The 516th Signal Brigade (Tactical Theater Signal Brigade) is a
forward based major subordinate operations and maintenance command of the
311th Signal Command
311th Signal Command Theater is the designated signal command for the Army Service Component Commands within the Pacific and Korean theaters. The staff of 311th Signal Command consists of more than 3000 active-duty soldiers, U.S. Army Reserve sol ...
(Theater). The Brigade supports the
United States Army Pacific (USARPAC). The Brigade has four signal battalions, located in
Alaska,
Hawaii,
mainland Japan, and
Okinawa, Japan.
The brigade mission is to provide and defend the Pacific LandWarNet and expeditionary communications capabilities as part of
U.S. Pacific Command's Theater Information Grid and the Army Enterprise in support of Joint, Combined, and Army Forces, enabling the battle command and information superiority to the Warfighter.
History
The 516th Signal Brigade and its battalions were reactivated on 16 October 1992, assuming the former missions of the 1106th Signal Brigade and its battalions, which were discontinued 15 October 1992. The 516th is a Modified Table of Organization and Equipment, or MTOE command, while the 1106th was a Table of Distribution and Allowances, or TDA command.
Today's brigade headquarters therefore traces its legacy in two directions: On the TOE side, the 516th Signal Brigade was originally activated as the 3367th Signal Service Battalion on 25 November 1944 at New Guinea; and on the TDA side, the 1106th Signal Brigade was a successor to the
United States Army Strategic Communications Command-Pacific (STRATCOM-PAC), which was activated on 1 September 1964 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
During World War II, the 3367th Signal Service Battalion earned battle streamers for the campaigns of New Guinea, Leyte, Southern Philippines, and Luzon, with another streamer recognizing the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. After the end of the war, the 3367th Signal Service Battalion was redesignated as the 516th Signal Service Battalion in Guam. It was re-designated as the 516th Signal Group in Germany on 10 February 1954, deactivating there on 13 November 1967. Each of the 516th's Signal Battalions—the 30th today located in Hawaii, 58th in Okinawa, 59th in Alaska, 78th in Japan, and the 307th Integrated Theater Signal Battalion located in Hawaii and Alaska—also earned World War II battle streamers in their original incarnations. The 30th, 59th, and 307th served in the European Theater, while the 58th and 78th were in the Pacific Theater.
The 1106th's other predecessor command, STRATCOM-PAC, had communications-electronics responsibilities during the 1960s and 1970s for the United States Army in Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Okinawa, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand, as well as Hawaii—a geographical area spanning one-third of the earth's surface. During this period, more than 27,000 soldiers and civilians were assigned to the command, with approximately 21,000 of them assigned to STRATCOM-PAC's
1st Signal Brigade in Vietnam. Over the years, many reorganizations changed the command's missions and names. It became the 1106th Signal Brigade on 1 October 1989, eventually having five signal battalions in Alaska, Hawaii, Japan and Okinawa.
During 1990-91, nineteen soldiers from the 1106th Signal Brigade were deployed to
Saudi Arabia to support Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Since then, the 516th has deployed soldiers to
Somalia,
Kuwait,
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 ...
,
Honduras,
Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
,
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-we ...
, and other locations to support United Nations and United States efforts there. Since 2002, brigade soldiers and contractors have deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and various other U.S. Central Command and U.S. Pacific Command geographical areas in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
Subordinate Units
* 516th Signal Brigade, Hawaii
**
30th Signal Battalion, Hawaii (supporting
US Army Pacific
The United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) designated by the Secretary of the Army (SECARMY); it may also serve as a Joint Task Force headquarters. It is the army component unit of the United States Indo ...
)
** 59th Signal Battalion, Alaska (supporting
US Army Alaska
United States Army Alaska (USARAK or "America's Arctic Warriors") was a military command of the United States Army located in the U.S. state of Alaska. A subordinate command of I Corps, USARAK was the ground element of the Alaskan Command. US ...
)
**
78th Signal Battalion, Japan (supporting
US Army Japan)
** 307th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, Hawaii
*** C Company, Alaska (supporting
US Army Alaska
United States Army Alaska (USARAK or "America's Arctic Warriors") was a military command of the United States Army located in the U.S. state of Alaska. A subordinate command of I Corps, USARAK was the ground element of the Alaskan Command. US ...
)
External links
*https://web.archive.org/web/20101103011324/https://http//www.usarpac.army.mil/516thSig/
References
{{reflist
Signal brigades of the United States Army
Military units and formations established in 1992