DIVWEST to deactivate 479th Field Artillery Brigade Thursday

FORT HOOD, Texas — First Army Division West will deactivate its 479th Field Artillery Brigade here at Cameron Field near its headquarters Thursday at 9 a.m.

Since July 2013, the 479th trained and validated 9,142 Soldiers and nearly 150 units mobilizing in support of overseas contingency operations.

Units trained have varied, to include sustainment, infantry, cavalrym combat service support, transportation, movement, signal, intelligence and medical. Training included Counter-IED, medical training, Close Quarters Combat, driver’s training, logistics, small arms and crew-served weapons ranges, engagement skills training, language and cultural training, and mounted gunnery.

The 479th will merge with the 120th Infantry Brigade as part of First Army’s Operation Bold Shift, leaving the 120th to continue the tradition of multi-composition training support on Fort Hood.

Under Operation Bold Shift, Division West is reducing force structure in accordance with First Army’s concept plan, which calls for consolidating and converting eight brigades to four brigades. The process began at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, when DIVWEST’s 191st Infantry Brigade deactivated Jan. 8, and merged with the 189th Infantry Brigade (Combined Arms Training Brigade), assuming the role as DIVWEST’s sole training representative on the west coast.

On June 10, DIVWEST’s 402nd Field Artillery Brigade at Fort Bliss, Texas deactivated and merged with the 5th Armored Brigade there.

On Wednesday, the Division’s 166th Aviation Brigade was also deactivated and merged with the 120th Infantry Brigade.

Division West, a subordinate unit of First Army, headquartered at Rock Island, Illinois, trains and validates Army National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers for deployment to combat and other contingency operations. The division also trains units of the active Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps and United States partner nations, for a total of nearly 40,000 service members every year.

Media representatives interested in attending the 479th deactivation ceremony should contact the Division West Public Affairs Office and arrive at the Fort Hood Visitor Center no later than 8:15 a.m. Thursday to be escorted to Cameron Field.

For more information about the 479th deactivation ceremony, contact Michael Novogradac, Division West Public Affairs chief, or Sgt. First Class Thomas Wheeler at (254) 553-5003. Email: [email protected]