Stryker Platoon

[Raven302]

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[Raven302]

[font=arial-boldmt][left]WARNING![/left][/font][font=arial-boldmt][left]The views expressed in FMSO publications and reports are those of the[/left][left]authors and do not necessarily represent the official policy or position of the[/left][left]Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.[/left][/font][font=arial-boldmt][left]THE BEAR FACTS:[/left][left]Russians Appraise the Stryker[/left][left]Brigade Concept[/left][/font][font=arial-boldmt][left]by Mr. Les Grau, Foreign Military Studies Office, Fort Leavenworth, KS.[/left][left]And Elena Stoyanov[/left][/font][font=arialmt][left]This article was previously published in[/left][/font][font=arial-bolditalicmt][left]Infantry[/left][/font][font=arialmt][left]November-December 2004[/left][/font][font="times new roman"][left]T[/font][font="times new roman"]he Stryker brigade concept is a matter of some interest[/left][left]to the Russian Army, which has inherited a long tradition[/left][left]of using wheeled personnel carriers in concert with[/left][left]tracked personnel carriers. In Soviet times, Motorized Rifle[/left][left]Divisions normally had three motorized rifle regiments, a tank[/left][left]regiment and an artillery regiment. Two of the motorized rifle[/left][left]regiments were mounted on wheeled armored personnel carriers[/left][left](BTRs), while the third was mounted on tracked armored personnel[/left][left]carriers (BMPs). BMPs were recognized as the tougher, more[/left][left]effective combat vehicle, but even the Soviet Army occasionally[/left][left]had to watch its rubles. The wheeled BTRs were used on secondary[/left][left]attack routes or as a follow-and support force while tracked BMPs[/left][left]were used for the main break-thorough attack in conjunction with[/left][left]the tank regiment. The cheaper wheeled carriers were a cost-cutting[/left][left]measure.[/left][left]After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Russian Army[/left][left]continued this TO&E (table of organization and equipment), but[/left][left]formed a special “peace keeping” division. The 27th Guard[/left][left]Motorized Rifle Division kept their BTRs and BMPs, but stored[/left][left]their artillery and tanks. They used their BTRs primarily for “peace[/left][left]keeping” roles. The Russians saw the “peace keeping” division as[/left][left]a patrolling and stability unit, not a combat unit, so the prominence[/left][left]of the more road-bound wheeled carriers made sense.[/left][left]When the Russians joined NATO in Bosnia-Herzegovina, they[/left][left]contributed an airborne regiment. The regiment was mounted on[/left][left]the cramped, air-droppable BMD tracked armored personnel[/left][left]carriers. Once the ground situation settled,[/left][left]the Russian regiment was augmented[/left][left]with a number of BTRs.[/left][left]The BMD is just too cramped and uncomfortable for long-term[/left][left]patrolling missions. Russian troops in Chechnya use a combination[/left][left]of BMPs and BTRs. The BMPs are employed for anticipated[/left][left]combat, while the BTRs are used more for patrolling and[/left][left]administrative movements where a truck or jeep would be at risk.[/left][left]The Russians are interested in how other countries employ[/left][left]tracked and wheeled troop carriers. The June 2004 issue of the[/left][left]Russian Foreign Military Review carried the following article,[/left][left]which was titled “The Formation of the Mechanized ‘Stryker’[/left][left]Brigade in the U.S. Army:”[/left][/font][font="times new roman"][left]In 2003, the U.S. Army formed its first “Stryker” Mechanized[/left][left]Brigade, the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division based at Fort[/left][left]Lewis, Washington. It is part of the transition to a new type of[/left][left]army.[/left][left]The documents and regulations governing this force, its tactics,[/left][left]TOE, armaments and equipment were developed in 1999. The[/left][left]mission was to form, in the first decade of the 21st Century, a[/left][left]combined arms unit capable of rapid deployment and decisive[/left][left]action in any part of the world during combat or peacetime.[/left][left]The Stryker Brigade has a headquarters element, a HHC, three[/left][left]infantry battalions, a reconnaissance battalion, an artillery[/left][left]battalion, a support battalion and four separate companies —[/left][left]antitank, military intelligence, engineer and signal.[/left][left]The TOE strength is 3,614 personnel. The brigade has 308[/left][left]Stryker armored vehicles, 12 towed M198 155mm howitzers, 66[/left][left]mortars (l20mm, 81mm and 60mm), 10 TOW-2[/left][left]ATGM launchers, 121 “Javelin”[/left][left]ATGM launchers, and three[/left][/font][font=arial][left]T[/font][font=arial]HE [/font][font=arial]B[/font][font=arial]EAR [/font][font=arial]F[/font][font=arial]ACTS[/font][font=arial]:[/left][/font][font=arial][left]Russians Appraise the Stryker Brigade Concept[/left][/font][font=arial][left]LESTER W. GRAU[/left][left]ELENA STOYANOV[/left][/font][font=arial][left]38 INFANTRY [/font][font=arial]November-December 2004[/left][/font][font="times new roman"][left]“Shadow 200” UAVs. (See Organization[/left][left]chart and Personnel and Key Equipment[/left][left]Chart).[/left][left]There are 121 personnel in the HHC and[/left][left]brigade staff The headquarters supports the[/left][left]brigade commander in directing the[/left][left]subordinate units in peace and war. It is[/left][left]organized into a command group and seven[/left][left]sections-intelligence, training, command[/left][left]and control, air movement, fire control,[/left][left]nonlethal weapons employment,[/left][left]communications and computers. The HHC[/left][left]supports the brigade staff. It has two groups[/left][left]of liaison officers and five sections:[/left][left]command, personnel, support, signal and[/left][left]medical.[/left][left]The mechanized infantry battalions have[/left][left]691 personnel each. They are the primary[/left][left]combat units of the brigade, capable of[/left][left]conducting all types of combat as well as[/left][left]peace-support missions. Each battalion has[/left][left]a headquarters, a HHC and three[/left][left]mechanized infantry companies.[/left][left]The HHC has a reconnaissance, mortar[/left][left]and medical platoon as well as a sniper[/left][left]squad. The reconnaissance platoon is[/left][left]mounted on four reconnaissance Strykers.[/left][left]The mortar platoon has four M286 120mm[/left][left]and four M224 60mm mortars.[/left][left]Every mechanized infantry company has[/left][left]three mechanized infantry platoons and a[/left][left]fire support platoon with a mortar and a[/left][left]sniper section. The mechanized infantry[/left][left]platoon has four Stryker vehicles and three[/left][left]“Javelin” ATGM launchers. The fire[/left][left]support platoon has three Mobile Gun[/left][left]System Stryker vehicles and its mortar[/left][left]section has two M286 120mm and two M224[/left][left]60mm mortars.[/left][left]The cavalry squadron (reconnaissance,[/left][left]surveillance and targeting battalion) has[/left][left]428 personnel to support the commander[/left][left]and brigade units with intelligence,[/left][left]targeting combined arms fires and assessing[/left][left]the results in near-real time. The battalion[/left][left]is organized into a headquarters, HHC,[/left][left]three reconnaissance troops and a one[/left][left]electronic surveillance troop.[/left][left]Each reconnaissance troop has three[/left][left]reconnaissance platoons, each of which is[/left][left]mounted on four reconnaissance Strykers[/left][left]each with “Javelin” ATGM launcher. Each[/left][left]platoon also has a mortar section with two[/left][left]120mm M286mm mortars.[/left][left]The electronic surveillance troop has a[/left][left]headquarters and three platoons: a UAV[/left][left]platoon with the “Shadow 200” launcher[/left][left]and three aircraft; a ground sensor platoon[/left][left]with four GSR radar and a NBC[/left][left]reconnaissance platoon mounted on three[/left][left]Fox Stryker vehicles.[/left][left]The artillery battalion has 290 personnel[/left][left]for fire support to the brigade elements. It[/left][left]has a headquarters, an HHB and two[/left][left]artillery batteries as well as a target[/left][left]acquisition platoon.[/left][left]Each artillery battery has two firing[/left][left]platoons, each platoon having three M198[/left][left]155mm towed howitzers. The target[/left][left]acquisition platoon has the Q-36 and Q-37[/left][left]radar.[/left][left]The brigade support battalion has 338[/left][left]personnel with a headquarters and three[/left][left]companies; an HHC and distribution, a[/left][left]maintenance and a medical.[/left][left]The antitank company consists of 53[/left][left]personnel who destroy armored vehicles and[/left][left]enemy strong points. The company has three[/left][left]antitank platoons and three sections —[/left][left]headquarters, fire direction and medical.[/left][left]Each antitank platoon has three TOW-2[/left][left]launchers mounted on Stryker vehicles.[/left][left]The military intelligence company has 67[/left][left]personnel that conduct reconnaissance,[/left][left]gather data and analyze it for the brigade.[/left][left]The company has a command group and two[/left][left]platoons. Each platoon is responsible for a[/left][left]separate brigade axis.[/left][left]The engineer company has 120 personnel[/left][left]to support the brigade. It has a headquarters[/left][left]and three engineer-sapper platoons and an[/left][left]engineer support platoon. Beside[/left][left]engineering equipment, the company has[/left][left]four “Javelin” ATGM launchers.[/left][left]The signal company has 74 personnel[/left][left]and supports the brigade commander, staff[/left][left]and brigade elements with various signal[/left][left]support. It has a headquarters, two signal[/left][left]platoons and a support platoon.[/left][left]The main organization difference in the[/left][left]TOE structure of the Stryker brigade is that[/left][left]it has replaced all the heavily- armored[/left][left]tracked vehicles (the M1 Abrams tank, the[/left][left]M2 and M3 Bradley Fighting and[/left][left]reconnaissance vehicles, and the Paladin[/left][left]M109A6 self-propelled howitzer) with the[/left][left]wheeled armored LA V-III vehicle, the[/left][left]Stryker, and the towed M198 howitzer. The[/left][left]weight of each of these systems does not[/left][left]exceed 19 tons.[/left][left]The Stryker is based on the Canadian[/left][left]LAV-III “Kodiak” and is named in honor of[/left][left]two US soldiers, Stewart and Robert Strykerwho[/left][left]were noted for their service in World[/left][left]War II and Vietnam. The Stryker Brigade[/left][left]has two primary types of Stryker-LA V-III[/left][left]troop carriers and LA V-III Mobile Gun[/left][left]Systems. Other specialized Stryker vehicles[/left][left]are equipped for reconnaissance, command,[/left][left]engineering support, artillery spotting, NBC[/left][left]reconnaissance and medical evacuation as[/left][left]well as mortar carriers and anti-tank[/left][left]vehicles.[/left][left]Despite its lack of M1 Abrams tanks and[/left][left]M2 and M3 Bradleys, American military[/left][left]specialists do not consider that the Stryker[/left][left]brigade is any less effective than the US[/left][left]heavy brigades. The mechanized rifle[/left][left]companies have the minimum essential fire[/left][left]power due to their organic platoons of[/left][left]Mobile Gun Systems armed with a 105mm[/left][left]cannon plus their mortar sections and a[/left][left]sniper groups.[/left][left]The brigade’s ability to conduct[/left][left]reconnaissance and command subordinate[/left][left]units is greatly enhanced by the inclusion[/left][left]of an organic cavalry squadron and an MI[/left][left]company. These units have the “Shadow[/left][left]200” UAV system and a command and[/left][left]control computerized information system[/left][left]which is under development.[/left][left]The Brigade’s TO&E was determined and[/left][left]the precise dimensions of the equipment was[/left][left]designed in order to fit in all models of US[/left][left]transportation aviation, including the C-130[/left][left]“Hercules.” This significantly enhances the[/left][left]mobility of the brigade. According to[/left][left]American experts, the unit and its equipment[/left][left]can be moved from the American continent[/left][left]to any region of the world within 96 hours.[/left][left]The most apparent weakness of a mobile[/left][left]unit is its inadequate combat power for[/left][left]penetrating a prepared defense. Second, is[/left][left]its high vulnerability to artillery fire and[/left][left]anti-tank systems during combat with a wellarmed[/left][left]opponent. The US Army Senior[/left][left]Command feels that these weaknesses can[/left][left]be offset by aviation support from the USAF,[/left][left]USN and coalition air forces. In addition,[/left][left]the brigade can be reinforced with tanks,[/left][left]artillery, air defense systems and army[/left][left]aviation from division or corps. According[/left][left]to American experts, the real assessment of[/left][left]the Stryker brigade’s combat potential will[/left][left]come only after it has fulfilled its mission[/left][left]to stabilize Iraq. One brigade has been[/left][left]stationed in Iraq since January 2004.[/left][left]The military leadership of the U.S. plans[/left][left]to field four more active-duty Stryker[/left][left]brigades by 2009. They will be the 1st[/left][left]Brigade, 25th Light Infantry Division (Fort[/left][left]Lewis, Washington), the 172nd Separate[/left][left]Infantry Brigade (Fort Wainwright,[/left][left]Alaska), the 2nd Light Cavalry Regiment[/left][left](Fort Polk, Louisiana) and 2nd Brigade,[/left][left]25th Light Infantry Division (Schofield[/left][left]Barracks, Hawaii). There will be another[/left][/font][font=arial][left]November-December 2004 [/font][font=arial]INFANTRY 39[/left][/font][font="times new roman"][left]Stryker Brigade formed from the 56th Infantry Brigade of the[/left][left]28th Infantry Division (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) of the Army[/left][left]National Guard. During the course of the transformation, there[/left][left]can be corrections made in TO&E, they can add an organic army[/left][left]aviation battalion, improve the personnel and equipment mix and[/left][left]modernize the equipment, etc.[/left][left]As a next step, the U.S. Army plans to incorporate the Future[/left][left]Combat Systems (FCS) vehicle as part of its transformation[/left][left]process. The U.S. Army will form another new type brigade, based[/left][left]on its Stryker experience, by 2010.[/left][/font][font="times new roman"][left]The TO&E of the Stryker brigade changes rapidly and the[/left][left]Russian article is slightly out-of-date. However, it has captured[/left][left]the main points and spent a lot of time on details. The article also[/left][left]ran pictures and specifications of most of the vehicles and weapons[/left][left]in the Stryker brigade.[/left][left]The Stryker brigade is similar in size and number of vehicles[/left][left]to the old Soviet BTR regiment. The Soviet BTR regiment had[/left][left]three motorized rifle battalions, an organic tank battalion, howitzer[/left][left]battalion, reconnaissance company, NBC reconnaissance and[/left][left]decontamination platoon, engineer company, signal company,[/left][left]maintenance company, transport company, medical company,[/left][left]supply platoon and band. Much of the combined-arms structure[/left][left]of the Stryker brigade is comparable to that of the older BTR[/left][left]regiment, although the Soviet regiment had much more firepower[/left][left]and the US model has much more intelligence-gathering capability.[/left][left]The Russians realize that their BTR regiments lacked breakthrough[/left][left]power and were very vulnerable to enemy artillery and anti-tank[/left][left]fires. Consequently, BTRs were never used for the main attack.[/left][left]They see similar vulnerabilities in the Stryker brigade. It is[/left][left]interesting to note what is missing from the Russian Stryker article.[/left][left]First, there is no real discussion or excitement about using[/left][left]information technology as electronic judo to outperform an[/left][left]opponent and substitute electrons for armor plate and fire power.[/left][left]The presence of advanced computers and the eventual delivery of[/left][left]advanced computerized C4ISR is noted, but not developed. Second,[/left][left]the stand-alone nature of the Stryker brigade is not accepted. The[/left][left]Russians still see this as a underpowered brigade that needs[/left][left]augmentation and lots of air support to carry out a mission when[/left][left]confronted with a well-armed, well-positioned enemy. Third, the[/left][left]air transport issue is not as important to the Russians. Russia is a[/left][left]continental power. In the days of the Soviet Union, they resolved[/left][left]their air transport issues by building wing-in-ground effect aircraft[/left][left]capable of carrying the standard tanks, self-propelled howitzers[/left][left]and armored personnel carriers. Their philosophy was to build a[/left][left]large enough aircraft to hold and move the equipment, so that the[/left][left]optimum combined-arms combat unit could be delivered. They[/left][left]see the U.S. move as sacrificing combat power and soldier[/left][left]protection for the sole purpose of fitting into existing, aging[/left][left]airframes.[/left][left]The proof of the Stryker brigade and wheeled personnel carrier[/left][left]controversy will be in combat. Russia is currently engaged in[/left][left]counterinsurgency operations in Chechnya. The United States is[/left][left]engaged in counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.[/left][left]Counterinsurgency places special demands on conventional forces[/left][left]that eventually lead to changes in training, tactics, force structure[/left][left]and equipment. Consequently, the Russians are watching the[/left][left]performance of the Stryker brigade in northwest Iraq with almost[/left][left]as much interest as the U.S. Both countries have a lot to learn[/left][left]from one another as they prepare forces to meet all the challenges[/left][left]of the future.[/left][/font][font=arial][left]Figure 1 - Stryker Brigade Organization[/left][left]40 INFANTRY [/font][font=arial]November-December 2004[/left][/font][font=arial][left]Lieutenant Colonel Lester W. Grau, U.S. Army Retired [/font][font=arial]is a retired[/left][left]infantryman and Soviet Foreign Area Officer who has published widely on[/left][left]tactics, the Soviet-Afghan War and the Central Asia Region. Author of three[/left][left]book on Afghanistan, he is working on a fourth. He is a Vietnam veteran who[/left][left]has also served as an Army civilian in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is a military[/left][left]analyst for the Foreign Military Studies Office and the current Central Command[/left][left]Fellow.[/left][/font][font=arial][left]Elena Stoyanov [/font][font=arial]is a Navy Reserve cryptologist and linguist with native[/left][left]fluency in Bulgarian and professional credentials in Russian and Serbo-[/left][left]Croatian. She currently works for the Florida Department of Health. She heads[/left]her own interpreter/translation business.[/font]

[hueglin]

To my knowledge, the MGS system has not been produced or deployed as envisioned in this diagram. I think they are using TOWs mounted on the Strykers instead.

[Neil N]

You're mostly correct. The M1128 Mobile Gun System(MGS) has been slow to be introduced. It was deployed to a combat zone for the first time this past summer in Iraq.

I can't find any information on the M1134 (armed with TOWs) as to how many have been deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan

[Raven302]

The MGS will carry four types of ammunition: a depleted-uranium armor-piercing round, a high-explosive anti-tank round, a high-explosive plastic round for blowing through walls and barricades, and a canister round filled with 2,300 tungsten ball bearings for firing on enemy fighters.
 
Stryker MGS Video. Interesting shots of the autoloading system and rear casing ejection.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41CpIA1Jytk&NR=1

[Yute]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48qH64uv ... re=related

Bam!