82nd Airborne Tapped for Afghan Surge

The first troops for last year's U.S. "surge" in Iraq came from the Fort Bragg, N.C.-based 82nd Airborne Division, and now the storied unit is among the first to be tapped for a similar buildup in Afghanistan next year.

The Pentagon announced Monday that the 2,800 soldiers of the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade and their helicopters would be sent there this spring.

The news came just two days after the nation's highest-ranking military officer said that the United States may nearly double the number of troops in Afghanistan by the middle of next year. Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a news conference in Kabul that an additional 30,000 troops could be sent to boost forces there.

U.S. military leaders in Afghanistan had asked for at least 20,000 more troops to help battle Taliban fighters, who have been increasing the number of attacks around the country. U.S. troops and their Afghan and British allies quickly defeated the Taliban and al-Qaida in a war that began in October 2001 in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In recent months, though, violence has increased, particularly in the areas where U.S. commanders want to put most of the reinforcements -- around Kabul and in southern provinces.

The first combat brigade to be sent will come from the New York-based 10th Mountain Division and is expected to arrive in January, said Lt. Col. Lee Paknett, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon.

That unit and the Bragg brigade are the only ones identified so far as part of the coming buildup, he said.

Lt. Col. Clarence Counts, a spokesman for the 82nd, said it was something of an honor to be picked to lead the way in both buildups.

It may have simply reflected that the unit was available, but it also says something about the division's reputation.

"Obviously we're number one on the Christmas list," Counts said.

Helicopters are particularly important in Afghanistan, where the rugged terrain makes moving by land slow and difficult.

The Bragg unit flies Black Hawk multi-purpose, Kiowa reconnaissance, Chinook transport and Apache attack helicopters, as well as the medevac version of the Black Hawk.