528th Sustainment Brigade (United States)

The 528th Sustainment Brigade (SO) (A) is designed to support special operations forces. It is a unique Army sustainment brigade because it maintains global situational awareness of deployed Army special operations forces logistics support structures. The 528th Sustainment Brigade (SO) (A) sets the operational-level logistics conditions to enable Army special operations forces missions. It is assigned to United States (U.S.) Army 1st SFC and focuses on operational to tactical sustainment support. During periods where only special operations forces are operating in a theater, support may be executed under the 528th Sustainment Brigade (SO) (A). ATP 3-05.40, Special Operations Sustainment, provides more details on special operations sustainment. When deployed, the 528th Sustainment Brigade (SO) (A) acts as the logistics headquarters for a joint special operations task force. The 528th Sustainment Brigade (SO) (A) integrates Army special operations forces support requirements into the Army Service component command support plan and ensures a timely response to Army special operations forces requirements. The 528th Sustainment Brigade (SO) (A) may also control a CSSB in support of a conventional force expansion in the theater of operation until relieved by a conventional sustainment brigade. == Organizational Evolution ==

The 528th Sustainment Brigade (SO) (A) and its subordinate battalions trace their lineage to WWII, but have taken various forms since that conflict. This section presents the organizational structure of select ARSOF support units over the past 75 years: :-1942 First Special Service Force (FSSF) :-1944 512th Airborne Signal Company :-1987 1st SOCOM • 13th Support Battalion, later designated 528th Support Battalion • 112th Signal Battalion :-1990 U.S. Special Forces Command :-1993 U.S. Army Special Operations Command :-2002 Special Operations Support Command :-2020 528th Sustainment Brigade • Special Troops Battalion • 112th Signal Battalion • 389th Military Intelligence Battalion • 528th Support Operations ==Organizational structure==

The 528th Sustainment Brigade (SO) (A) consists of a brigade staff, a support operations unit, and three battalions: the Special Troops Battalion, the 112th Special Operations Signal Battalion, and the 389th Military Intelligence Battalion. Special Troops Battalion , circa 2013 The Special Troops Battalion (formerly known as the 528th Support Battalion (A)) provides rapidly deployable combat service support and health service support to ARSOF and consists of a headquarters company with an organic rigger detachment, a special operations medical detachment with four Austere Resuscitative Surgical Teams (ARSTs)—formally known as Special Operations Resuscitation Teams (SORTs)—the 197th Special Troops Support Company from the Texas Army National Guard, and 1/528th Forward Support Company from the West Virginia Army National Guard. 112th Special Operations Signal Battalion , 2013 The 112th Special Operations Signal Battalion (A) is the Army's only special operation airborne signal unit. The 112th specializes in advanced communication while employing and developing innovative telecommunications technologies to provide both Army and Joint special operations task force commanders with secure and nonsecure voice, data and video services. The 112th's signals expertise allows ARSOF to "shoot, move and communicate" on a continuous basis. Signals soldiers assigned to 112th are airborne qualified and are taught to operate and maintain a vast array of unique and specialized communications equipment not normally used by their conventional counterparts. To meet the needs of ARSOF and SOCOM, the 112th can be deployable on a moment's notice with an authorized strength of five companies: a headquarters company, a Theater Signal Support Company with six geographically focused signal support detachments, and three general signal companies. 389th Military Intelligence Battalion The 389th Military Intelligence Battalion (SO) (A) "conducts command and control of multi-disciplined intelligence operations in support of the 1st SFC, component subordinate units, and mission partners." On order, it deploys and conducts intelligence operations as part of a special operations joint task force leveraging the capabilities of its three organic companies: a headquarters company; an Analytical Support Company with a cytological support element and five geographically aligned regional support teams; a Mission Support Company with a Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination (PED) detachment, a HUMINT and GEOINT detachment, and operations the Special Warfare SIGINT Course for the ARSOF community; and an additional PED detachment stationed at Fort Gordon. From 2015 to mid-2019, the unit operated under the ad hoc name of 1st Special Forces Command Military Intelligence Battalion (A). To avoid being assigned the 'next available' number, the Department of the Army Force Management, U.S. Army Center of Military History, and USASOC History Office worked with battalion leadership to determine a unit designation that reflected a legacy of military intelligence support to ARSOF and carried forth the wartime honors of a past military intelligence unit. In July 2019, the 389th Military Intelligence Battalion (A) was activated and provides 1st SFC with a deployable, operational-level intelligence capability with the motto "Illuminate to Action!". ==References==