Heavy/INF/Stryker BCT Operations

1. Heavy/INF/Stryker BCT Operations

2. Heavy Brigade Combat Team Unit Of Action • In today’s army, our heavy forces are too heavy and our light forces lack staying power • The Army has two types of heavy BCTs: armored BCTs (with two armored battalions and one mechanized infantry battalion) and mechanized infantry BCTs (with two mechanized infantry battalions and one armored battalion). Under the Army of Excellence design, heavy BCTs are robust units relative to other units and Army tradition: each armored or mechanized infantry battalion contains four companies instead of three, and each artillery battery has eight guns rather than six, as in other units and past Army practice . • Heavy BCTs of the more recent Force XXI design follow the usual structure by having three companies per armored or mechanized infantry battalion. Thus, those BCTs differ from their AoE predecessors by having nine maneuver companies instead of 12. They also include more support units, such as a brigade reconnaissance troop and forward support companies for each maneuver battalion.

3. Heavy Brigade Combat Team Unit Of Action Cont. • Under its current plans, the Army will convert all of its BCTs to a modular configuration by 2008. Modular heavy BCTs, the Army's newest series of units, are the centerpiece of the modularity initiative spearheaded by the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Peter Schoomaker. They will differ from previous BCTs in numerous ways. A modular heavy BCT will contain only two maneuver battalions--each one comprising two armored and two mechanized infantry companies--rather than three or four battalions. Thus, it will include just eight maneuver companies, instead of nine or 12, and an equal mix of armored and mechanized infantry units, eliminating the current difference between armored BCTs and mechanized infantry BCTs. The new heavy brigades will also have a much larger set of support units, including some types of units (such as unmanned aerial vehicles and counterbattery radars) that were previously found only in divisions. In addition, the modular BCTs will have a reconnaissance squadron that is larger and more robust than the brigade reconnaissance troop in a Force XXI heavy BCT. Modular BCTs are also designed to separate easily into battalion-sized combat teams, should that prove necessary, thereby increasing the Army's flexibility.

5. Infantry Brigade Combat Team Unit Of Action • Although the exact configuration of units will vary, the Army has identified a basic Infantry UA design. Depending upon mission requirements, these units could be delivered by parachute or helicopter. The Infantry UAs will consist of approximately 3,000 soldiers and will be composed of the following subordinate units • One Brigade Troops Battalion including the UA staff, a military police (MP) platoon, a signal company, an intelligence company, an engineer company, and a fire support coordination cell. • One Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) Battalion with both motorized and dismounted reconnaissance units; a surveillance unit including ground radars, sensors, and unmanned aerial vehicles; and a forward support company. The light Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the past had no organic brigade level reconnaissance. It used the scouts of its battalions and either pulled them up to the brigade or just left them down there at battalion level so now there is an entire battalion for that same Brigade Combat Team. • One Brigade Troops Battalion including the UA staff, a military police (MP) platoon, a signal company, an intelligence company, an engineer company, and a fire support coordination cell.

6. Infantry Brigade Combat Team Unit Of Action Cont. • One Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) Battalion with both motorized and dismounted reconnaissance units; a surveillance unit including ground radars, sensors, and unmanned aerial vehicles; and a forward support company. The light Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the past had no organic brigade level reconnaissance. It used the scouts of its battalions and either pulled them up to the brigade or just left them down there at battalion level so now there is an entire battalion for that same Brigade Combat Team. • Two Infantry Battalions consisting of three rifle companies and one combat support company each; and a forward support company, capable of moving one company by truck. • One Strike Battalion consisting of a target acquisition platoon, an unmanned aerial vehicle unit, a forward support company, and two batteries of towed artillery. • One Support Battalion consisting of a transport platoon capable of moving almost an entire infantry battalion by truck. • The Infantry UA will be equipped with a network battle command system and will receive augmentation from an Aviation UA when the mission dictates • Because of the infantry brigade's flexible design, it is highly capable in mixed terrain defense, urban combat, mobile security missions, and stability operations, additionally, it has sufficient motor transport to support most missions.

8. Stryker BCT Operations • Stryker Variants: • A. Infantry Carrier Vehicle • B. Command Vehicle • C. Mobile Gun System Vehicle • D. Fire Support Vehicle • E. Medical Evacuation Vehicle • F. Mortar Carrier Vehicle • G. Engineering Squad Vehicle • H. Anti-Tank Guided Missile Vehicle • I. NBC Reconnaissance Vehicle • J. Reconnaissance Vehicle • Deploy anywhere in the world in 96 hours

9. Stryker Key Points • Basic Mission Requirements • A high degree of mobility to be able to perform the full spectrum of operations in all environments • Air transportability on C130, C17 and C5A in full combat-ready operational configuration • A high degree of electrical/electronic and mechanical baseline commonality among all ten-vehicle variants • Necessary battlefield survivability to carry out combat missions • Integrated 14.5mm armor protection • Supportability and affordability

10. Stryker Key Points • All Stryker variants equipped with: • 1708 Databus - Diagnostics and Control • Engine • Transmission • RS485 and CAN Bus • weapon station including thermal viewer, • the climate control system, • the height management system including central tire inflation, • the power management system, and • the vehicle gauge cluster

11. Stryker Variants • Two Main Variants: • Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) • Carries nine troops, driver and a commander. • 40mm Grenade Launcher • .50 caliber machine gun • Mobile Gun System (MGS) • 105 mm cannon • 18 ready rounds every 16 seconds