text: 166th aviation brigade ( united states ) the 166th aviation brigade was an aviation training brigade of the united states army headquartered at fort hood , texas . it was a subordinate unit of first army - division west . an " ac / rc " ( active component / reserve component ) formation , the 166th aviation brigade was the sole organization responsible for the post - mobilization training of united states army reserve & national guard aviation units . the unit was formerly designated as 3rd brigade , 75th division . from 1997 , the 166th aviation brigade has trained other aviation units for front - line service . as such , it has never seen combat , and has thus never earned any campaign streamers or unit awards . as the only brigade in the first army responsible for training aviation units , the 166th aviation brigade is the principal unit for training army reserve and army national guard assets preparing to deploy to contingencies around the world , which means it is responsible for 47 percent of all army aviation assets . the 166th aviation brigade partners with its first army - division west sister brigade , the 479th field artillery brigade for its combat aviation brigade ( cab ) mobilizations , but maintains validation authority , or final approval over a cab 's successful completion of mobilization training . the 166th aviation brigade inactivated at fort hood on 24 june 2015 . organization the 166th aviation brigade consists of eight battalions from five regiments . its headquarters and headquarters company is located at fort hood , its reserve component battalions are located at fort des moines , iowa , fort leavenworth , kansas , fort riley , kansas and jefferson barracks , missouri , and its active component battalions are located at fort riley , kansas , fort stewart , georgia , fort knox , kentucky and fort hood , texas . the 1st battalion , 291st aviation regiment is the brigade 's primary assault helicopter training unit , specializing in fast - attack helicopters such as the ah - 64 apache . the 2nd battalion , 291st aviation regiment is the brigade 's primary utility , lift , and air ambulance helicopter training unit , specializing in utility helicopters such as the uh - 60 black hawk and the ch - 47 chinook . the 1st battalion , 337th regiment ( training support ) specializes in mobilization and de - mobilization for aviation units . the remaining battalions , including the 1st battalion , 351st regiment ( training support ) , 3rd battalion , 382nd regiment ( logistics support ) , and the 1st , 2nd , and 3rd battalions of the 383rd regiment ( combat support / combat sustainment support ) specialize in areas of general instruction about other aspects of mobilization , conducting exercises , and logistics management . while its reserve component battalions have somewhat maintained their former mission of training national guard and army reserve units in iowa , kansas , nebraska , and missouri as they did before the brigade reflagged , they have shifted toward supporting the brigade 's primary mission - the mobilization of combat aviation brigades ( ) by either assisting with ground training , or training and evaluating the ' aviation support battalions . history the 166th aviation brigade was first constituted 16 september 1988 in the army reserve as headquarters , 166th aviation group . it took two years for the formation to be organized and the unit was finally activated on 16 september 1990 in germany . it received a distinctive unit insignia on 3 april 1991 . its headquarters was at . the formation was inactivated on 15 june 1997 in germany . over the next four months , the unit 's inactive components were reorganized and redesignated as a brigade sized unit , allowing it to take on a larger support staff that could command more soldiers . this transformation occurred as the brigade was reassigned to the continental united states . it was activated on 24 october 1997 as the 166th aviation brigade at fort riley , kansas . it was also activated into the active duty force . the brigade began to undertake training support duties for units in the process of mobilization and de - mobilization . it was also tasked to provide support for local authorities in the event of peacetime crises and natural disasters . soldiers of the brigade also participated in assistance with community projects around the fort riley community , including repairing and refurbishing run down properties for shelter house projects as well as disabled veterans . after two years of duty , the brigade was inactivated on 16 october 1999 at fort riley , kansas . as part of the army 's transformation plan , the 3rd brigade , 75th division was redesignated as the 166th aviation brigade , under the command of division west of the first army . its mission would be to train and mobilize aviation units of the army 's reserve and national guard components . it was to be the only brigade under the first army that specialized in training for army aviation units . it was activated 1 december 2006 as a reserve unit at fort riley . the brigade became a partner organization of the 1st infantry division , which was stationed at fort riley and could provide better support than the headquarters of first army division west , which was headquartered at fort carson , colorado and maintained units all over the western united states . the brigade received a shoulder sleeve insignia on 13 june 2007 , but it has not been authorized for wear due to first army policy requiring its units to wear its ssi . in the summer of 2008 , the brigade 's combat service / combat sustainment support battalions took part in equipment testing and training in rapid city , south dakota . it tested the agile remote control robot iv , a route clearance robot , with the assistance of the south dakota national guard . the bulk of the brigade spent the summer at fort sill , oklahoma to train aviation assets for deploying units . in june 2008 , the brigade trained the aviation assets of the 34th infantry division in air combat , air assault , and other tactics related to aviation . for this mission , the brigade was assisted by the 479th field artillery brigade , which handled ground exercises . as part of a new training routine , the brigade trained the 34th infantry division 's aviation units at fort rucker , spending a longer time training the unit because it continued to train the brigade as it mobilized and prepared to deploy . other units trained with the division , but none through the entire mobilization process . this process used new and never - before - used facilities to streamline training exercises . purportedly , it gave the 166th aviation brigade much additional time for training , as the streamlining process made some programs more efficient , cutting time needed to prepare for them in half . after extensive evaluation , the 166th aviation brigade completed training for the combat aviation brigade ( cab ) , 34th infantry division on 4 august 2008 . the brigade returned to fort riley for a month before beginning the process over again with pre - mobilization training of the cab , 28th infantry division , and returned to fort sill for post - mobilization training in late january 2008 . as part of a first army realignment of training support brigades , the department of the army approved a change of station for first army - division west and two of its training support brigades . the 166th aviation brigade moved to fort hood , texas on 15 july 2009 . the brigade 's active component battalions , all of which are aviation units , moved at a later date , most likely the summer 2010 ( with the exception of 1st battalion , 291st regiment , which was already located at the installation ) .the 166th aviation brigade inactivated at fort hood on 24 june 2015 . honors as the brigade has been in a training and supporting role for the army since its creation , the 166th aviation brigade has never been awarded a campaign streamer for campaign participation . it has also never been awarded a unit decoration .