MacArthur made plans to use the 11th Airborne Division in the invasion of Japan; it was to remain as Sixth Army's operational reserve, to be committed if required. However, with the end of hostilities in the Pacific Theater due to the surrender of Japan, the division was instead selected by MacArthur to lead the American forces that would occupy Japan. The divisional staff received orders to this effect on 11 August 1945, and the division was transported to Okinawa on 12 August; an operation that involved 99 B-24 Liberator bombers, 350 C-46s and 150 C-47s to airlift 11,100 men, 120 vehicles and approximately 1.16 million pounds (530,000 kg) of equipment. The 11th Airborne remained on Okinawa for several weeks before, on 28 August, it was ordered to land at Atsugi Airfield outside of Yokohama, on the main Japanese home island of Honshū. Its instructions were to secure the surrounding area, evacuate all Japanese civilians and military personnel within a radius of three miles (4.8 km), and finally occupy Yokohama itself. A large number of C-54 Skymaster transport aircraft were made available, with the first—carrying Swing and his divisional staff—landing at Atsugi Airfield at 06:00 on 30 August. It took a week to fully assemble the division, and by 13 September it had been joined by the 27th Infantry Division, which was airlifted into Japan at the same time. The 11th Airborne Division was later moved from Yokohama to northern Japan, and established camps along the coast of Honshu and on the island of Hokkaido.

Occupation duties in Japan continued until May 1949, when the 11th Airborne was relieved and recalled to the United States. The division was transferred to Camp Campbell in Kentucky and remained a combat formation ready to deploy worldwide. During the early 1950s, the Angels conducted several large scale training operations in Alaska, such as Exercise Snowbird. Angels descended near Denali on the first day from C-119s over the arctic region. Inactivated at Camp Anza, California, in December 1945, it was reactivated and redesignated as the 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment in February 1951 and assigned to the 11th Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, following the departure of the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment to Korea as a separate airborne regimental combat team. In 1956 the 503rd went with the rest of the 11th Airborne Division to posts in southeastern Germany.
Training continued until the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950. For service in Korea, the 187th Glider Infantry Regiment—now renamed the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment—and the 674th Airborne Field Artillery Battalion were detached from the division and re-formed as a separate Regimental Combat Team (RCT). The 187th made successful combat parachute assaults near the towns of Sukchon and Sunchon, north of the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, as part of the Battle of Yongju. The published purpose of that drop was to capture members …

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In May 2022, during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth and Army Chief of Staff General James McConville announced that U.S. Army Alaska would be reflagged as the 11th Airborne Division. According to Wormuth and McConville, the goals of the redesignation are to give the Alaska-based forces a better sense of purpose and identity during a time of a spike in suicides. The redesignation is also meant to give a focus to the Army's Arctic strategy. U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska said "This is a historic development for our Alaska-based military, redesignating U.S. Army Alaska under the 11th Airborne Division banner presents a dual opportunity for our country—renewing the spirit and purpose of our Alaska-based soldiers by connecting them with this division's proud and storied history, and better fulfilling America's role as an Arctic nation." Major General Brian S. Eifler, the first 11th Airborne Division commanding general since reactivation, shared with the press the basic outline of the division stating, "There's no other formation that's going to look like it, nor have the same mission."

On June 6, 2022, during separate ceremonies, the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team and 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division were reflagged to the 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team and 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division respectively. All units from the former U.S. Army Alaska were absorbed under the new division. It was also announced that the 1st Infantry Brigade would divest its Strykers. Following these changes, the brigade would test several new vehicles to include the Cold-Weather All-Terrain Vehicle (CATV) to replace the former Strykers. The division's 2nd Brigade would remain largely unchanged.

According to MG Eifler, the division will take time to be fully realized, but force structure currently consists of the following units:

11th Airborne Division "Arctic Angels"
• Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion
• Northern Warfare Training Center
• Non-Commissioned Officer's Academy
• 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team "Arctic Wolves" located at Fort Wainwright, Alaska
• 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) "Spartans" located at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
• Arctic Aviation Command located at Fort Wainwright, Alaska

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Division Activated - February 1943
• Joseph M. Swing February 1943 - January 1948
• William Miley January 1948 - January 1950
• Lyman L. Lemnitzer January 1950 - November 1951
• Wayne C. Smith November 1951 - January 1952
• Ridgely Gaither January 1952 - April 1953
• Wayne C. Smith April 1953 - May 1955
• Derrill Daniel May 1955 - September 1956
• Hugh P. Harris October 1956 - April 1958
• Ralph Cooper May 1958 - June 1958
Division Inactivated - June 1958

Division Reactivated as Air Assault Testing Division
• Harry W.O. Kinnard 1963 - 1965
U.S. Army Alaska redesignated as 11th Airborne Division - June 2022
• Brian S. Eifler June 2022 - June 2024