On 26 March 1971, the battalion stood down after five and a half years in Vietnam and returned to the United States at Fort Hood, Texas for permanent duty for the first time since 1943. In May 1971 the 2nd Battalion became a maneuver battalion in 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division (TRICAP). Organized as an M113A1 equipped mechanized infantry battalion, from May 1971 through most of the remaining year, elements of the battalion were deployed in support of Air Cavalry Combat Brigade Tests 1 and 2. These important tests evaluated the integration of attack helicopter capability with armored, mechanized and air assault, evaluating the ability of these elements in combination to defeat a Soviet ground force opponent. LTC Milford Marshall commanded during much of this period. Later, the battalion participated in several deployments on REFORGER as well as having been tasked as one of the test beds for the 1st Cavalry Division's Restructure Study (DRS). For the next several years, 2-12 Cav (Mech) was thoroughly engaged in the peacetime training and preparation of its officers, NCOs, and enlisted soldiers in the eventuality of a combat deployment to Europe during the Cold War against Warsaw Pact forces. Shortly after the arrival of the M1 Tank at Fort Hood in 1981, the "Last of the Blue Lancers" from s words uttered by an anonymous staff sergeant finally faded away when 2-12 Cav (Mech) was re-flagged as 3-10 Cav (Armor). Shortly before it completed its transition to armor—2-12 Cav (Mech) was the only mechanized infantry battalion in the US Army that was tank-gunnery qualified.