Lt. Col. Austin Commons, left, commander of the newly reactivated 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, unfurls the unit's colors during a ceremony in Grafenwoehr, Germany, on Jan. 8, 2026. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — The Army in Europe took a major step toward a more agile, tech-savvy force this week as it deactivated one storied cavalry squadron and activated a parachute infantry battalion in its place.
Soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade on Thursday deactivated its 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, and replaced it with the reactivated 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, during a ceremony at Tower Barracks.
“This gives us a lot more tactical flexibility,” battalion commander Lt. Col. Austin Commons said afterward. “We can move around the battlefield a lot more quickly. It’s reducing soldier fatigue by getting them into light vehicles, but then our mission, our purpose, doesn’t really change.”
At Thursday’s ceremony, the cavalry squadron’s colors were rolled up and cased, and the battalion’s colors were unveiled as hundreds of Sky soldiers in red berets stood at parade rest.
Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade stand at attention during a unit transition ceremony in Grafenwoehr, Germany, on Jan. 8, 2026. The soldiers carry the flag of the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment shortly before the unit was deactivated and replaced by the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade look on as the unit deactivates the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment and replaces it with the reactivated 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment during a unit transition ceremony Jan. 8, 2026, in Grafenwoehr, Germany. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
A trumpeter from the U.S. Army Europe and Africa band plays at a unit transition ceremony for the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Grafenwoehr, Germany, on Jan. 8, 2026. (U.S. Army)
A member of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa band plays a song during a unit transition ceremony for the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Grafenwoehr, Germany, on Jan. 8, 2026. (U.S. Army)
Commons paid homage to the lineage of both units and looked ahead to a stark, futuristic battlefield.
“A paratrooper in this formation today is just as likely to kill an enemy by flying an explosive drone into their position than by shooting them with a rifle,” he said. “The U.S. Army must and will transform to dominate this battlefield.”
The move is part of a modernization push called the Army Transformation Initiative, which will see the service transition from infantry brigade combat teams to mobile brigade combat teams.
As part of the endeavor to transition from overseas cavalry squadrons, cavalry scouts will reclassify as infantry.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the broad restructuring of the Army in a memo last year.
The order sought a reduction in the number of generals, merged headquarters commands and prioritized drone swarms to counter peer adversaries like China.
A day later, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll unveiled their plans in a joint letter.
The transformation initiative emphasizes the use of a vast range of drones. It cut hundreds of jobs from Army headquarters, required the leaner mobile brigade combat teams and shrank attack helicopter formations.
Fourteen active-duty and 20 National Guard infantry brigade combat teams will make the switch to the more mobile units over the next two years, the Congressional Research Service said in a report on Dec. 9.
The new teams will see their force reduced by 2,600 soldiers to a total of 1,900 apiece.
Individual infantry battalion assault companies will be replaced by multipurpose companies consisting of the battalion’s mortar and scout platoons.
Another impending change is the creation of a unit called an “effects platoon,” which will operate counter-drone systems and the battalion’s primary loitering munitions, the report said.
The 173rd Airborne Brigade — which is based in Vicenza, Italy, and has battalions in Grafenwoehr — has been at the forefront of the Army’s technology revolution in recent years.
They have tested autonomous vehicles and drones and even made history in August when they conducted the Army’s first drone-on-drone kill during a technology summit in Alabama.
Recently reclassified infantryman Spc. Zavien Brewer said Thursday that he is optimistic about the change.
It will mean less sneaking around for reconnaissance and more direct engagement with the enemy, he said.
“It’s a scary thing to look at, if you look at the wars going on right now; it’s a lot of drones,” Brewer said. “It’s a big change, and we need to adapt. ... We’re going to find our way to fight.”
