81st Heavy Brigade Combat Team (United States)

81st Brigade Combat Team
Shoulder sleeve insignia
Active	1917 – present
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Stryker
Size	Brigade
Part of	Washington Army National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Seattle, Washington
Nickname(s)	Washington Rifles
Mascot(s)	Raven
Engagements	Operation Iraqi Freedom
Commanders
Current commander	COL Bryan Grenon
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia

The 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team is a modular brigade of the United States Army National Guard based in Washington, Oregon and California and is subordinate to the 7th Infantry Division. On July 9, 2015 it was announced that the 81st Brigade would convert from being an Armored BCT to Stryker BCT. In September of 2016 the 81st Brigade began the transition to a Stryker Brigade Combat Team. On 3 December, 2016 the 81st Brigade became part of the 2nd Infantry Division.

The brigade contains six battalions and a Headquarters and Headquarters Company. It assumed its current organizational structure as of July 9th, 2015, when the 81st Brigade converted from a Mechanized to a Stryker Brigade and some units are attached to 2nd Infantry division which includes the 1-185 Infantry.

The brigade normally conducts its annual training at the Yakima Training Center, near Yakima, Washington.

The 81st Infantry Brigade was constituted as part of the 41st Infantry Division on 1 April 1917, consisting of the 161st and 162nd Infantry Regiments. The 41st deployed to France, but was designated a replacement division, with its infantry components sent to the 1st, 2nd, 32nd and 42nd Infantry Divisions.

Between the wars, the brigade joined the rest of the division in the Pacific Northwest, the headquarters moving with the home of the current brigade commander.

In January 1942, the 41st Infantry Division was reorganized from a two-brigade, four-regiment structure to a three-regiment structure with no brigade echelon. The 81st ceased to exist and its two component regiments split up. The 161st went to the 25th Infantry Division while the 162nd remained in the 41st Infantry Division, where they both saw extensive combat.