A Brief History of the 173rd Light Support Battalion
The 173rd Light Support Battalion traces its origins back to March 26, 1963, when it was initially constituted in the Regular Army as the 173rd Support Battalion and assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Okinawa. Earning the nickname "Sky Soldiers" alongside the rest of the brigade, the battalion provided essential logistical support throughout the Pacific. In May 1965, the battalion deployed to Vietnam, where it sustained the brigade through more than six years of continuous combat operations. After a distinguished record of service in Southeast Asia, the unit was relieved from its assignment to the brigade and officially deactivated on January 14, 1972.
Reactivation and Global War on Terrorism
Decades later, the need for a highly mobile logistics element led to the unit's reactivation in March 2005, formed by combining elements based in Germany and Italy. Immediately thrust into the Global War on Terrorism, the battalion deployed to Afghanistan to support Combined Task Force Bayonet. In September 2006, the unit was redesignated as the 173rd Brigade Support Battalion (BSB) as part of the broader transformation of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Over the next decade, the BSB completed four major combat deployments to Afghanistan (in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2012) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During these extensive tours, the battalion successfully managed the monumental tasks of manning, arming, fueling, fixing, and sustaining thousands of coalition forces across hostile regions like Logar and Wardak provinces, eventually returning to its new home at Caserma Del Din in Vicenza, Italy, in 2013.
Current Organization and Mobile Transformation
Today, the unit operates as the 173rd Light Support Battalion (LSB), following the 173rd Airborne Brigade's historic October 2025 transformation into a Mobile Brigade Combat Team (MBCT). Headquartered in Vicenza, Italy, the battalion serves as the logistical backbone for the U.S. Army’s Contingency Response Force in Europe. The LSB is composed of roughly 475 paratroopers organized into a headquarters and headquarters company (HHC), alongside specialized supply, maintenance, medical, and parachute rigging companies, as well as an aerial delivery detachment. By conducting constant multinational training and maintaining rigorous readiness, the personnel of the 173rd LSB ensure that the Sky Soldiers remain equipped and sustained for rapid deployment anywhere within the European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility.