The "Tridentina" was constituted on 1 May 1951 in the city of Brixen. The brigade’s name was taken from the name "Venezia Tridentina", which was the name invented by the linguist Graziadio Isaia Ascoli for the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and was officially in use for the area between 1919 and 1948. Accordingly, the brigade's coat of arms is based on the coat of arms of the region's capital city Trento. The brigade was based entirely within the region and drew the majority of its recruits from it. The brigade was tasked with defending the Puster Valley, ensuring that invading Warsaw Pact troops would be unable to cut the vital supply line over the Brenner Pass. To aid in the defense of the valley part of the pre-WWII fortifications of the Alpine Wall were reactivated and upgraded. The brigade’s strength was around 4,200 men and initially it was composed of the: