History

The Division Sustainment Troops Battalion (DSTB), currently stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia, traces its lineage back to the 3rd Infantry Division Support Command (DISCOM), activated at Fort Benning in 1968. It has since deployed globally, providing logistical and operational support for the 3rd Infantry Division, including Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Lineage and Reorganization

1957: Constituted in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 3rd Infantry Division Trains.

1968: Reorganized and redesigned as Headquarters and Headquarters Company and Band, 3rd Infantry Division Support Command (DISCOM).

1972: Relocated to West Germany to provide continuous support for the 3rd Infantry Division during the Cold War.

1996: Returned to Fort Stewart, Georgia.

2006: Redesignated as the Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade.

Modern Era: 

The battalion evolved into the Division Sustainment Troops Battalion, tasked with maintaining the internal operational readiness, communications, and logistical support specifically for the 3rd Division Sustainment Brigade.

Operational History

The Division Sustainment Troops Battalion (DSTB)—previously designated as the Special Troops Battalion (STB)—has played an essential role in the 3rd Infantry Division's major post-9/11 combat actions, ensuring fuel, ammunition, communications, and security kept pace with rapid maneuvers.

Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) The battalion deployed to Iraq four separate times, managing massive regional supply networks.

OIF I (2003 Invasion): 

Deployed initially from Kuwait. The unit provided crucial mobile logistical support to the 3rd Infantry Division's rapid spearhead up the Euphrates River Valley. They kept supply lines fluid during the capture of Baghdad and the famous "Thunder Runs," earning a Presidential Unit Citation for their performance under combat conditions.

OIF Rotations (2004, 2007, 2010): 

The battalion returned to Iraq repeatedly to manage sprawling sustainment and multinational distribution lines. During the 2007 troop surge, they were based around Baghdad and Forward Operating Base Q-West, providing support to joint and coalition forces. In 2010, they handled the complex logistical drawdown during the transition to Operation New Dawn.

Afghanistan

Operation Enduring Freedom & Resolute Support  The battalion completed two major deployments to Afghanistan, shifting from active combat support to historic drawdown operations.

2012–2013 Deployment:

Operating out of Kandahar Airfield, the battalion took responsibility for logistics across three different regional commands. This marked the first time the unit deployed to Afghanistan, managing theater-wide supply points.

2017–2018 Deployment: 

The Headquarters and Special Troops Battalion cased their colors at Fort Stewart and deployed to Bagram Airfield in October 2017. Serving as the core of the 3rd Infantry Division Resolute Support Sustainment Brigade, they oversaw all logistics in the Combined Joint Operations Area - Afghanistan (CJOA-A). Within their first 100 days, the unit pushed out over 20 million gallons of fuel and $100 million worth of ammunition across the country. Over their full rotations, they actively dismantled and facilitated the official closure of 61 forward operating bases.

Modern Theater Support

(Kuwait & Humanitarian Airlifts)

2021 Deployment: The unit deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, serving as the Theater Sustainment Brigade.

Operation Allies Refuge: During this tour, they established a critical tactical command post at Camp As Saliyah, Qatar. They built a massive tracking and housing capacity to safely process and transition thousands of Afghan evacuees during the largest humanitarian airlift in U.S. history.