Brigade support battalion

A brigade support battalion (BSB) is a combat service support battalion of the United States Army. A BSB is an organic part of a brigade combat team (BCT), providing self-sustainment to the BCT for up to 72 hours of high-intensity combat before requiring replenishment. It consists of a headquarters and headquarters company, field maintenance company, distribution company, medical company, and a forward support company assigned to each of the other battalions in the BCT.

A brigade support battalion is also a component unit of a combat aviation brigade, maneuver enhancement brigade, fires brigade and battlefield surveillance brigade, but without the medical company.

A BSB is a multifunctional logistics unit that supports its parent brigade at the tactical level with supply distribution and management, field maintenance, and medical support. It is an expeditionary formation that deploys with its supported brigade, including (for airborne forces) conducting parachute assault operations. While each forward support company (FSC) operates in close proximity with their supported battalion, the rest of the BSB operates from a base or base cluster in a designated brigade support area (BSA). From the BSA, the BSB commander executes command and control (C2) of BSB units based on orders from the brigade commander; the BSB commander also coordinates with the Division Sustainment Support Battalion (DSSB) for capabilities it lacks, such as light infantry troop transportation or water treatment, via the Division Sustainment Brigade (DSB). The BSB is responsible for protecting the BSA from low-level threats using its organic equipment and may provide limited support for other units passing through its area of operations as directed by the brigade commander.

The Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) provides command and control, administrative and logistical support for all units assigned or attached to the BSB. It can also provide command and control for security units occupying the brigade support area (BSA) and support for other units operating within the battalion’s area. It consists of a command group, coordinating staff, and headquarters company.

The command group consists of a commander, executive officer (XO), command sergeant major, and unit ministry team (UMT). The BSB commander exerts overall command and control of the unit and acts as the senior logistician of the brigade, providing information and advice to the brigade commander and their staff to develop a viable sustainment plan. The XO is second-in-command of the BSB with responsibilities including oversight of the staff, establishing and overseeing the functioning of the BSB command post (CP), and directing the positioning and overall readiness of units assigned and attached to the BSB. The command sergeant major, as the senior enlisted member of the BSB, provides knowledge, experience and advice to the commander and communicates with the sergeants major of other supported units to resolve issues for the BSB. Other duties vary based on the commander's needs, such as conducting base defense oversight. The UMT consists of a chaplain and religious affairs specialists and provides religious support to soldiers and authorized civilians as per the BSB commander. The chaplain also provides the commander with advice on religious, moral, ethical and morale issues.

The role of the distribution company is to manage the daily receipt, storage, and issuance of supply class I, II, III, IV, V and IX in support of its parent brigade. Supplies are received from the division sustainment support battalion (DSSB) and distributed one of two ways: they can be directly delivered to the supporting forward support companies (FSCs), or the company will maintain a central supply point from which the FSCs come to pick up supplies. It is led by a company commander, executive officer and first sergeant, and consists of three platoons: a transportation platoon, a supply platoon, and a fuel and water platoon.

The transportation platoon, led by a platoon leader and platoon sergeant, provides motor transport support as part of the BSB's distribution management process. In armored or Stryker BCTs, the platoon will have four truck squads, while those operating with infantry BCTs will have three squads. While the transportation platoon can be used to resupply other units, in most BSBs the distribution company will maintain a central resupply point from which supplies are picked up. Instead the platoon is kept in reserve to conduct internal movement within the BSA or for high-priority missions.

The supply platoon includes a multiclass Supply Support Activity (SSA) operated by the general supply section and a Modular Ammunition Transfer Point (MATP) operated by the MATP section. The SSA serves as the point in which supplies are received and stored and would be established in a secure location which allows for easy access. The MATP serves a similar function for the receipt and temporary holding of ammunition, with the MATP section (consisting of an ammunition section chief and several ammunition teams) also able to perform limited munitions maintenance.