278th Cavalry Regiment Continues Transformation to a Mobile Brigade Combat Team

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Last May, it was announced that the Tennessee Army National Guard's 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment was selected as one of three National Guard units to reorganize into a Mobile Brigade Combat Team, aligning with the U.S. Army's new transformation initiatives. Since then, the 278th has begun its rapid conversion from an Armored Brigade Combat Team to a Mobile Brigade Combat Team, a lighter, faster, and more lethal unit.

"Over the last few months, we have been making great strides transforming our formations," said Brig. Gen. Steven Turner, Tennessee's Assistant Adjutant General-Army. "As one the first National Guard brigades to convert, we are at the cutting edge of evolving warfare as we improve our organization so that we're ready to meet today's evolving threats."

An MBCT, which is an enhanced Infantry Brigade Combat Team, is a combat structure with new capabilities that emphasize dispersed, fast-moving operations and integrating new and evolving technologies and systems such as the Infantry Squad Vehicle, Unmanned Aerial Systems, extended-range precision weapons, and Electronic Warfare systems.

As the transformation occurs, the 278th is updating its equipment and vehicles, learning new skills and how to use that equipment, and reorganizing to meet the new structure.

The 278th, which reorganized to its current configuration in 2018, consisted primarily of M1 Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles in six squadrons: three armored, one support, one field artillery, and one engineering squadron comprising more than 3,500 Soldiers. The new MBCT is organized with three infantry battalions plus an additional multi-purpose company added to each battalion and one multi-functional reconnaissance company added to the brigade. The brigade is much leaner and more efficient with roughly 1,900 Soldiers.

The Regiment's headquarters is in Knoxville with battalion headquarters in Cookeville, Henderson, and Lebanon. Other armories involved in this new formation include Clarksville, Clinton, Crossville, Gallatin, Gordonsville, Livingston, Memphis, Milan, Morrison, Selmer, Smyrna, and Springfield.

"The former Regimental Soldiers not a part of the new MBCT will also be transitioning to new units within the Tennessee National Guard," said Turner. "Some of them include the 1-115th Field Artillery Regiment headquartered in Winchester, the 1-109th Cavalry Regiment headquartered in Mt. Carmel, and the 473rd Support Battalion in Columbia, which will continue to provide sustainment support to the new MBCT. Currently, these units will still fall under the command and control of the 278th."

As a new infantry unit, the 278th has begun receiving and training on new vehicles like the Infantry Squad Vehicle which allows infantrymen to move faster and farther with all their equipment, reach objectives quicker, and makes Soldiers more flexible and agile on the battlefield. The nine-passenger ISV is built by GM Defense and based on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 platform. It is versatile, ultra-light, and can easily be air-dropped onto the battlefield or sling-loaded by helicopter.

Soldiers have also started training on new Unmanned Aerial Systems, learning to operate multiple airframes and becoming experts in UAS operations so that they can continuously evolve as these systems improve.

"Our Soldiers are at the cutting edge of evolving warfare technology," said Turner. "We are more flexible and ever evolving to maintain our combat prowess."

Another big change is that Soldiers have begun transitioning from armored crewmen to infantrymen, training and qualifying in their new Military Occupational Specialty. Soldiers enlisting and commissioning in the Tennessee National Guard now have many opportunities to start careers as infantryman throughout Tennessee. Guardsmen have already started attending infantry transition courses to begin training on their new missions and learning how to integrate and fight with these new vehicles and systems.

"The 278th has a strong infantry history and heritage, going back to when the unit was first organized in 1887 as the 3rd Tennessee Infantry," said Turner. "They were later renamed the 117th Infantry Regiment which helped break the Hindenburg line in World War I and then the Sigfried Line in World War II. During the 1950s, it was renamed the 278th Infantry Regimental Combat Team. In the 1970s the unit transitioned to be a Cavalry Regiment."

Even though the unit has a long and distinguished history as infantry, unit leaders choose to honor their recent cavalry tradition by keeping their name, only slightly modifying it from the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment to the 278th Cavalry Regiment (MBCT).

"We are incredibly excited and proud as we make this transition," said Turner. "This new unit is not only cutting edge, but also more cost-effective while being able to deploy faster and respond to disasters and emergencies throughout our state. This will greatly increase our overall flexibility and readiness."

When the 278th completes its reorganization, it will be able to increase the use of training areas and facilities within Tennessee, instead of traveling to other states. This will maximize training time and opportunities, better utilize resources, and allow Soldiers to be in closer proximity to their hometowns. Thus, increasing the unit's ability to recruit new Soldiers. These changes will also improve response times for both domestic support missions and federal deployments.

Over the next year and a half, the Soldiers will continue to become fully trained infantrymen and focus on receiving, and learning to operate, their new ISVs, UASs, and various other systems to better serve the state of Tennessee and fight and win our nation's wars.