Constituted September 1979 as an element of III Corps, the 3rd Signal Brigade was deployed in its entirety only once during its 29-year history. In January, 2004, the 3rd Signal Brigade was sent Iraq to provide support for III Corps as it assumed the duties of Headquarters Multi-National Corps - Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom II. After just under a year overseas, the brigade turned over the operation of the theater's communications to the 35th Signal Brigade (the largest signals unit in the world).
But elements of the 3rd Signal Brigade had seen action in the Southwest Asia theater more than ten years earlier, when they were attached to the 35th Signal Brigade. Their deployment was part of Operation Shield and the subsequent Operation Desert Storm; with the astonishingly quick conclusion to the intervention, the Brigade was returned to its home base in Fort Hood, Texas in 2004 (Fort Hood was renamed Fort Cavazos in May 2023).
In 2008, the unit was deactivated as part of the transformation of the U.S. Army, which emphasized a modular force structure.
Orange and white, colors of the Signal Corps, dominate the 3rd Signal Brigade's CSIB (Combat Service Identification Badge). The star in the center has a dual meaning: it represents the "Lone Star State" of Texas, where the unit was activated, and it is also symbolic of guidance and success. Three lightning flashes surround the star stand for the speed of modern communications (they also represent the brigade's numerical designation). In the Unit Crest for the 3rd Signal Brigade, these flashes are stylized and represent the unit's triple-threat capability of MSE (Mobile Subscriber Equipment), TACSAT (Tactical Satellite), and TROPO (Tropospheric Scatter or Troposcatter), reinforcing the unit's motto and nickname of "Triple Threat."
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3rd Signal Brigade Patch (SSI)
3rd Signal Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)