FEATURE ARTICLE

January 2005

Stryker Units get Instant Feedback from Troops at War

by Sandra I. Erwin

As the Army prepares to receive its 1,000th Stryker light armored vehicle this month, commanders are quickly absorbing lessons from combat operations in Iraq and are developing new tactics to help counter violent insurgencies in Iraq’s major cities.

With the benefit of a full year’s fighting experience in Iraq, the commanders of Stryker 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division contend that the vehicle, although not as survivable as a tank, provides a helpful “bridge” between the light and the heavy force. Most importantly, the Stryker’s high-tech communications systems allow units on the front lines to stay in touch around the clock with command centers in the United States. Soldiers in training benefit from the flow of information on enemy tactics, officials said, and try to come up with new techniques for opposing adaptive foes.

Col. Steven Townsend, commander of the 3/2 Brigade at Fort Lewis, Wash., said that a “key lesson” from the war so far has been the ability of units in the field to share their experiences practically in real time. This “technological reach-back,” Townsend told reporters at a Pentagon news conference, “will enable forces as they rotate in, to get a much more effective training base, to have a more immediate feel for lessons learned, as they occur and to be more effective immediately on the ground as they arrive.”

The 3/2 was relieved in Mosul, Iraq, by the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. Both belong to I Corps, based at Fort Lewis.

The next Stryker unit scheduled to deploy to Iraq is the 172nd Infantry Brigade, based at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. The brigade will complete training and equipment fielding by February 2005, said Col. Michael Shields, commander of the 172nd.

The brigade has been training in Alaska, and has been in frequent contact with the 1/25 in Mosul, gathering valuable data on equipping, manning and training issues, Shields said. “We are able to shape our training as the enemy adjusts in Iraq … That’s a real advantage to us in terms of preparation.

The brigade’s reconnaissance and surveillance element—the 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment—has been sharpening techniques for collecting unmanned aircraft data and integrating that information with other intelligence for Stryker commanders. After completing a recent exercise at Fort Wainwright, the 4/14 was expected to head to Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Polk, La., for further training.

The Army intends to field seven Stryker brigades altogether, said Col. Pete Fuller, program manager. The current budget funds the purchase of 2,449 vehicles from General Dynamics Land Systems. About 800 had been fielded and 960 produced as of early December. Each Stryker is priced at $1.5 million to $2 million, depending on the sensor and weapon packages.

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