The 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team is the largest formation of the Idaho Army National Guard. It is headquartered at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. It has been reorganized into an Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) but remains the only unit to be designated a "Cavalry Brigade Combat Team" by special appointment of the US Army. The 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team has units located throughout Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Nevada. It was reorganized into a heavy armor brigade in 1989. Often referred to as the Snake River Brigade and formerly known as the 116th Armored Cavalry Regiment, the unit includes about 3,000 citizen-soldiers from Idaho.
In July 2016, the 116th CBCT took part in Exercise Saber Guardian, which involve deploying troop elements from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Canada, Georgia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and the U.S.National Guard brigade undertakes unprecedented logistics effort for Saber Guardian In May 2025, the Pentagon announced that the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team will convert to a Mobile Brigade Combat Team.
There are Seven Battalions (Three Cavalry Battalions, One Infantry Battalion, One Field Artillery Battalion, One Engineer Battalion and One Support Battalion) and a Headquarters and Headquarters Company.Units of the 116Th CBCT are located in Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Montana.
Organization 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, at Gowen Field (ID) Headquarters and Headquarters Company,116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, at Gowen Field (ID) 1st Squadron,221st Cavalry Regiment, in North Las Vegas (NV) (Nevada Army National Guard) Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry Regiment, in North Las Vegas (NV) Troop A, 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry Regiment, in North Las Vegas (NV) Troop B, 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry Regiment, in North Las Vegas (NV) Troop C, 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry Regiment, in North Las Vegas (NV) Troop D (Tank), 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry Regiment, in North Las Vegas (NV) 2nd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, in Caldwell (ID) Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, in Caldwell (ID) Company A (Tank), 2nd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, in Nampa (ID) Company B (Tank), 2nd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, in Nampa (ID) Company C, 2nd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, in Emmett (ID) 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, in La Grande (OR) (Oregon Army National Guard) Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, in La Grande (OR) Detachment 1, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, in Milton-Freewater (OR) Company A (Tank), 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, in Ontario (OR) Company B (Tank), 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, in Hermiston (OR) Company C (Rifle), 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, in Woodburn (OR) 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment, in Belgrade (MT) (Montana Army National Guard) Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment, in Belgrade (MT) Company A, 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment, in Billings (MT) Detachment 1, Company A, 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment, in Belgrade (MT) Company B, 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment, in Missoula (MT) Detachment 1, Company B, 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment, in Kalispell (MT) Company C (Tank), 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment, in Great Falls (MT) 1st Battalion, 148th Field Artillery Regiment, in Pocatello (ID) Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 148th Field Artillery Regiment, in Pocatello (ID) Detachment 4, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 148th Field Artillery Regiment, in North Las Vegas (NV) (Nevada Army National Guard) Battery A, 1st Battalion, 148th Field Artillery Regiment, in Blackfoot (ID) Detachment 1, Battery A, 1st Battalion, 148th Field Artillery Regiment, in Preston (ID) Battery B, 1st Battalion, 148th Field Artillery Regiment, in Rexburg (ID) Detachment 1, Battery B, 1st Battalion, 148th Field Artillery Regiment, in St. Anthony (ID) Battery C, 1st Battalion, 148th Field Artillery Regiment, in Burley (ID) 116th Brigade Engineer Battalion, in Twin Falls (ID) Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 116th Brigade Engineer Battalion, in Twin Falls (ID) Company A (Combat Engineer), 116th Brigade Engineer Battalion, in Mountain Home (ID) Detachment 1, Company A (Combat Engineer), 116th Brigade Engineer Battalion, in Gooding (ID) Company B (Engineer Support), 116th Brigade Engineer Battalion, in Moscow (ID) Detachment 1, Company B (Engineer Support), 116th Brigade Engineer Battalion, in Grangeville (ID) Detachment 2, Company B (Engineer Support), 116th Brigade Engineer Battalion, in Orofino (ID) Company C (Signal), 116th Brigade Engineer Battalion, in Boise (ID) Company D (Military Intelligence), 116th Brigade Engineer Battalion, in Boise (ID) 145th Brigade Support Battalion, in Lewiston (ID) Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 145th Brigade Support Battalion, in Lewiston (ID) Company A (Distribution), 145th Brigade Support Battalion, in Post Falls (ID) Company B (Maintenance), 145th Brigade Support Battalion, in Post Falls (ID) Company C (Medical), 145th Brigade Support Battalion, at Gowen Field (ID) Company D (Forward Support), 145th Brigade Support Battalion, in North Las Vegas (NV) — attached to 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry Regiment (Nevada Army National Guard) Company E (Forward Support), 145th Brigade Support Battalion, in Jerome (ID) — attached to 116th Brigade Engineer Battalion Company F (Forward Support), 145th Brigade Support Battalion, in Idaho Falls (ID) — attached to 1st Battalion, 148th Field Artillery Regiment Company G (Forward Support), 145th Brigade Support Battalion, at Gowen Field (ID) — attached to 2nd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment Detachment 1, Company G (Forward Support), 145th Brigade Support Battalion, in Rigby (ID) Company H (Forward Support), 145th Brigade Support Battalion, in Baker City (OR) — attached to 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment (Oregon Army National Guard) Detachment 1, Company H (Forward Support), 145th Brigade Support Battalion, in La Grande (OR) Company I (Forward Support), 145th Brigade Support Battalion, at Fort William Henry Harrison (MT) — attached to 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment (Montana Army National Guard) Detachment 1, Company I (Forward Support), 145th Brigade Support Battalion, in Livingston (MT)
History
The 116th Cavalry Regiment was constituted in the National Guard in 1921, assigned to the 24th Cavalry Division, and allotted to the states of Idaho and Utah. The regimental headquarters was organized on 1 May 1922 at Boise, Idaho, by redesignation of headquarters, 1st Regiment, Idaho Cavalry. (organized and federally recognized on 29 October 1920 at Boise) as the 116th Cavalry. Subordinate squadron headquarters were organized and federally recognized as follows: 2nd Squadron organized on 1 January 1922 at Salt Lake City, Utah, from the 1st Squadron, 1st Regiment, Utah Cavalry; 1st Squadron organized on 1 May 1922 at Pocatello, Idaho, from the 1st Squadron, 1st Regiment, Idaho Cavalry. The 2nd Squadron was converted and reorganized as the 1st Battalion, 222nd Field Artillery Regiment, on 29 September 1924. Concurrently, the 2nd Squadron, 116th Cavalry, was withdrawn from the state of Utah and allotted to the state of Idaho, but not immediately reorganized.
The 116th Cavalry was reorganized on 15 March 1929 as a three-squadron regiment. Concurrently, the regimental headquarters was relocated to Weiser, Idaho, and the 2nd Squadron was organized with headquarters at Caldwell, Idaho. A new 3rd Squadron was organized on 26 April 1929 with headquarters at Weiser. The regimental headquarters was relocated on 9 December 1930 to Boise. The 2nd Squadron performed martial law duties to counter striking miners in the Clearwater National Forest near Pierce, Idaho, from 3–23 August 1936. The regiment conducted summer training at Boise Barracks, Idaho, from 1921–35, and at Camp Bonneville, Idaho, from 1936–39. It was relieved on 16 September 1940 from the 24th Cavalry Division on 16 September 1940 and concurrently converted and redesignated the 183d Field Artillery Regiment.
The 183rd Field Artillery was inducted into federal service on 1 April 1941 at home stations. The regiment was broken up on 8 February 1943 and its elements were reorganized and redesignated as follows: Headquarters and Headquarters Battery as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 183rd Field Artillery Group; the 1st Battalion as the 183rd Field Artillery Battalion (inactivated on 30 October 1944, Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts); the 2nd Battalion as the 951st Field Artillery Battalion (iinactivated on 13 October 1945 also at Camp Myles Standish).
The above units were reorganized as elements of the 183rd Infantry (Headquarters was federally recognized on 10 January 1947 at Twin Falls) and the 116th Mechanized Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Headquarters was federally recognized on 8 January 1947 at Caldwell). The 183rd Infantry (less 3rd Battalion) and 116th Mechanized Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron were consolidated, reorganized, and redesignated on 12 September 1949 as the 116th Armored Cavalry with headquarters at Twin Falls. The 3rd Battalion, 183rd Infantry, was concurrently converted and redesignated as the 116th Engineer Combat Battalion—hereafter separate lineage. The 3rd Squadron was allotted on 15 December 1967 to the Nevada Army National Guard; it was relieved on 11 May 1974 from allotment to the Nevada Army National Guard and allotted to the Oregon Army National Guard. The 1st Squadron was relieved on 1 May 1977 from allotment to the Idaho Army National Guard. The Attack Helicopter Company was allotted on 1 September 1975 to the Washington and Wyoming Army National Guard. The 116th was one of the four Army National Guard armored cavalry regiments during the 1980s, along with the 107th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 163rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment.
The unit reorganized and was redesignated on 1 September 1989 in the Idaho and Oregon Army National Guard as the 116th Cavalry, a parent regiment under the United States Army Regiment System, to consist of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions and Troop E, elements of the 116th Cavalry Brigade, and Troop F, and element of the 41st Infantry Brigade. The 116th Cavalry Brigade then joined the 4th Infantry Division as the roundout brigade. It was reorganized on 1 October 1995 to consist of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, elements of the 116th Cavalry Brigade and in 1996 the brigade left the 4th Infantry Division.
Operation JOINT FORGE (SFOR XI) Approximately 300 Idaho and Montana Army National Guardsmen and women of the 116th served in Bosnia in 2001 and 2002. The 116th Cavalry Brigade, headquartered at Gowen Field, deployed approximately 100 soldiers in March 2002, returning in October 2002. The 116th was under the command and control of the Army's 25th Infantry Division, Hawaii, during the deployment. The 91st Division (Training Support) trained the 116th Cavalry Brigade prior to its deployment to Bosnia for Stabilization Force 11.
Operation Iraqi Freedom III In the early part of 2004 the 116th Cavalry Brigade was alerted for a mobilization to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. In June that year the entire brigade deployed for 18 months. The brigade spent the first six months at Fort Bliss, TX and Fort Polk, LA training for their combat mission.