Originally called the 10th Infantry Division Trains, the 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade was active under that designation for only one year (1957-1958) before undergoing a nearly 27-year period of inactivation, mirroring the same inactive period of the 10th Mountain Division with which it is closely associated. In 1985, it was revived as the 10th Infantry Division Support Command, or DISCOM. Units from 10th DISCOM were deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq. hroughout the 1990s, 10th DISCOM also provided support for numerous humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts, including missions in Haiti, Somalia, Bosnia, and Kosovo.
From 2001 onward, units from 10th DISCOM made repeated deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan; during that time, the unit was redesignated as the 10th Support Brigade and eventually the 10th Sustainment Brigade. It was under the last designation that the brigade was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its performance in Afghanistan between October 2011 and December 2012, which noted that the brigade had “operated in six regional commands, distributed over 140 Forward Operating Bases throughout the Combined Joint Operations Area-Afghanistan while simultaneously providing logistics mentorship to Afghan National Army Corps Support and Garrison Support Battalions.” It was finally redesignated as HQ and Special Troops Battalion, 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade in 2015.
The Brigade’s association with the 10th Mountain Division which it supports can be seen in the design of its CSIB, or Combat Service Identification Badge. The white mountain seen here also appears in the 10th Mountain’s Distinctive Unit Insignia, or unit crest: the crossed bayonets appear in 10th Mountain’s Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, or SSI (note that CSIBs are almost always based on SSIs). A polestar with four points of a compass rose indicate the worldwide scope of the 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade’s missions involving transportation, supplies, and medical delivery. The crossed bayonets form the Roman numeral X, indicating the unit’s numerical designation. The brigade’s motto, “Supporting the Climb,” is found on its unit crest, which is officially known as a Distinctive Unit Insignia.
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