Under the bright lights inside Buckner Physical Fitness Center on Fort Richardson Army Post Oct. 27, the U.S. Army Alaska introduced the newly established 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.

Soldiers reveal the colors of the 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade's Headquarters and Headquarters Company during a ceremony for the brigade's activation Oct. 27. It is one of three such new brigades in the country to be activated. PHOTO BY NINA PEACOCK

Col. Barry Williams, the brigade's commander, pulled back a cover to reveal a bold yellow and green flag with their insignia's symbols, a mountain and a sword. They will be known as the Trailblazers.

"The 3rd brigade has now been activated," the master of the ceremony said, and the crowd of soldiers, officers and special guests applauded.

The ceremonial event marked a new era of Army organization in Alaska and beyond.

A Maneuver Enhancement Brigade is part of the Army's new organizational structure. Instead of a division-based army with large units designed to deploy to a major theater, the modular structure of the MEB is composed of task-oriented, flexible units that leadership can then "plug-and-play" into whatever location they may be needed.

"There are other organizations that have only one specialty within their organization. I have multiple capability and specialties within my organization, which allows me to do a range of things from combat operations to humanitarian support," Williams said. "We could go and support a Katrina-like situation, or we could go to Afghanistan or Iraq.

"It's a new brigade, the new way the army is fighting in the 21st century," he added.

The Army's 2005 Posture Statement describes an enemy that is adaptive, and an uncertain and unpredictable environment, where a persistent state of conflict will endure. Module units like those in the 3rd brigade can be rapidly deployed as they are needed.

The 3rd Brigade at Fort Richardson is the third of its kind to activate in the army, although they exist within the Army Reserve and National Guard. Fort Polk Army Post in Louisiana and at Fort Leonard Wood Army Post in Missouri also have such brigades, and another one will be activated at Fort Drum Army Post in New York.

The units that fall under the 3rd brigade are already stationed in Alaska. They include the Artic Military Police Battalion, the 6th Engineer Battalion, the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, and the Northern Warfare Training Center.

Pfc. Nikia Harvey, administrative assistant for the 3rd brigade, explained the soldiers' change in atmosphere.

"Now that we're activated, we're going to have a lot more going on," she said. "There's going to be a lot more on the training schedule" to prepare soldiers for deployment. Harvey said the brigade has "army warrior training," in which they practice everything from first aid to radio call signs in preparation for duty.

"If our number gets called, we're ready to go," she said.

Sgt. Maj. Charlie Lane, the 3rd brigade's senior noncommissioned officer, said there already are a few smaller organizations within the brigade that have been identified to deploy.

"Training will continue as always," he said. "We will do everything in our power to be ready so if we're called upon to deploy anywhere in the world, whether it's for humanitarian reasons or for combat, we will be ready to support."