1st ID HQ Will Deploy to Iraq

United States Army 1^st Infantry Division (‘Big Red One’) headquarters will deploy to Iraq in the coming weeks to take command and control of the expanding American military presence in the country to advise and assist Iraqi and Peshmerga forces. Army Major General Paul Funk will command the headquarters in Iraq.

The Big Red One, of Fort Riley, Kansas, will be the first division headquarters to deploy to Iraq since the U.S. withdrawal in 2011. About 500 soldiers will be assigned to the headquarters, in addition to about 1,600 troops already deployed to Iraq. Of these, some 200 U.S. soldiers are assigned to joint operations centers in Baghdad and Erbil, as well as the Ministry of Defense. (Army Times, 25 September)

Photo: Big Red One patch