The 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division was originally constituted in July 1968 as the Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), 4th Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. But December 15, 1969 marked the beginning of a thirty-six-year period of inactivation for the Brigade that was finally brought to an end on 16 June 2006 when the Brigade’s Headquarters—but not its Headquarters Company—was redesignated for the 82nd Airborne Division’s newest major subordinate unit, 4th Brigade Combat Team (4th BCT). The former Brigade’s HQ Company, on the other hand, was reorganized and redesignated as the 4th BCT’s Special Troops Battalion.
In late September 2006, a little over three months after activation at Fort Bragg (now known as Fort LIberty), the 4th BCT began deploying for a year-long tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom that was eventually extended by three months. Its outstanding service during this period was recognized with a Meritorious Unit Commendation issued in 2010, the first of two the Brigade would be awarded during its surprisingly short service life (the second was issued in 2013 for service between August 2009 – August 2010).
During May – September 2012, the Brigade was deployed to Kandahar Province in Afghanistan, and during a five-month operations seriously crippled the Taliban forces vying for control of the region. For its courage and bravery under fire, the Brigade was tapped for a Valorous Unit Award, but arguably even more impressive is that the Brigade was selected as the Army’s first-ever Security Force Assistance Brigade, or SFAB, specifically chosen for its proven ability to advise, train, assist its Afghan partner forces. Since November 2018, SFAB personnel and those serving in the Security Force Assistance Command are issued brown berets as organizational-wear items.
In 2013, the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division was inactivated.