79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team ( United States ) The 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is an infantry brigade of the United States Army and the California Army National Guard . In late 2008 , the 40th Infantry Brigade Combat Team was redesignated as the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team without changing its composition . Unit history . Elements of the brigade can trace back their lineage to October 1881 when the San Diego City Guard was established , which later became the 251st Coast Artillery Regiment . The 79th Infantry Brigade was originally made up of the 157th and 158th Infantry Regiment s ( CO , AZ Army National Guard ) and served as part of the 40th Division from Aug 1917 - Apr 1919 . From 1921 - 1942 , it was exclusively made up of California Army National Guard personnel , the 159th and 184th Infantry Regiments . Its insignia reflected the three states that originally made up the 40th Division . In February 1942 , the 40th Infantry Division was reorganized from a ' square ' , two - brigade , four - regiment division to a three - regiment division without any intermediate brigade headquarters . Thus the 79th and 80th Infantry Brigade were deactivated . On 2 February 2010 the United States Army Institute of Heraldry approved a new shoulder patch and distinctive unit insignia for the 79th IBCT . 2013 Afghanistan . In January 2013 , the brigade headquarters were activated for deployment to the Uruzgan and Kandahar provinces in Afghanistan where they will be training Afghan police and other forces . Twenty percent of the brigade have been previously deployed to Afghanistan before . In April 2013 , approximately 75 Soldiers traveled to Camp Shelby , Mississippi to receive training for their Afghanistan mission . The group was reduced from the originally planned size of approximately 600 Soldiers . Of the 75 Soldiers , 18 will deploy as a security force assistance team serving as advisers to the Afghan police , and the rest will be staffing an Australian - led task force , all within Uruzgan province . The mission for the 75 soldiers will likely be cut short , as Australia announced it would withdraw most of its troops by late 2013 and close the volatile province ’ s major coalition base at Tarin Kowt . Structure . The 40th IBCT was originally activated in 2007 as part of the reorganization of the California National Guard , which in turn was part of the restructuring of the total US Army . The 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team was reformed from the previous 40th IBCT in September 2008 . The Army restructured and moved from the division to the brigade as the primary building block of combat power . The 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is organized under the Army ' s new modular brigade structure . The role of the brigade combat team is to act as the Army ’ s basic tactical maneuver unit and the smallest combined - arms unit that can be committed independently . The brigade combat team is designed to conduct offensive , defensive , and stability operations . The core mission is to close with the enemy by means of fire and maneuver ; to destroy or capture enemy forces ; or to repel their attacks by fire , close combat , and counterattack . The brigade combat team can fight without augmentation , but it also can be tailored to meet the precise needs of its missions . The 79th IBCT also has a state mission . In times of emergency , the governor may call the National Guard to assist civil authorities . The self - contained and modular structure of the 79th IBCT make it well suited to provide this support .