The 159th Combat Aviation Brigade oval, technically designated as Airborne background trimming, was approved on 5 November 1997. Its wear is authorized only for Brigade members who earned a Parachutist or Air Assault badge, which is placed atop the insignia with the main portion of the badge centered on it.
The most current regulations (DA PAM 670-1, January 2021) authorize the wear of the oval-badge combination on AGSU and ASU coats, the Class B ASU shirt, and blue or green Army Maternity Tunics (female Soldiers only). Rules regarding the number and placement of badges, with or without ovals, vary between these authorized uniforms; detailed instructions on the number, type, and positioning of Skill badges like these is found in
subsection (b), Chapter 22-16 of DA PAM 670-1.
Originally constituted as HQ and HQ Company, 159th Aviation Group in the Regular Army on 16 October 1002, the unit was subsequently reorganized as a Brigade and redesignated in June 1998 as HQ and HQ Company, 159th Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. It underwent one more reorganization on 16 September 2004 when it was given its final designation of HQ and HQ Company, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), 101st Airborne Division.
Although the last update (2014) of the Brigade’s Lineage and History lists its campaign credits for the War on Terrorism as yet to be determined, the unit deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan on several times between the launch of the war in 2003 and 2013. According to the with its noteworthy service being recognized with a total of four Meritorious Unit Commendations, two for tours in Iraq in 2003 and 2005-2006 and two for service in Afghanistan in 2008-2009 and 2011-2012.
The 159th Combat Aviation Brigade was inactivated on 15 May 2015.