11th Signal Brigade ( United States ) The 11th Signal Brigade ( " Desert Thunderbirds " ) of the United States Army is an element of Army Forces Command . It is based at Fort Hood , Texas . The unit mascot is the Thunder Chicken , a hawk - like bird perched upon a globe shooting thunderbolts out of its eyes . Soldiers in this unit call themselves " The Thunderbirds . " History . Designated Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment , 11th Signal Group , 4 September 1964 , to support the Joint Chiefs of Staff worldwide contingencies . The 11th Signal Group was originally assigned to Fort Lewis , Washington , as part of STRATCOM , the U . S . Army Strategic Communications Command . The group became a regular participant in exercises in Alaska . On 25 April 1966 the group was reorganized and redesignated Headquarters and Headquarters Company , 11th Signal Group . The following December , the group was reassigned to Fort Huachuca , Arizona . As the 11th Signal Group the unit contained : HQ , HHQ , and five companies , 505th , 521st , 526th , 557th , and Mobile Operations Signal Companies . Units of the group participated in Operation Power Pack in 1965 . The group was designated 1 October 1979 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company , 11th Signal Brigade . After Iraq ' s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 , the 11th Signal Brigade ( minus two companies that remained to execute other contingency missions ) deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm . The 11th Signal Brigade deployed some of its Signal personnel to East Timor in 1999 supporting the U . S . contingent with INTERFET . On 7 June 2013 , the unit cased their colors for the last time on Fort Huachuca and was unfurled on 26 June 2013 , at Fort Hood , Texas . Operation Enduring Freedom . The 11th Signal Brigade deployed shortly after the 11 September 2001 attacks to support ARCENT in its position as CFLCC . During OEF in 2002 , the 11th Signal Brigade had soldiers and civilian personnel supporting CFLCC Forward in Uzbekistan , the U . S . Army ' s 10th Mountain Division in Bagram , Afghanistan and Task Force Rakkasan ( 3rd Brigade Combat Team , 101st Airborne Division ) , in Kandahar , Afghanistan . They also had soldiers deployed to Djibouti , Africa in support of Combined Joint Task Force , Horn of Africa ( CJTF - HOA ) . The " Thunderbird Brigade , " successfully performed its mission of providing Command , Control , Communications , Computers , and Internet ( C4I ) services to the warfighter but soon deployed back home to Fort Huachuca , Arizona shortly after establishing tactical communications networks for coalition forces . Operation Iraqi Freedom . Shortly after its deployment supporting OEF , the 11th Signal Brigade reconstituted and deployed to the now closed Camp Doha , Kuwait to support CFLCC in early 2003 . It successfully enabled the warfighting commanders which included GEN Tommy Franks of USCENTCOM , LTG David McKiernan of CFLCC and LTG William Wallace of V Corps ( later commanded by LTG Ricardo S . Sanchez ) to have real - time battlefield communications capability in the Iraqi theater of operations . The 11th Signal Brigade was featured in the History Channel ' s show " Tactical to Practical " for its efforts in implementing the use of COTS or " Commercial - off - the - shelf " information technology equipment in a real - world military operation . Subordinate units . The 11th Signal Brigade is an Echelons Above Corps or " EAC " Signal Brigade . It comprises the following units : The 51st Signal Battalion is no longer part of the 11th Signal Brigade . It is a subordinate unit of the 35th Signal Brigade . Capabilities . The 11th Signal Brigade provides echelon - above - corps signal support ( EAC ) . It has the capability to install , operate , and maintain a tactical communications network supporting either joint or Army organizations , establish command center communications nodes , area signal centers , and small extension nodes . It provides installation , construction , and test teams on a worldwide basis during peacetime , war , and operations other than war , and in response to emergency requirements to restore or expand information systems facilities . Also , the brigade provides on - site training in the operation and maintenance of new or modified non - tactical information systems and limited commercial - off - the - shelf communications equipment and systems at worldwide locations . Due to its total communications capabilities , the brigade can support the full spectrum of operations ranging from combat to peacekeeping to humanitarian . Since 1990 , the brigade has participated in numerous contingency operations . The entire brigade took part in Operation Desert Shield / Storm . At the height of that operation , the brigade controlled more than five signal battalions and operated the largest tactical communications network since World War II . For its service during these operations , the brigade was awarded the Department of the Army Meritorious Unit Commendation . The brigade also took part in Operations Restore Hope and Continue Hope in Somalia from December 1992 to March 1994 ; Operation Intrinsic Action / Southern Watch in Kuwait from August to October 1992 ; and Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti from September 1994 to March 1996 . Brigade soldiers have also supported operations in Korea , Guantanamo Naval Base , Cuba , and Saudi Arabia . Most recently , the brigade supported Operation Desert Thunder in 1998 with a brigade task force . The principal communications capabilities of the unit include tactical satellite , tropospheric scatter , super high frequency , and ultra high frequency line - of - sight transmission systems , and voice , message , and data switches . The brigade ' s communications networks are compatible with the mobile subscriber equipment communications networks found at corps and division level . Past commanders . NOTE : This is an incomplete list . Please update with previous commanders