ROAD divisions, which were eventually to replace the two National Guard units in the strategic force. On 3 February the Fourth U.S, Army reorganized the 1st Armored Division, using its Combat Command A as its nucleus, at Fort Hood. The division became a mechanized infantry unit having four armor and six mechanized infantry battalions. Sixteen days later the Fifth U.S. Army reactivated the 5th Infantry Division (less its 2d Brigade and a tank battalion) at Fort Carson, Colorado, by absorbing the personnel of the training center there. The 2d Brigade, 5th Infantry Division, was activated at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, using the resources of the 2d Infantry Brigade, which was inactivated. The brigade continued to support reserve training in the First U.S. Army area, while one of the 5th Division's tank battalions stationed at Fort Irwin, California, supported the Combat Developments Command's test and evaluation programs. Stretched from coast to coast, the 5th Infantry Division had three infantry battalions at Fort Devens, one armor and six infantry battalions at Fort Carson, and one tank battalion at Fort Irwin.[1]
When McNamara approved the activation of the two Regular Army divisions in early 1962, he decided to delay reorganization of the remainder of the Army until fiscal year 1964 because of the Berlin crisis. But events soon overtook that decision. For example, during the spring of 1962 Powell directed that all instruction at the Infantry School after 1 July reflect ROAD doctrine. Therefore, the Infantry School asked for permission to reorganize the 1st Infantry Brigade under a ROAD structure. Instead, the Army Staff decided to inactivate the pentomic-structured brigade and replace it with a new ROAD unit, the 197th Infantry Brigade, which resolved a unit designation issue.[2]
The ROAD reorganization once again brought up the matter of unit designations. Divisional brigades had not appeared in the Army force structure since the demise of the old square division. Army leaders decided that two out of the three new brigade headquarters in each infantry division would inherit disbanded or inactivated infantry brigade headquarters associated with the former square divisions, With the designation 1st Infantry Brigade slated to return to the 1st Infantry Division when it converted to ROAD, the existing unit at Fort Benning required a new name. For it and other separate brigades, the staff selected infantry brigade numbers that had been associated with Organized Reserve divisions that were no longer in the force, For the new ROAD brigade at Fort Benning, Georgia, for example, the adjutant general on 1 August 1962 restored elements of the 99th Reconnaissance Troop, which thirty years earlier had been organized by consolidating infantry brigade headquarters and headquarters companies of the 99th Infantry Division, as Headquarters and Headquarters Companies, 197th and 198th Infantry Brigades. The following month the 197th Infantry Brigade was activated at Fort Benning. For the third brigade in each infantry division, the staff redesignated the division headquarters company, which had been disbanded during the pentomic reorganization, as a brigade headquarters. For example, the 3d Brigade, 5th Infantry Division,
- ↑ Coakley et al. "Army Expansion, 1961–62," pp. 124–57 passim; Memo, Deputy Sec of Defense to Sec of Defense, sub: Plan for Activation of Two Additional Active Army Divisions, 18 Jan 62, Division General file, and Ltr, TAG to CGs, CONARC, and other addresses: 22 Jan 62, sub: Change in Status of Units, 22 Jan 62, AGAO-O (M) 322 (22 Jan 62) DCSPER, and Ltr, TAG to CGs, CONARC, and other addresses, 26 Jan 62, same subject, AGAO-O (M) 322 (26 Jan 62) DCSPER, both AG Reference files, all DAMH-HSO,
- ↑ Ltr, CofS, U.S. Army Infantry Center, to CGs, CONARC and Third U.S. Army, 12 Mar 62. sub: Reorganization of 1st Brigade under ROAD, AGICT (Adjutant General, Infantry Center), Ltr, CONARC to CG, U.S. Army Infantry Center, same subject, 13 Jun 62; ATUR-P&O (Unit Training and Readiness-Plans and Operation Branch, DF, DCofS/Unit Training and Readiness), CONARC, to DCG and CofS, CONARC, same subject, 23 May 62, and Ltr, TAG to CG, Third U.S. Army, 20 Sep 62. sub: Change in Status of 1st and 197th Infantry Brigade, AGAO-O (M) 322 (5 Sep 62) DCSPER, all 1st Brigade. 1st Inf Div, DAMH-HSO.
