More than 3,700 Soldiers with the 1st Armored Brigade
Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, are set to return soon from a nine-month
deployment to South Korea.
The “Devil” brigade deployed to South Korea in October 2016 as part of a
regular rotation of forces in support of the Republic of Korea – U.S.
alliance under the 2nd Infantry Division. While deployed, the 1st ABCT
trained closely with their South Korean counterparts in order to deter North
Korean aggression and provide security to the Korean peninsula.
During the deployment, the Devil brigade conducted multiple training
exercises just miles from the demilitarized zone. The exercises included
squad-based live-fire exercises, M1 Abrams tank gunnery qualification
tables, joint live-fire exercises with other 2nd Inf. Div. elements and the
U.S. Air Force and, most notably, three battalion-level exercises focused on
counter-weapons-of-mass-
During one counter-WMD exercise, Warrior Strike 7, more than 90 Soldiers
from 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st ABCT, conducted a
ship-to-shore air assault from the Dokdo, a South Korean navy vessel.
As part of a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and South Korea, the 1st
ABCT began moving its footprint from Area 1 in the northern part of the
country to Area 3 south of Seoul. During this time, two battalions and the
brigade headquarters moved from Camp Hovey to Camp Humphreys near
Pyeongtaek, South Korea.
All members of the Devil brigade are expected to return by mid-July.