XVIII Airborne Corps ( United States ) The XVIII Airborne Corps is the corps of the United States Army designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world . It is referred to as " America ' s Contingency Corps " . Its headquarters are at Fort Bragg , North Carolina . History . World War II . The corps was first activated on 17 January 1936 as the II Armored Corps at Camp Polk in Louisiana . When the concept of Armored Corps proved unnecessary , II Armored Corps was redesignated as XVIII Corps on 9 October 1937 at the Presidio of Monterey , California . XVIII Corps deployed to Europe on 17 August 1944 and became the XVIII Airborne Corps on 25 August 1944 at Osbourne , St . George , England , assuming command of the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions , as part of the preparation for Operation Market Garden . Prior to this time the 101st Airborne and 82nd Airborne were assigned to VII Corps and participated in Operation Overlord as part of VII Corps . Major General Matthew B . Ridgway commanded the corps , which then consisted of the 82nd Airborne Division and the 101st Airborne Division and was part of the First Allied Airborne Army . Following the Battle of the Bulge , all airborne units in the U . S . Army fell under the command of the corps . XVIII Airborne Corps planned and executed Operation Varsity , the crossing of the Rhine river into Germany . It was one of the largest airborne operations in World War II , including the 17th Airborne Division and the British 6th Airborne Division . The 13th Airborne Division was to participate in the assault , however due to a lack of a sufficient number of transports , it was unable to take part . The XVIII Airborne Corps returned to the U . S . in June 1945 and inactivated on 15 October 1945 at Camp Campbell , Kentucky . Cold War to Desert Storm . The corps was reactivated at Fort Bragg on 21 May 1951 under the command of Major General John W . Leonard . Since then , the corps has been the primary strategic response force , with subordinate units participating in over a dozen major operations ( listed below ) in both combat and humanitarian roles , primarily in Central America and the CENTCOM area of responsibility . In 1958 the XVIII Airborne Corps was given the additional designation of the Strategic Army Corps . The designation was , in reality , the assignment of an additional mission rather than a true designation . The additional mission was to provide a flexible strike capability that could deploy worldwide on short notice without declaration of an emergency . The 4th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis , Washington , and the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell , Kentucky , were designated as STRAC ' s first - line divisions , while the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley , Kansas , and the 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg were to provide backup in the event of general war . The 5th Logistical Command ( later inactivated ) , also at Fort Bragg , would provide the corps with logistics support , while Fort Bragg ' s XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery would control artillery units . The corps deployed forces to the United States occupation of the Dominican Republic ( ' Operation Power Pack ' ) in 1965 . In 1989 XVIII Airborne Corps , commanded by then LTG Carl Stiner , participated in the invasion of Panama in Operation Just Cause . Stiner served concurrently as Commander of Joint Task Force South . In 1991 , XVIII Airborne Corps participated in the Persian Gulf War . The corps was responsible for securing VII Corps ' northern flank against a possible Iraqi counterattack . Along with the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions , 24th Infantry Division and 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment , XVIII Airborne Corps also gained operational control of the French 6th Light Armor Division ( LAD ) ( which also included units from the French Foreign Legion ) . During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery consisted of the 5 - 8th , 3 - 8th and 1 - 39th Field Artillery Regiments ( FAR ) . The living quarters for these three units were situated between the 82d Airborne Division and the Special Forces at Fort Bragg . Of the three units , only 1 - 39th was airborne qualified and served as the only fully airborne deployable 155mm Field Artillery unit in history . The 1 - 39th FAR and 3 - 8th FAR were key components of the thrust into Iraq in the first Gulf War , providing fire support for the French Foreign Legion and the 82nd Airborne Division . All of the battalions were subsequently re - flagged during the years following the Gulf War . The 5th Battalion , 8th Field Artillery also served in a major support role for 82nd and French troops during the Gulf War . 21st century . XVIII Airborne Corps was most recently deployed , from January 2005 to January 2006 , to Baghdad , Iraq , where it served as the Multi - National Corps – Iraq . Following its return , XVIII Airborne Corps and its subordinate units began the process of modernization and reorganization . Under the previous Army Chief of Staff ' s future restructure of the Army , the corps headquarters of the XVIII Airborne Corps will lose its airborne ( specifically parachute ) certification as a cost - cutting measure — the same will occur to the divisional headquarters of 82nd Airborne Division . This plan is designed to follow the U . S . Army ' s restructuring plan to go from being division - based to brigade - based . This will mean that the largest units that will be airborne — specifically parachute certified — will be at the brigade level . Even so , for traditional and historical reasons , the formation will continue to be called the XVIII Airborne Corps . The divisions that fall under the XVIII Airborne Corps ( as well as the other two corps in the Army ) are in a period of transition , shifting from corps control to fall directly under FORSCOM , eliminating the corps status as a middle man . This ties in with the Army ' s broad modularity plan , as a corps can deploy and support any unit , not just the units subordinate to the corps . The 3rd Infantry Division , the 10th Mountain Division ( Light Infantry ) , and the 101st Airborne Division ( Air Assault ) have already changed over to direct FORSCOM control . The 82nd Airborne Division will transfer after the division returns from Afghanistan . In August 2006 , XVIII Airborne Corps traveled to South Korea to participate in Ulchi Focus Lens , a joint training exercise between the Republic of Korea Army and coalition forces stationed there . In mid - April , 2007 , the Department of the Army confirmed the next OIF deployment schedule , with XVIII Airborne Corps deploying to relieve III Corps as the MNC - I at Camp Victory , Baghdad , Iraq . XVIII Airborne Corps is scheduled to replace III Corps in November , 2007 . The corps will deploy along with 1st Armored Division and 4th Infantry Division , as well as 1st Brigade Combat Team , 10th Mountain Division , and 1st BCT , 82nd Airborne Division . General information . Current structure . XVIII Airborne Corps , Fort Bragg Other major units stationed along the XVIII Corps units are : The corps ’ s divisions are supported by the following sustainment brigades , which are under direct command of United States Army Forces Command : Operations . The corps has participated in a number of operations since then : Former commanders . Taken from Fort Bragg website