Task Force Mustang

Combat Aviation Brigade, 36th Infantry Division
Country United States
Branch United States Army
Type Aviation brigade
Size 2,700 soldiers
Part of Texas Army National Guard/36th Infantry Division
Garrison/HQ Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Texas
Engagements Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08

Task Force Mustang is the deployment unit name for the Combat Aviation Brigade, 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard. The CAB completed a tour of duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the fall of 2007 when it was relieved by the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, a similarly constituted regular army unit.

History

Task Force Mustang has previously deployed to Bosnia and Kosovo, and to the United States Gulf Coast in support of disaster operations following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Formation

During the brigade's deployment to Iraq it was composed of over 2700 soldiers from 44 states. Approximately 2500 were from 16 state Army Guard units. The brigade was augmented by over 200 Individual Ready Reserve Army soldiers from 36 different states. The CAB, 36th Infantry Division is the first National Guard combat air brigade under the Army's reformatting plan.

Global War on Terror

Task Force Mustang shipped to Iraq in September 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, following a few weeks of boots on the ground training at Camp Buehring, Kuwait in August. They completed five months of flight and theatre immersion training at Fort Hood, Texas and Fort Sill, Oklahoma and were certified "Fit to Fight" by Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré, commanding general, First U.S. Army, on 30 July 2006.

In the first eight months in Iraq, the CAB's units flew 51,000 combat flight hours while executing almost 7,300 combat missions. 36 CAB has carried more than 230,000 passengers, moved more than 15 million pounds of cargo, conducted almost 60 large combat air assaults, provided outstanding medevac support to save many soldiers' lives, and supported ground troops with AH-64 Apaches.[1]

Elements deployed to Iraq

homebase: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Austin, Texas.
homebase: Ellington Field, Houston, Texas
homebase: Buckley Air Force Base, Aurora, Colorado
homebase: Montgomery, Alabama Army National Guard
homebase: Topeka, Kansas
Unit became operational in Iraq on 1 November 2006 and was the last CAB unit to do so for the current Iraq deployment.
homebase: San Antonio, Texas

Army Guard unit personnel contributions

All troop strength numbers are approximate.

Aircraft

The unit flew approximately 24 AH-64 Apache, 80 UH-60 Black Hawk, 12 CH-47 Chinook helicopters.

References and external links

  1. ↑ Picard, Stephan J. (30 April 2007). "The Mustang Leader" 1 (9). US Army.
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