Washington, D.C. –
The Department of the Army announced today the fall 2016 deployment of 1st Infantry Division headquarters from
Fort Riley, Kansas, with approximately 500 Soldiers to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Inf. Div., will assume the role of Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command-Iraq, replacing the
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). In that role, the division headquarters will provide command and control of coalition troops training, advising and assisting Iraqi Security Forces.
"Our ‘Big Red One’ Soldiers are well trained and ready to continue the tremendous support the 101st Airborne Division and the Coalition are providing to our Iraqi allies," said Maj. Gen. Joseph M. Martin, incoming commanding general of the 1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley. "We will assist in training Iraqi commanders, staffs, soldiers and police officers as they plan and conduct counter-ISIL operations in both the Tigris and Euphrates River valleys, with a central focus on the City of Mosul.
“The 1st Inf. Div. was founded in 1917 for duty in World War I; since then, the Big Red One has continued to be on point for the nation. In the division's 100th year of service, we are once again committed to protecting the United States and our allies."