Talk:178th Infantry Regiment (United States)

Organizational Structure
RE: "The regiment's 1st Battalion (1-178 Infantry) still exists today as an air assault battalion."

The battalion wasn't organized an air assault battalion per se, but rather the battalion was organized using the Table of Organization and Equipment (TOE) of an air assault unit. Numerous ARNG battalions were organized in this manner because they required fewer personnel and less equipment, therefore costing less to maintain and operate. It was not intended that they carry out air assault missions like units of the 101st Airborne Division. Additionally, the Army no longer has units designated as "air assault." The 101st is now a light infantry division organized along the same lines as the 10th Mountain Division, another unit which has a designation from days of old that's at odds with its present organization. "Air Assault" is an Additional Skill Indentifier (ASI) for personnel who have completed an Air Assault course, but according to DA there is no longer a type of unit called "Air Assault."