US ARMY FUNCTIONAL BRIGADES

US ARMY FUNCTIONAL BRIGADES

ORGANIZATIONAL FLAGS & GUIDONS

Images Added May 2014

Headquarters Element Guidons

Notes

The Army's reorganization program classifies brigades as either modular or functional. Modular brigades are designed to be the building blocks of UEx combat formations: division-sized forces containing two to four combat brigades. Functional brigades find their place at the next-higher echelon of command, typically a theater of operations. These brigades are combat support or combat service support units and most of them are branch oriented: aviation, air defense artillery, chemical, engineer, military police, medical, signal, etc. Functional brigades may operate under either the theater command directly or under a TOE numbered command. For example, a numbered military police command may control two or three military police brigades. Sustainment brigades at this echelon of command are subordinate to numbered sustainment commands and most of them are former transportation and support brigades. The colors of the shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) of the 7th Sustainment Brigade (former 7th Transportation Brigade) reflects this legacy: brick red and golden yellow are the branch colors of the Transportation Corps. The 185th Aviation Brigade is a unit of the Mississippi Army National Guard. The 31st Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear (CBRN) Brigade is a unit of the Alabama Army National Guard descended from the 31st Infantry Division—the Dixie Division— whose SSI it continues to use.

Organizational flags for functional brigades are vertically divided, with the hoist stripe in the first-named branch color and the fly stripe in the second-named branch color. Dimensions are 3 feet at the hoist by 4 feet on the fly with 2 1/2-inch yellow fringe. They are made of heavyweight rayon banner cloth with insignia applied to appear properly on both sides of the flag. The brigade's shoulder sleeve insignia in proper colors is centered on the flag. Campaign and unit decoration streamers, if authorized, are always displayed with these flags.