The 402nd Army Field Support Brigade was originally slated for activation in October 2006 at Fort Shafter in Hawaii, but the changing mission demands of Operation Iraqi Freedom led to the Brigade being activated at Balad Air Base in Iraq. The Brigade was formed from Logistics Support Element-Iraq, which had been created at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
While serving in Iraq, the Brigade provided support to Army Central, assuming responsibility for Army Field Support Battalions in Kuwait and Qatar and the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program to ensure full support for CENTCOM’s theater-level operations. In 2015, the Brigade finally relocated to its originally intended home at Fort Shafter, where its two Army Field Support Battalions (one each in Alaska and Hawaii) provide direct support to U.S. Army Pacific forces in the U.S. Pacific Command area of responsibility.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The 402nd Army Field Support Brigade Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI), or unit crest, was approved on 11 December 2006 and, according to The Institute of Heraldry, was originally designated for the 402nd Support Brigade. The red, white, and blue background used for the shield in the center of the insignia represents Army Materiel Command, the Brigade’s parent command that provides required assets for readiness.
An upright sword denotes the Brigade’s capabilities at project logistical power into the battle space, and the globe symbolizes the unit’s ability to deploy forward in support of world wide missions, reiterated by the seven stars representing the seven continents. A lightning bolt represents how quickly the Brigade incorporates new technologies and logistical techniques onto a battlefield. “Readiness Power Forward” reflects the courage and valor the Brigade brings to the battlefield and which binds the unit together in its role as a force multiplier.Distinctive Unit Insignias are worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. It is worn centered on the shoulder loops of the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) and the blue Army Service Uniform (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. Current regulations do not permit the DUI to be worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
More guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1, Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia" and 21–3(d) and (e), "Beret" and "Garrison Cap," respectively.Related Items402nd Army Field Support Brigade Patch (SSI)