The 42nd Military Police Brigade is a military police brigade of the United States Army based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. It is a subordinate unit of I Corps.
First activated as a customs unit in post-World War II Germany, the brigade has a long history with United States Army Europe. Its duties as a customs unit meant that the unit was garrisoned in Germany for over forty years from 1950 until 1990, never seeing action in the U.S. operations of the Korean War, Vietnam War, or the Persian Gulf War. It was deactivated during the post-Cold War drawdown of the U.S. military.
Reactivated in 2004, the brigade provides corrections and force protection for both I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The brigade and its subordinate units have seen several tours in support of the Iraq War's Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Global War on Terrorism's Operation Enduring Freedom.
Organization
The brigade is a subordinate unit of the I Corps, and is separate, meaning that it does not report to a division level headquarters, even during theater operations.
The brigade contains four prime components, all headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The Brigade's two permanently assigned MP battalions are the 504th and 508th Military Police Battalions at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The Brigade also contains a Force Protection unit and a detachment for the Brigade's Provost Marshal.
Additionally, with the reflagging of the 593rd Sustainment Brigade as an Expeditionary Sustainment Command, the 42nd became a subordinate unit to the 593rd ESC and ADCON for the 13th CSSB JBLM, WA. As of 16 October 2017, 42nd MP BDE, returned to I Corps as a direct report unit.
History
Origins
The 42nd Military Police Group traces its lineage back to the 7751st Military Police Detachment, which was established on 21 March 1949, to fight organized and widespread black-market activities which posed a serious threat to the German economy. The unit enforced USEUCOM Customs Regulations, investigated violations, controlled parcel post shipments of black marketable goods, and manned twenty-three border stations used by US military personnel crossing the international borders of post-World War II, the U.S. occupied Germany.
In August 1950, the U.S. High Commission for Germany requested the services of the "Customs Unit," later designated as the 42d Military Police Detachment, to control the eastward movement of restricted goods to "Satellite Bloc" countries. With the increase in tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, this function was important to U.S. interests in Europe. On 1 November 1952, the detachment was relieved of its strategic export control function, which was subsequently resumed by German authorities. In May 1955, Germany regained sovereignty over its land from US military forces. The rights, privileges, and obligations of the foreign forces and their members stationed in Germany were then based on the Bonn forces convention, the forerunner of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Status of Forces Agreement (NATO SOFA) and the supplementary agreement that followed. As a result, the unit was charged with establishing customs controls within Germany. It was because of this responsibility that the unit would never be deployed in support of the Korean War or the Vietnam War.
Cold War years
On 25 January 1968, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 42nd Military Police Group was constituted in the Regular Army and activated in Germany. The group was charged with providing customs enforcement and maintaining liaison and cooperation with German customs authorities at all levels. In addition, the group is responsible for establishing customs policies and procedures for the Federal Republic of Germany and to negotiate with German authorities on questions of procedure and US forces entitlements arising from tax and customs issues within the NATO Status of Forces Agreement. It received a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its outstanding job performing this role. In 1969, the group received its own distinctive unit insignia.
On 1 July 1974, the 42d Military Police Group was transferred to the 15th Military Police Brigade, retaining its missions and affiliation with United States Army Europe. On 13 December 1974, drug suppression and anti-hijacking protection were added to the missions of the 42d Military Police Group. On 1 June 1976, relieved from it assignment to 15th MP Brigade, the 42nd MP Group was reassigned to US Army Europe and Seventh Army and, on 21 October 1977, placed under the 21st Support Command.
