The 16 Air Assault Brigade (16 AAB) is a unit of the British Army. 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). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The Apollo 15 capsule landed safely despite a parachute failure. ...

Roles

The brigade has a joint Army/RAF HQ based in Colchester 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 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 (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A Royal Air Force Merlin HC3 is an example of a helicopter of Joint Helicopter Command. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... 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. This article is about the year 2000. ... Operation Palliser was a British Armed forces operation in Sierra Leone in 2000 under the command of Brigadier David Richards. ... Special forces or special operations forces are military units which are formed and trained to conduct missions involving unconventional warfare, counter-terrorism, reconnaissance, direct action and foreign internal defense. ... This article covers invasion specifics. ... 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, Land Rovers, Supacats, towed 105 mm light guns, Javelin and Starstreak missile launchers. The aviaton element of the brigade consists of numerous Gazelle and Lynx helicopters from the Army Air Corps, and Chinook and Puma support helicopters from the RAF. The brigade will eventually operate the WAH-64 Apache which has been delayed in entering service. The brigade is also supported by the RAF's transport aircraft fleet. 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. ... The L118 Light Gun is a 105mm towed howitzer, originally produced for the British Army in the 1970s and widely exported since, including to the United States, where it was modified to fire US ammunition and is known as the M119A1. ... A soldier practices with the Javelin on a firing range. ... Starstreak HVM Type short-range surface-to-air missile Nationality UK Era 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 Gazelle is a helicopter developed as part of an Anglo-French venture between the Westland and Aérospatiale companies in 1968. ... 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 vital 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 (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The WAH-64 is a licence built version of the Boeing AH-64 Apache Longbow attack helicopter for the British Army. ... A cargo aircraft, also alternately known as a transport aircraft, is an aircraft dedicated to handling transport of materials and oversized loads. ...

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 British 6th Airborne Division was an airborne unit of the British Army during World War II. It is best known for its participation in the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead:17 million Civilian dead:33 million Total dead:50 million Military dead:8 million Civilian dead:4 million Total dead:12 million World War II...

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 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 (bearing darts) was a hero from Greek mythology whose greatest feat was to kill the Chimera, a monster usually depicted as with a lions head, a goats body, and a serpent-tail. ... Pegasus on roof of Poznań Opera House In Greek mythology, Pegasus (Pegasos) was a winged horse that was the foal 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. Motto: (Macedonian: Слобода или Смрт) (English: Liberty or death) Anthem: Macedonian: Денес Над Македонија (Transliteration: Denes Nad Makedonija) (Translation: Today Over Macedonia) Capital Skopje Largest city Skopje Official language(s) Macedonian1 Government President Prime Minister Parliamentary republic Branko Crvenkovski Vlado Bučkovski Independence Declared From Yugoslavia September 8, 1991 Area  - Total    - Water (%)   25,333 km² (146th... National Liberation Army is the name of several groups: Albania One of the organizations that fought to liberate Albania during World War II from Italian and German troops; see National Liberation Army (Albania), History of Albania. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 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. (Redirected from 2001 invasion of Afghanistan) The United States, with support from the United Kingdom, Australia and the Northern Alliance, Afghanistan in October 2001 as part of its War on Terrorism campaign. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... French Army forces, 4èmes chasseurs (27th mountain infantry brigade), in Afghanistan in 2004, passing a woman in a burka. ... A view of the old city Kabul Kabul (, Kâbl, in Persian کابل) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan with a population variously estimated at 2 to 4 million. ... 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. ... Flag flown by the Taliban. ... For the Cusco album, 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. This article covers invasion specifics. ... 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 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 air assault division of the United States Army mainly 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. ... Location of Baghdad within Iraq Baghdad (Arabic: ‎ translit: , Kurdish: Bexda, from Persian Baagh-daad meaning given by God) 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 1) was President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003. ... 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 (also spelled BaÅŸrah or Basara; historically sometimes written Busra, Busrah, and the early form Bassorah; Arabic: , Al-Basrah) is the second largest city of Iraq with an estimated population of c. ... 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 main battle tanks were the Soviet Unions replacements for the World War II era T-34 tank. ... 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). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... 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 military police branch of the British Army. ...

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 Air Assault Signal Squadron)
• The Pathfinder Platoon
• One Squadron of the Household Cavalry Regiment
• The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland
• 1st Battalion, Royal Irish 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
  • H (Ramsay's Troop) HQ Battery
  • F (Sphinx) Parachute Battery
  • G (Mercer's Troop) Parachute Battery
  • I (Bull's Troop) Parachute Battery
• 21 (Gibraltar 1779-1783) Air Defence Battery, 47 Regiment, Royal Artillery
• 3 Regiment, Army Air Corps
  • 662 Squadron - Lynx AH.7 (converting to Apache AH.1)
  • 663 Squadron - Lynx AH.7 (converting to Apache AH.1)
  • 653 Squadron - Lynx AH.9
• 4 Regiment, Army Air Corps
  • 654 Squadron - Lynx AH.7 (converting to Apache AH.1)
  • 669 Squadron - Lynx AH.7 (converting to Apache AH.1)
  • 659 Squadron - Lynx AH.9
• 9 Regiment, Army Air Corps
  • 656 Squadron - Apache AH.1
  • 664 Squadron - Apache AH.1
  • 672 Squadron - Lynx AH.7
• 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault), Royal Engineers
  • 12 (Nova Scotia) HQ Squadron (Air Assault)
  • 9 Parachute Squadron
  • 51 Field Squadron (Air Assault) (currently converting to a Para Sqn)
  • 61 Field Support Squadron (Air Assault)
• 7 Air Assault Battalion, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
  • 8 Close Support Company (includes parachute trained Airborne Forward Repair Teams)
  • 71 Close Support Company
  • 73 General Support Company
  • 132 Aviation Supply Squadron RLC
• 13 Air Assault Support Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
  • 24 (HQ) Squadron
  • 15 Attack Support Squadron
  • 63 Air Assault Brigade Support Squadron (includes Airborne Troop)
  • 82 Air Assault General Support Squadron
  • 47 Air Despatch Squadron
• 16 Close Support Medical Regiment, Royal Army Medical Corps
  • A (19) Medical Squadron
  • B (23) Medical Squadron
  • C (144)Parachute Medical Squadron (V) - TA Squadron based in London, Cardiff, Nottingham and Glasgow
• 156 Provost Company, Royal Military Police

No2 Platoon is parachute trained 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth of Nations to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions. ... 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... In the British Army, there have been two regiments titled the Royal Irish Regiment // Royal Irish Regiment The Royal Irish Regiment was formed in 1684 by the Earl of Granard from independent companies in Ireland. ... The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) is a corps in the British Army. ... The Army Air Corps is a vital 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. ... Ñ 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 a British Army corps that provides the logistical 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 military police branch of the British Army. ...

• Brigade Parachute Squadron RAF

also attached but not part of the Brigade are:

• No1 Troop, 33 Engineer Regiment (EOD) - parachute trained
• Light Electronic Warfare Troop, 14 Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare) - parachute trained
• 4th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Parachute Regiment

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
• 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