The 81st Mobile Brigade Combat Team is a modular mechanized infantry brigade of the United States Army National Guard based in Washington, Oregon and California. On 9 July 2015 it was announced that the 81st Brigade would convert from being an Armored BCT to a Stryker BCT.
In September 2016 the 81st Brigade began the transition to a Stryker Brigade Combat Team. From 2016 to 2021, the 81st Brigade was part of the 7th Infantry Division and wore the ‘Indianhead’ patch under the Associated Unit Program (AUP). However, with the end of the AUP, the brigade donned its original "Raven" patch again in September 2021. As of 2022, the 81st SBCT has changed its alignment from the 7th Infantry Division to the 36th Infantry Division. In fall 2025, the Pentagon announced that the 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team will convert to a Mobile Brigade Combat Team.
Organization
The 81st Stryker Brigade contains seven battalions and a headquarters company. It assumed its current organizational structure as of 9 July 2015, when the 81st Brigade converted from a mechanized to a Stryker brigade and some units are attached to 2nd Infantry division which includes the 1-185th Infantry.
81st Mobile Brigade Combat Team, at Camp Murray Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, at Camp Murray 1st Squadron, 82nd Cavalry Regiment, in Bend (OR) (Oregon Army National Guard) Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 82nd Cavalry Regiment, in Bend Troop A, 1st Squadron, 82nd Cavalry Regiment, in Albany Troop B, 1st Squadron, 82nd Cavalry Regiment, in Redmond Troop C, 1st Squadron, 82nd Cavalry Regiment, in Portland Troop D (Weapons), 1st Squadron, 82nd Cavalry Regiment, in The Dalles 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, in Spokane Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, in Spokane Detachment 1, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, in Richland Company A, 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, at Yakima Training Center Detachment 1, Company A, 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, in Wenatchee Company B, 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, in Richland Detachment 1, Company B, 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, in Walla Walla Company C, 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, in Spokane Detachment 1, Company C, 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, at Geiger Field 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, in Kent Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, in Kent Company A, 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, in Anacortes Detachment 1, Company A, 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, in Redmond Company B, 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, in Kent Company C, 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, in Bremerton Detachment 1, Company C, 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, in Port Orchard 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment, in San Bernardino (CA) (California Army National Guard — will be replaced by the 1st Battalion, 204th Infantry Regiment (Utah National Guard) in spring 2026) Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment, in San Bernardino Company A, 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment, in Apple Valley Company B, 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment, in Colton Company C, 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment, in Palmdale 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery Regiment, in Olympia Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery Regiment, in Olympia Detachment 1, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery Regiment, in Moses Lake Detachment 2, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery Regiment, in San Bernardino (CA) (California Army National Guard) Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery Regiment, in Olympia Detachment 1, Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery Regiment, in Moses Lake Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery Regiment, in Olympia Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery Regiment, in Olympia 898th Brigade Engineer Battalion, in Marysville Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 898th Brigade Engineer Battalion, in Marysville Company A (Combat Engineer), 898th Brigade Engineer Battalion, at Yakima Training Center Company B (Engineer Support), 898th Brigade Engineer Battalion, in Vancouver Company C (Signal), 898th Brigade Engineer Battalion, in Marysville Company D (Military Intelligence), 898th Brigade Engineer Battalion, at Camp Murray Detachment 1, Company D (Military Intelligence), 898th Brigade Engineer Battalion, at Yakima Training Center (RQ-28A UAV) 181st Brigade Support Battalion, in Seattle Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 181st Brigade Support Battalion, in Seattle Company A (Distribution), 181st Brigade Support Battalion, in Seattle Company B (Maintenance), 181st Brigade Support Battalion, in Seattle Company C (Medical), 181st Brigade Support Battalion, in Seattle Company D (Forward Support), 181st Brigade Support Battalion, in Prineville (OR) — attached to 1st Squadron, 82nd Cavalry Regiment (Oregon Army National Guard) Company E (Forward Support), 181st Brigade Support Battalion, in Marysville — attached to 898th Brigade Engineer Battalion Detachment 1, Company E (Forward Support), 181st Brigade Support Battalion, at Yakima Training Center Detachment 2, Company E (Forward Support), 181st Brigade Support Battalion, in Vancouver Company F (Forward Support), 181st Brigade Support Battalion, in Olympia — attached to 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery Regiment Company G (Forward Support), 181st Brigade Support Battalion, in Ephrata — attached to 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment Detachment 1, Company G (Forward Support), 181st Brigade Support Battalion, at Yakima Training Center Company H (Forward Support), 181st Brigade Support Battalion, in Barstow (CA) — attached to 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment (California Army National Guard) Company I (Forward Support), 181st Brigade Support Battalion, in Kent — attached to 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment
The brigade normally conducts its annual training at the Yakima Training Center, near Yakima, Washington.
History
World Wars
The 81st Infantry Brigade was constituted as part of the 41st Infantry Division on 1 April 1917, consisting of the 161st and 162nd Infantry Regiments.McGrath, 'The Brigade,' p.170 The 41st deployed to France, but was designated a replacement division, with its infantry components sent to the 1st, 2nd, 32nd and 42nd Infantry Divisions.
Between the wars, the brigade joined the rest of the division in the Pacific Northwest, the headquarters moving with the home of the current brigade commander.
In January 1942, the 41st Infantry Division was reorganized from a two-brigade, four-regiment structure to a three-regiment structure with no brigade echelon. The 81st ceased to exist and its two component regiments split up. The 161st went to the 25th Infantry Division while the 162nd remained in the 41st Infantry Division,McCartney, William F. (1948). The Jungleers: A History of the 41st Infantry Division. Washington, D.C.: Infantry Journal Press. . where they both saw extensive combat.
Cold War
As part of an Army reorganization, the 81st was revived as a separate light infantry brigade on 1 January 1968 under Brigadier General Albert Kaye and built around the three battalions of the 161st Infantry Regiment. In 1971, the brigade converted to mechanized infantry, substituting one infantry battalion with 1st Battalion, 303rd Armor.
In subsequent years, the brigade was consecutively "affiliated" with the 9th Infantry Division and 4th Infantry Division before finally becoming the "roundout brigade" for the 9th Division and wearing its patch instead of the separate brigade patch. In 1991, the 9th Division was deactivated and the 81st was a separate brigade once again, tasked to augment the 2nd Infantry Division in the Republic of Korea in wartime.
Like many National Guard units, the 81st Brigade has been activated for state duty several times to respond to disasters and disorder. It responded to floods in December 1975 and November 1990, the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, forest fires in 1994 and many other years, and the WTO Riots of 1999.
Iraq (2004)
The 3,600-member 81st, one of the United States Army's 15 National Guard "enhanced readiness" or E-brigades, was federalized in November 2003 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom under Brigadier General Oscar Hilman. Most of its troops conducted pre-mobilization training at Fort Lewis, WA and the National Training Center and served in theater from March 2004 to March 2005. The brigade was broken up, and its components extensively reorganized under the 13th Corps Support Command (COSCOM) to meet the mission requirements:
Unit Organizational notes Area of Operation 81st Bde (-) HQ, 81st Armor Brigade; 181st Support Battalion LSA Anaconda 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry; 1st Battalion, 303d Armor Attached to 1st Cavalry Division Central and Southeast Baghdad "Task Force Tacoma" Company A, 1st Battalion, 185th Armor (after fall 2004); Company B, 1st Battalion, 185th Armor; Company B, 160th Infantry (CA Army National Guard); Company A, 579th Engineer Battalion (CA Army National Guard), Headquarters Company, 898th Engineer Battalion (WA Army National Guard); and other elements. Attached to 1st Infantry Division. On Dec 6th, 2017, Task Force Tacoma was awarded the Valorous Unit Award for their support in operation founding fathers. The unit displayed extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy and help set the conditions for the first free democratic elections in the Ninevah Province, Iraq. Area surrounding LSA Anaconda (2004) 1st Battalion, 185th Armor(-) Minus Company B, 1st Battalion, 185th Armor, and Company A, 1st Battalion, 185th Armor after fall 2004 Various sites in Southern Iraq 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery; Troop E, 303d Cavalry Various sites in Kuwait, Battery B, 2d Battalion, 146th Field Artillery in Saudi Arabia
A total of ten brigade soldiers died from enemy action over the course of the deployment, the majority of those from the 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry, the unit most directly involved in day-to-day combat operations. The 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry was responsible for the security and combat operations of a densely populated area of southeast Baghdad known as Al Zafranaya and Jsr Diayla. The battalion operated primarily out of Forward Operating Base Gunner (later renamed to FOB Highlander in honor of the battalion's nickname), Baghdad, Iraq. For its performance in combat, the 1–161st Infantry was awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation by the Department of the Army.
Upon its return from overseas in March 2005, the brigade began to reorganize in accordance with the Army's new "Unit of Action" Brigade design, adopting the organization it has today.
Between deployments, the brigade responded to floods in Southwest Washington caused by the Great Coastal Gale of 2007.
Iraq (2008)
The 81st Brigade was alerted for a deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It received its mobilization order on 19 March 2008 from the Department of Defense. The brigade completed pre-deployment training at Fort McCoy, WI and then deployed to Iraq from August 2008 to August 2009. The main focus of the brigade in OIF was security and "force protection operations."
The brigade was led into Iraq by Colonel Ronald Kapral and State Command Sergeant Major Robert Sweeney. During their time in Iraq, the brigade was visited by Washington state Governor Christine Gregoire and Washington Adjutant General, Brigadier General Toney. It suffered one fatality during its deployment, Specialist Samuel D. Stone, in a vehicle accident while on patrol.