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Elements of 69th Infantry Brigade, part of the Selected Reserve Force, train at Fort Riley, Kansas, 1966.
maneuver element. After considerable deliberation, the Continental Army Command activated one airborne battalion and one airmobile battalion, using personnel drawn from the 101st Airborne Division and the 5th Infantry Division. Both battalions deployed to Vietnam in the summer of 1966 to join the 173d Airborne Brigade and the 1st Cavalry Division, respectively.[1]
With the departure of units for Vietnam, the reserves took on a more significant role. The nation needed a reserve contingent that could report to mobilization stations on a seven-day notice. The Army, therefore, created the Selected Reserve Force in the Army National Guard that included three infantry divisions and six infantry brigades, one of which was mechanized. To assure the force's equitable geographical distribution so that one section of the nation would not be asked to bear the burden of a partial mobilization, each division consisted of the division base and one brigade in one state, while the other two brigades were divisional units from adjacent states (Table 26). The Army selected the 28th, 38th, and 47th Infantry Divisions for the force. For the separate brigades, the states organized three new units, and again their geographic distribution played a role. Elements from the 36th, 41st, and 49th Infantry Divisions were withdrawn to form the 36th, 41st, and 49th Infantry Brigades, The divisions themselves remained active, but each lacked a brigade. The force's other three brigades were the 29th, 67th, and 69th Infantry Brigades, which had been organized earlier.[2]
To improve the readiness of the Selected Reserve Force, the Army authorized its units to be fully manned, increased their number of drill days, and raised their priority for receiving new equipment. Because of shortages in personnel and equipment, McNamara achieved a long-standing controversial goal of the Defense Department, a reduction of the reserve troop basis. Those reserve units that were
- ↑ Weinert, Army Buildup, 1966, pp. 99–101; Hermes, "Vietnam Buildup," ch. 13, pp. 14–18: Ltr, TAG to CGs, Third and Fifth U.S. Armies, 20 Apr 66, sub: Activation of Aviation Units, AGSD-C (M) (13 Apr 66) ACSFOR, 5th Bn, 7th Cav file, DAMH-HSO, The subject of the letter is the activation of aviation units, but it pertains to the activation of infantry and cavalry units.
- ↑ Ltr, TAG to Chief, NGB, and other addresses, 9 Oct 65, sub: Increased Readiness of the Selected Reserve Component Force, AGAM-P (M) (8 Oct 65) ORC (Office of Reserve Components)-OPT (Organization, Plans and Training)-OF, Selected Reserve Force file, DAMH-HSO; "Reserve Units In Selected Reserve Force," Army Reserve Magazine 11 (Dec 1965); 4–6; Ltr, NGB to AG California, 1 Nov 65, sub: Reorganization of California ARNG, 1965, to Include SRF Units, NG-AROTO 1002-California, Ltr, NGB to AG, Texas, 24 Jan 66, sub: Reorganization of Texas ARNG to Include SRF units, NG-AROTO 1002-01-Texas, Ltr, NGB to AG, Washington, 28 Oct 65, sub: Reorganization of the Washington ARNG, 1965, to Include SRF Units, NG-AROTO 1002-01-Washington, and Ltr, NGB to AG, Oregon, 28 Oct 65, sub: Reorganization of the Oregon ARNG, 1965, to Include SRF Units, NG-AROTO 1002-01-Oregon, all NGB Reference files, DAMH-HSO.
