The 172nd Infantry Brigade holds a distinctive place in U.S. Army history for its long tenure in Alaska and its notable period as an Airborne unit. Reactivated in 1956 at Fort Richardson, Alaska, the brigade was soon reorganized as the 172nd Infantry Brigade (Airborne), reflecting the Army’s intent to maintain a highly mobile, cold-weather-capable force in a strategically vital region during the Cold War. Paratroopers of the 172nd conducted airborne operations in subzero temperatures, honing specialized skills in Arctic insertion, survival, and maneuver that few other units in the Army could match. Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, the brigade conducted frequent airborne training jumps, cold-weather field exercises, and joint missions with other Arctic and airborne elements, establishing itself as a rapid-response force uniquely adapted to the harsh Alaskan environment.
By the late 1960s, the brigade transitioned from its airborne configuration but remained a light infantry formation, continuing to serve as one of the Army’s premier cold-weather units. From Fort Richardson and Fort Wainwright, the 172nd played a key role in developing and refining U.S. Arctic warfare doctrine. Its soldiers routinely trained in remote mountainous terrain, deep snow, and temperatures dropping well below zero, making the brigade a cornerstone of U.S. defense planning in the northern Pacific and Arctic regions. Over the decades, the brigade supported missions across the Pacific, reinforced U.S. commitments in Korea, and participated in multinational cold-weather training exercises. The unit’s identity—shaped by airborne origins and Arctic expertise—became synonymous with readiness for both rapid deployment and extreme environmental operations.
In the early 2000s, as part of the Army’s modular transformation, the 172nd was reorganized into a Stryker brigade combat team and deployed to Iraq in 2005–2006, a deployment that became one of the longest continuous combat tours of the war. Shortly after returning from the extended mission, the brigade was inactivated in 2006, concluding nearly half a century of service in Alaska. Although later reactivated in Germany from 2008 to 2013, the unit’s historical identity remains tied to its Alaskan years—especially its tenure as an Airborne brigade, when its paratroopers helped shape the Army’s understanding of Arctic mobility, airborne operations in extreme conditions, and the unique demands of northern warfare.