2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry (Airborne) "The Rock"

As of June 2006, the 173d Airborne BCT was in the process of being reorganized as part of the US Army's modularization process. On June 8th, the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, the 4th Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment, and the 173rd Special Troops Battalion were all activated as part of the 173d Airborne BCT. As of January 2006, the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment was reassigned to the 173d Airborne BCT. The 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment will remain with the BCT.

The 173d Airborne Brigade was reactivated on 12 June 2000 on Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy, where it serves as European Command's only conventional airborne unit. The SETAF Infantry Brigade continues the proud legacy of this historic unit.

In January 1994, an Infantry Brigade was established at SETAF to provide command and control of SETAF's deployable units. The brigade mission is to operate as a separate, independent brigade; to fall in on a division as an organic brigade; and to operate as the Army Forces component in a Joint task force. In August 1994, the newly formed brigade deployed to Rwanda on Operation Support Hope to aid millions of displaced citizens. This same operation saw portions of the USASETAF headquarters deploy for the first time in history, as the nucleus of the Joint Task Force Headquarters.

The 173D Airborne Brigade was activated on the island of Okinawa on March 26, 1963. From its beginning, it proved to be an aggressive and unique unit led by (then) Brigadier General Ellis W. Williamson who established realistic training throughout the Pacific Region. The "SKY SOLDIERS," as the Nationalist Chinese paratroopers called the 173d, made thousands of parachute jumps in a dozen different Pacific area countries.

The 173rd on Okinawa was called the "Fire Brigade" meaning that it was available to be dropped in any of the Southeast Asian countries if needed. To call Reveille, the battalion commander of the 2/503rd erected a number of very large speakers from which the song of the theme to "Rawhide" was blasted all over their camp. Every morning, the Sky Soldiers of the 173rd's 2/503rd were rousted from their bunks by the blaring words, "head 'em up, move 'em out, Rawhide" or something to that effect. The entire 173rd Airborne Brigade soon became known as "the Herd."