found at the battalion level and higher. Considered one unit, a Headquarters and Headquarters Company is essentially two elements within ...
*
163rd Military Intelligence Battalion'Always Ready' brigade fields enhanced equipment (14 Sep 2015)
The Prophet System and Modular Integration Kit upgrades vehicles for mobile and/or fixed-site signals collection, direction finding, processing and reporting at 163rd MIB
*
303rd Military Intelligence Battalion
The 303rd Military Intelligence Battalion is the U.S. Army’s most decorated MI battalion, and is part of the 504th Military Intelligence Brigade located at Fort Cavazos, Texas. The mission of the 303rd Military Intelligence Battalion, "Longhorns ...
History
The 504th BfSB traces its lineage to the ''137th Signal Radio Intelligence Company (Aviation)''. Activated in the early days of World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
the unit redesignated as ''137th Signal Radio Intelligence Company''. The unit earned battle streamers for the campaigns of Northern France, Central Europe and the Rhineland
The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...
.
After World War II the brigades name and tasks were subject to many changes, but on 21 April 1978 the ''504th Military Intelligence Group (Corps)'' was activated and began its evolution to a Military Intelligence Brigade. On 16 September 1985, the brigade was designated as the ''504th Military Intelligence Brigade (Corps)'' at Fort Cavazos
Fort Cavazos is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located halfway between Austi ...
and supported the III Armored Corps
III Corps is a corps of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Cavazos, Texas. It is a major formation of the United States Army Forces Command.
Activated in World War I in France, III Corps oversaw US Army divisions as they repelled s ...
. At that time the brigade consisted of a Headquarters & Headquarters Detachment and three Military Intelligence Battalions:
*
15th Military Intelligence Battalion
In music, a fifteenth or double octave, abbreviated ''15ma'', is the interval between one musical note and another with one-quarter the wavelength or quadruple the frequency. It has also been referred to as the bisdiapason. The fourth harmonic, ...
(Aerial Exploitation)
*
163rd Military Intelligence Battalion (Tactical Exploitation)
*
303rd Military Intelligence Battalion
The 303rd Military Intelligence Battalion is the U.S. Army’s most decorated MI battalion, and is part of the 504th Military Intelligence Brigade located at Fort Cavazos, Texas. The mission of the 303rd Military Intelligence Battalion, "Longhorns ...
(Operations/Counter Electronics Warfare Intelligence)
With the Transformation of the United States Army
The transformation of the United States Army is part of a
United States Army Futures Command#Waypoint 2028 and the Army of 2030, strategy using #Multi-domain operations (MDO), Multi-Domain Operations (MDO).US Arm(2020) AMERICA'S ARMY: READY NOW, ...
the 504th was redesignated as the ''504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade''. To fulfill its new mission the brigade relinquished control of the 15th Military Intelligence Battalion and activated three new companies: a Network Support Company, a Forward Support Company and a Long Range Surveillance Troop (B-38th CAV) while restructuring the Headquarters & Headquarters Detachment into a company and expanding its missions. The two remaining Military Intelligence battalions assumed identical missions as intelligence collection battalions.
The brigade's Troop B (LRS), 38th Cavalry Regiment, activated on 16 February 2008, was reorganized and redesignated on 24 June 2010 as Troop C (LRS)(ABN) as part of the newly activated 2nd Squadron, 38th Cavalry Regiment with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop (HHT), Troop A, Troop B, and Troop C, 2d Squadron, 38th Cavalry Regiment.
While Troop C within various squadrons of the 38th Cavalry Regiment is sometimes locally referred to as Company C, HQ Department of the Army policy states, "HQDA approved MTOE does not allow for a separate infantry company." In the case of the 1st Squadron, HQ DA wrote, "As documented, the company is a subordinate of 1–38th CAV and as such will carry the designation of Troop C, 1–38th CAV." The policy applies to the 2d Squadron, 38th Cavalry Regiment as well.
References
External links
* {{Official website, https://home.army.mil/hood/index.php/units-tenants/504th-military-intelligence-brigade-2
504
__NOTOC__
Year 504 ( DIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Nicomachus without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1257 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominati ...
504
__NOTOC__
Year 504 ( DIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Nicomachus without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1257 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominati ...