More soldiers are coming to Columbus. What to know about added Fort Benning brigade
Two days after learning it wasn’t selected to house a new U.S. Army leadership headquarters, Fort Benning has announced it will add another brigade.
The Maneuver Center of Excellence is reactivating the 197th Infantry Brigade to meet the Army’s increased demand for infantry soldiers, the post adjacent to Columbus announced in a news release Friday.
More than 500 personnel are expected to be added at Fort Benning when the 197th Infantry Brigade is reactivated this summer. The V Corps Headquarters, which is headed for Fort Knox in Kentucky, is expected to have approximately 635 soldiers. Fort Benning was a finalist.
“Being one of the final three validates our installation and our relationship with the surrounding community,” Maj. Gen. Gary Brito, commander of the Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning, said in the news release. “Our mission hasn’t changed; we will continue to provide trained and combat-ready soldiers and leaders to the Maneuver Force. We are the center of gravity in the Army for producing these soldiers, and to meet the Army’s training load, we are growing by one brigade this summer.”
This story was originally published February 14, 2020 at 3:54 PM.
