The 16 Air Assault Brigade (16 Air Asslt Bde) is a unit of the British Army. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... A US Army UH-1 Huey seen offloading troops during the Vietnam War Air Assault (or air mobile, in the U.S. Air Cavalry) is the movement of forces by helicopter or aircraft to engage and destroy enemy forces or to seize and hold key terrain. ... The British 4th Infantry Division served during World War II in France in 1940, North Africa and Italy. ... The Colchester Garrison is a British Army base located in Colchester in the county of Essex. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

It was formed as part of the defence reforms implemented by the Strategic Defence Review on 1 September 1999 by the merging of 24th Airmobile Brigade and elements of 5th Airborne Brigade. This grouping created a highly mobile brigade of parachute units and airmobile units which employ helicopters. The Strategic Defence Review (or SDR) was a policy document produced by the Labour Government that came to power in 1997. ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into British 24th Infantry Brigade (Guards). ... The 5th Infantry Brigade was a regular British Army formation from the First World War to disbandment in 1999. ... The Apollo 15 capsule landed safely despite a parachute failure. ...

Roles

The brigade has a joint Army/RAF HQ based in Colchester Garrison and numbers around 6,000 to 8,000 personnel. It is under the operational command of the tri-service Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) and is assigned to the British-led Allied Rapid Reaction Corps of NATO as Corps Troops. (For administrative purposes, it is under the control of 4th Division when in its base at Colchester). It may be allocated to 1st (UK) Armoured or 3rd (UK) Mechanised divisions for operations outside of Britain. The brigade maintains a pool of its forces which may be allocated to the tri-service Joint Rapid Reaction Force (JRRF). The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Colchester Garrison is a British Army base located in Colchester in the county of Essex. ... A Royal Air Force Merlin HC3 is an example of a helicopter of Joint Helicopter Command. ... The Headquarters Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps, (HQ ARRC or ARRC) was created in 1992 in Bielefeld based on the former British I Corps (or I (BR) Corps ). It was originally created as the rapid reaction corps sized land force of the Reaction Forces Concept that emerged after the... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation[2] (NATO; French: ; also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance, or the Western Alliance) is a military alliance established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. ... See: British 4th Cavalry Division British 4th Division (World War I) British 4th Infantry Division This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... History The 1st Armoured Division was a regular division in the British Army at the outbreak of World War II. It had formerly been designated The Mobile Division. ...

It is primarily designed to be rapidly deployable across the world, able to deal with situations in peacetime such as national emergencies; relief operations for natural disasters across the world, and evacuation of British subjects and other countries' citizens (as seen in Sierra Leone in 2000 during Operation Palliser). In war the brigade is intended to undertake an array of operations, including taking quickly and holding ground until relieved by other forces, sometimes over great distances if needed; carrying out large-scale raids; assisting in defensive operations, including the defence of units' flanks, and supporting special forces. The brigade demonstrated its ability to carry out these type of operations during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Operation Palliser was a British Armed forces operation in Sierra Leone in 2000 under the command of Brigadier David Richards. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Combatants Coalition Forces: United States United Kingdom South Korea Australia Poland Romania others. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Due to the brigade's mobile role it is lightly armed and equipped. The brigade's land equipment includes Scimitars, WMIK Land Rovers, Supacats, towed L118 105 mm light guns, Javelin anti-tank and lightweight Starstreak air-defence missile launchers. The aviaton element of the brigade consists of three attack regiments equipped with WAH-64 Apache and Lynx helicopters from the Army Air Corps, and Chinook, Merlin and Puma support helicopters from the RAF. The brigade is also supported by the RAF's Hercules transport aircraft fleet. This refers to the armoured vehicle, for other uses see Scimitar (disambiguation) FV107 Scimitar is an armoured reconnaissance vehicle, although sometimes classed as a light tank used by the British Army. ... Land Rover was the name of one of the first British civilian all-terrain utility vehicles, first produced by Rover in 1947. ... The UK All Terrain Mobility Platform is commonly known by the name of its manufacturer Supacat. ... An Australian L118 Hamel gun during a training exercise The L118 Light Gun is a 105 mm towed howitzer, originally produced for the British Army in the 1970s and widely exported since, including to the United States, where a modified version is known as the M119A1. ... A soldier practices with the Javelin on a firing range. ... Type short-range surface-to-air missile Nationality UK Era 1990s-Current Launch platform Target History Builder Thales Air Defence Limited Date of design Production period Service duration 1997 Operators Variants Number built 7,000 ordered Specifications Type Diameter 27 cm Wing span Length 1. ... The WAH-64 is a licence built version of the Boeing AH-64 Apache Longbow attack helicopter for the British Army. ... The Westland Lynx is a helicopter designed by Westland and built at Westlands factory in Yeovil, first flying on 21 March 1971 as the Westland WG.13. ... The Army Air Corps is a component of the British Army. ... The Royal Air Force is the second largest operator of the Boeing CH-47 Chinook of the 16 nations which use the type. ... The Aerospatiale Puma is a medium-sized twin-engined transport/utility helicopter originally manufactured by Aerospatiale of France. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... A cargo aircraft is an airplane primarily designed and used for the carriage of goods, rather than passengers. ...

Traditions

The numeral 16 was chosen to perpetuate the 16th Parachute Brigade which had itself been numbered in honour of the 1st Airborne Division and 6th Airborne Division of World War II. The British 1st Airborne Division was a military unit that fought in World War II. It suffered terrible casualties, especially in Operation Market Garden. ... The 6th Airborne Division was an airborne unit of the British Army during World War II. // The division was formed in the United Kingdom on 3 May 1943, during the Second World War. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

The brigade's sign is that of a light-blue and maroon shield with a light blue striking eagle outlined in maroon emblazoned on it, intended to represent its offensive role. The sign is worn on the left arm. The colours chosen are traditional and show the make-up of the brigade, maroon for Airborne and light-blue for Army Air Corps. The symbol of 5 Airborne Brigade had been Bellerophon on top of Pegasus (a winged horse of Greek mythology) which became synonymous with the airborne forces thanks to their exploits during World War II. There was some controversy when the Parachute units of 5 Airborne had to give up the symbol and replace it with 16 Air Assault's symbol. Genera Several, see below. ... Bellerophon on Pegasus spears the Chimaera, on an Attic red-figure epinetron — 425–420 BC Bellerophon or Bellerophontes (perhaps bearing darts[1]) was a hero of Greek mythology, the greatest hero and slayer of monsters, alongside of Kadmos and Perseus, before the days of Heracles[2]—whose greatest feat was... Pegasus and Bellerophon, Attic red-figure In Greek mythology, Pegasus (Greek name: ) was a winged horse that was the son of Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and the Gorgon Medusa. ...

History

After a ceasefire had been declared in the Republic of Macedonia between Government forces and rebels known as the National Liberation Army, NATO launched a British-led effort (Operation Essential Harvest) to collect weapons voluntarily given up by the rebels. The brigade HQ and some of its elements deployed in August 2001, acting as the spearhead for the NATO operation. It returned home after the NATO mission was successfully completed in September. For an explanation of terms related to Macedonia, see Macedonia (terminology). ... National Liberation Army is the name of several groups: National Liberation Army of Albania Macedoinian National Liberation Army Algerian National Liberation Army National Liberation Army (Bolivia). ... Operation Essential Harvest (or Task Force Harvest) was officially launched on August 22, 2001 and effectively started on August 27. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A spearhead is the head of a spear. ...

After the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, NATO established a peacekeeping force in December known as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), based in the capital Kabul. The brigade HQ and some of its units began to deploy in December to join the then British-led ISAF (which was centred around 3rd (UK) Mechanised Division) as its tactical command, commanding units from other nations that had sent forces to Afghanistan. The brigade's units main tasks were to help rebuild the war-torn country and carry out patrol into Kabul, in the hope of reasuring the populace there, and nearby Bagram Air Base, both of which were under constant threat from Al Qaida and the Taliban. The brigade handed over tactical command to a German brigade in March 2002. Combatants al-Qaeda Taliban Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan Afghanistan Northern Alliance United States ISAF NATO members: United Kingdom Canada Netherlands other allies Commanders Osama bin Laden, Mohammed Omar, Obaidullah Akhund Mullah Dadullah Bismillah Khan Tommy Franks Dan McNeill David Fraser Strength Taliban: unknown al-Qaeda: unknown Afghan National Army: 43... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation[2] (NATO; French: ; also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance, or the Western Alliance) is a military alliance established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. ... Logo of ISAF. Persian writing: Ú©Ù…Ú© Ùˆ همکاری (Komak va Hamkari) means Help and Cooperation.. International Security Assistance Force (6) (ISAF) is an international stabilization force in Afghanistan led by NATO and consisting of about 32,000 personnel from 37 nations as of October 5, 2006. ... For other places with the same name, see Kabul (disambiguation). ... Bagram Air Base Bagram Air Base is located at the antique city of Bagram near Charikar in Parvan, Afghanistan. ... Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... Armed Taliban in pickup truck in Herat, July 2001. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

During the build-up to the invasion of Iraq, the brigade, commanded by Brigadier 'Jacko' Page, was deployed to Kuwait in February 2003. The brigade was part of 1 (UK) Armoured Division and after extensive training in Kuwait it took part in the beginning of the invasion on 20 March. Initial speculation in the British media suggested that the brigade would support the American 82nd and 101st divisions in an airborne assault on the Saddam International Airport in Baghdad. This plan did not, however, come into fruition. The brigade's eventual objective was to secure the southern oil fields before they were destroyed by Saddam Hussain's forces. The brigade's 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery entered Iraq on 20 March to support U.S. Marine Corps forces in their efforts to capture the Rumaila oil fields, nearly all of the oil wells being taken intact. The rest of the brigade, supported by its AAC helicopters, entered Iraq soon afterwards, still tasked with securing Rumaila. The brigade often met sporadic resistance and had to deal with disarming the many explosives attached to the infrastructure. Combatants Coalition Forces: United States United Kingdom South Korea Australia Poland Romania others. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... History The 1st Armoured Division was a regular division in the British Army at the outbreak of World War II. It had formerly been designated The Mobile Division. ... March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in leap years). ... The United Kingdom has an extremely diverse media with an almost unrivalled number of outlets, second only to the United States. ... The 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army was constituted in the National Army as the 82nd Division on August 5, 1917, and was organized on August 25, 1917, at Camp Gordon, Georgia. ... The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)—nicknamed the “Screaming Eagles”—is an airborne division of the United States Army primarily trained for air assault operations. ... Inside Baghdad International Airport Baghdad International Airport is Iraqs largest airport, located in a suburb about 10 miles west of Baghdad. ... Baghdad (Arabic ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... Drilling rig in a small oil field Near Sarnia, Ontario, 2001 An oil field is an area with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum (oil) from below ground. ... Saddam Hussein Saddām Hussein ʻAbd al-Majid al-Tikrītī (Often spelt Husayn or Hussain; Arabic صدام حسين عبدالمجيد التكريتي; born April 28, 1937... March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in leap years). ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ... The Rumaila Field is an oil field in southern Iraq that also spills over into Kuwait, possession of this field led to disputes between Iraq and Kuwait and was one of reasons for Iraqs invasion of Kuwait in 1990. ... An oil well is a term for any perforation through the Earths surface designed to find and release both petroleum oil and gas hydrocarbons. ...

The brigade was subsequently used to guard the oil fields and protect Allied supply lines with elements moving further north of Basra -- Iraq's second largest city -- to provide a screen protecting it from Iraqi attack. On 31 March the brigade, assisted by artillery and air supporti, attacked an Iraqi armoured coloumn advancing on Basra, destroying 17 T-55 tanks, 5 artillery pieces and 7 armoured personnel carriers. After British forces entered Basra on 6 April, 3 PARA was employed to clear the 'old quarter' of the city on 7 April due to the narrow streets making it inaccessible to vehicles. Location of Basra Basra (Arabic: ‎; BGN: Al Başrah) is the second largest city of Iraq with an estimated population of 2,600,000 (2003). ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... The T-54 and T-55 tank series was the Soviet Unions front-line main battle tank from 1947 until 1962, and remains in service throughout the world to this day, especially by former client states of the Soviet Union. ... April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ...

After Basra's capture the brigade was based in Maysan Province, centred around the province's capital Al-Amarah. The brigade carried out patrols into towns, helped bring normality back to the south, tried to maintain order and destroyed any conventional weapons caches that were found. The war was officially declared over on 1 May and the brigade began to return home that same month. During one patrol into Az-Zubayr on 24 June the brigade suffered its largest casualties in Iraq when 6 Royal Military Policemen of 156 Provost Company were killed by a large Iraqi mob. A patrol of 1 PARA were ambushed at the same time but were successfully extracted from the area. By the time the brigade left Iraq it had collectively suffered 9 killed. It was reported that two soldiers from the brigade had refused to fight just before the war began, and were sent back to Colchester Garrison. Categories: Stub | Provinces of Iraq ... Amarah (sometimes written al-Amarah), is a city in southeastern Iraq, located next to the Tigris River waterway south of Baghdad, at 32°10′ N 46°03′ E. Predominately Shiite, it had a population of about 340,000 as of 2002. ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... Az Zubayr is a town in Iraq. ... June 24 is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 190 days remaining. ... The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the branch of the British Army responsible for the policing of service personnel and providing a military police presence on service property, operations and exercises. ...

In 2006, the brigade deployed with one battlegroup to Afghanistan on Operation Herrick. For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The battlegroup is the basic building block of an armys fighting formation. ... Operation Herrick is the codename under which all British operations in the war in Afghanistan have been conducted since 2002. ...

Commanders

• Brigadier Peter Wall (late Royal Engineers)(1 September 1999)
• Brigadier 'Barney' White-Spunner (late Blues and Royals)(21 December 2000)
• Brigadier 'Jacko' Page (late Parachute Regiment)(December 2002)
• Brigadier 'Ed' Butler (late Royal Green Jackets)

Constituent Units

Present day (as of 2006)

• 16 Air Assault Brigade Headquarters and Signals Squadron (216 Parachute Signal Squadron)
• Pathfinder Platoon
• One Squadron of the Household Cavalry Regiment (can provide at least one Para trained Troop)
• The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, (5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland)
• 1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd, 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment)
• 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment
• 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (contains an attached Platoon from the Household Division (Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards))
• 7 Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
• 21 (Gibraltar 1779-1783) Air Defence Battery, 47 Regiment, Royal Artillery
• 3 Regiment, Army Air Corps
• 4 Regiment, Army Air Corps
• 9 Regiment, Army Air Corps
• 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault), Royal Engineers
• 7 Air Assault Battalion, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
• 13 Air Assault Support Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
• 16 Close Support Medical Regiment, Royal Army Medical Corps
• 156 Provost Company, Royal Military Police - (No2 Platoon is parachute trained)
• 89 Intelligence Company, Intelligence Corps
• Brigade Parachute Squadron RAF

also attached but not part of the Brigade are: For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Dismounted Blues and Royals (left) and Life Guards (right) preparing to line the route of the Garter procession at Windsor Castle Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings... Official name Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louises) Colonel-in-Chief HM Queen Elizabeth II Nicknames Motto Sans Peur Ne Obliviscaris Anniversaries Balaklava (25 October) Marches Quick: The Highland Laddie Quick: The Campbells Are Coming Charge: Monymusk Funerals: Lochaber No More Mascot A Shetland Pony called Cruachan Description Infantry... The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the senior line infantry regiment and only Scottish regiment of the British Army infantry. ... The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment), commonly just called the Royal Irish Regiment (R IRISH), is an infantry unit of the British Army and is the only remaining Irish regiment of the line. ... The Parachute Regiments display team, the Red Devils at an American airshow The Parachute Regiment is the main body of elite airborne troops of the British Army. ... The Parachute Regiments display team, the Red Devils at an American airshow The Parachute Regiment is the main body of elite airborne troops of the British Army. ... The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) is a corps in the British Army. ... The Army Air Corps is a component of the British Army. ... The Corps of Royal Engineers (RE), commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army. ... The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers cap badge The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME; usually pronounced phonetically as Reemee) is a corps of the British Army that has responsibility for the maintenance of all electrical and mechanical equipment. ... The Royal Logistic Corps is the British Army corps that provides the logistic support for the Army. ... The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace. ... The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the branch of the British Army responsible for the policing of service personnel and providing a military police presence on service property, operations and exercises. ... The Intelligence Corps (also known as Int Corps) is one of the corps of the British Army. ...

• No1(Para) Troop, 33 Engineer Regiment (EOD) (parachute trained EOD unit)
• Light Electronic Warfare Team, 14 Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare) - (parachute trained EW unit)
• 4th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment - Reserve unit based at Pudsey, London, Croydon, Hebburn, St Helens, Glasgow and Edinburgh
• Joint CBRN Regiment Light Role Specialist Monitoring Team (developing a parachute capabilty in order to provide air-assault CBRN teams to 16 AA Bde)

Note: In 2006 it was announced that the UK based battalion of the Royal Gurkha Rifles would be assigned to 16 Air Assault Brigade, and would rotate in the air assault role with 1 R IRISH and 5 SCOTS - each battalion will spend five years with 16 Air Assault Brigade, followed by two years with 52 Infantry Brigade in the standard light infantry role. The 4th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (4 PARA) is a Territorial Army (TA) unit based throughout the UK. Originally the Battalion covered the North of England with its Headquarters located in Pudsey, West Yorkshire. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Royal Gurkha Rifles is a regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. ...

2003 Iraq War

• 16 Air Assault Brigade Headquarters and Signals Squadron (216)
• D Squadron, Blues and Royals
• 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment
• 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment
• 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment
• Elements of 4th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment
• 7 (Parachute) Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
• 3 Regiment, AAC
• 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault), RE
• 7 Air Assault Battlion, REME
• 13 Air Assault Support Regiment, RLC
• 16 Close Support Medical Regiment, RAMC (144 Parachute Med Squadron v)
• 156 Provost Company, RMP
• The Pathfinder Platoon

The Blues and Royals are a British Army armoured regiment and are part of the Household Cavalry. ...

References

• Regiments.org - 16 Air Assault Brigade
• BBC - 16 Air Assault Brigade
• Official Army website for 16 Air Assault Brigade