Pentagon to Send U.S. Aviation Brigade to Afghanistan (Update1)
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By Tony Capaccio
Dec. 22 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Defense Department said it will send an aviation brigade from the 82nd Airborne Division to Afghanistan by June.
The 2,800-person unit is separate from four ground combat brigades that U.S. commanders said they need in Afghanistan, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today in Washington.
The 3,500-person 3rd Brigade Combat Team transferring in January from Fort Drum, New York, will be the start of that buildup. The aviation brigade from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, will provide helicopter reconnaissance and other support for the combat teams and NATO forces, Whitman said.
The U.S. has 31,000 troops in Afghanistan, including 14,000 that are part of the 51,000-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization force there.
The aviation brigade consists of 89 helicopters, the Army said in a statement, including 18 AH-64 Longbow-version Apache choppers capable of firing Hellfire anti-armor missiles, 24 OH- 58D Kiowa Warrior reconnaissance choppers, and 30 UH-60 Black Hawks for transportation.
To contact the reporter on this story: Tony Capaccio in Washington [email protected].
Last Updated: December 22, 2008 13:09 EST
Email | Print | A A A
By Tony Capaccio
Dec. 22 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Defense Department said it will send an aviation brigade from the 82nd Airborne Division to Afghanistan by June.
The 2,800-person unit is separate from four ground combat brigades that U.S. commanders said they need in Afghanistan, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today in Washington.
The 3,500-person 3rd Brigade Combat Team transferring in January from Fort Drum, New York, will be the start of that buildup. The aviation brigade from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, will provide helicopter reconnaissance and other support for the combat teams and NATO forces, Whitman said.
The U.S. has 31,000 troops in Afghanistan, including 14,000 that are part of the 51,000-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization force there.
The aviation brigade consists of 89 helicopters, the Army said in a statement, including 18 AH-64 Longbow-version Apache choppers capable of firing Hellfire anti-armor missiles, 24 OH- 58D Kiowa Warrior reconnaissance choppers, and 30 UH-60 Black Hawks for transportation.
To contact the reporter on this story: Tony Capaccio in Washington [email protected].
Last Updated: December 22, 2008 13:09 EST
