The 35th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was transferred to Fort Meade (Maryland) during 1950 to provide anti-aircraft protection to the District of Columbia and coordinate the defense of other East coast cities.
The unit during 1957 was honored with becoming the initial Nike Ajax guided missile command. Nike Ajax was the U.S. Army’s first surface-to-air missile system. Its original design was to engage aircraft with bombing capabilities at altitudes 50,000 feet and higher.
The next year, when the upgraded Hercules system was established, the 35th Artillery Brigade (Air Defense) helped execute the switch at Davidsonville, Maryland.
Nike Ajax was implemented at major cities and along the coast lines to give the U.S. a missile defense against bombers from the former Soviet Union. The system was later utilized to protect U.S. bases in foreign theaters of conflict.
With Vietnam winding down, the 35th was deactivated June 4, 1973. Twelve years later, the unit on June 1, 1985, was rekindled as the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade (ADAB). Stationed at Fort Lewis (Washington), it was the U.S. Army’s first Corps Air Defense Artillery Brigade.ff
The brigade’s 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment played a role in Operation Desert Storm and troops from the brigade also saw action in Southwest Asia during 2003.
The 35th ADAB during 2004 was transferred to South Korea’s Osan Air Base, about 48 miles from the Demilitarized Zone. The move included about 1,200 troopers and eight firing batteries.
The Unit Patch is highlighted by yellow mountains with three peaks, representing Air Defense Artillery units and a rising missile. It was commissioned on February 13, 1985.
Related Items
35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)
35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB)