<strong>Stryker</strong> <strong>Brigade</strong> <strong>Combat</strong> <strong>Teams</strong> <strong>Need</strong> <strong>Forward</strong> <strong>Support</strong> Companies by Li e u t e n a n t co L o n e L da n ny F. tiLzey, Ma j o r Gary KaSavicha, a n d Ma j o r charLeS X. ro t e 26 JULY–AUGUST 2008
Heavy and infantry brigade combat teams are organized with forward support companies. The authors believe the <strong>Stryker</strong> brigade should be no different. The Army needs to build the sustainment capability of the <strong>Stryker</strong> brigade combat team (SBCT). The SBCT, which currently has equipment, personnel, and capability shortfalls, needs to be better equipped for future conflicts that will occur in immature theaters of varying levels of intensity. The Army is proposing to add Soldiers to the SBCT table of organization and equipment (TOE) to increase the capability of the brigade support battalion (BSB). As it currently stands, the BSB consists of a headquarters and headquarters company (HHC), a distribution company, a maintenance company, and a medical company. In this article, we propose how to slot BSB Soldiers most effectively and recommend TOE changes that would more adequately support the SBCT, namely by creating forward support companies (FSCs). (See chart on page 28.) While the SBCT has been overwhelmingly successful throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), the brigade’s inherent capability gaps must be addressed if it is going to operate in more austere environments during future conflicts. The SBCT needs to be redesigned to bridge the gap between its modular organization and that of its counterparts, the heavy brigade combat team (HBCT) and the infantry brigade combat team (IBCT). The Bottom Line Using existing personnel and equipment in its inventory, the Army can increase the SBCT’s BSB sustainment capability with the addition of 238 personnel and associated equipment. This increase would expand the BSB’s sustainment capability from 4 companies to 10 and would add logistics capability to the SBCT by placing an FSC in each battalion. Even with this proposed change, SBCT units would retain a simple support structure. To put the proposed increase in perspective, we can look at the modification TOE (MTOE) of our SBCT, the 2d <strong>Stryker</strong> Cavalry Regiment (2d SCR). According to its MTOE, dated 16 June 2007, the 2d SCR’s authorized strength is 4,039. The 2d SCR’s regimental support squadron (RSS), which is the equivalent of a BSB, is currently authorized 722 personnel. The Army can maximize the 2d SCR’s combat power while minimizing the overall footprint ARMY LOGISTICIAN PROFESSIONAL BULLETIN OF UNITED STATES ARMY LOGISTICS by realigning assets, such as field feeding teams and combat repair teams, under FSCs. The result of this realignment would be a total of 960 logistics Soldiers supporting the brigade in the RSS and FSCs. History of the SBCT The SBCT was originally developed to be a lethal, rapidly deployable, technologically advanced fighting force. The interim BCT, as the SBCT was known in its infancy, was envisioned by then Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki as a medium force that would essentially bridge the gap between the light and heavy divisions. This force would be quick to deploy, yet it would maintain adequate firepower to engage any enemy threat. Originally, the interim BCT was going to consist of 5 maneuver battalions, a support battalion, and 6 separate companies totaling approximately 3,900 personnel. Under the original organization, the support battalion consisted of only 318 Soldiers. To increase the number of maneuver units in the brigade by one infantry battalion, all sustainment power was consolidated in the support battalion (borrowing from the Force XXI concept of aligning the support and maintenance platoons in the support battalion). This reduced the sustainment capability to a level lower than what was found in traditional heavy or light brigades. The absence of support platoons in the maneuver battalions placed the entire mission of supporting all SBCT sustainment operations on an undersized support battalion. In October 2001, the interim BCT was tested in a series of exercises in Yakima, Washington. These exercises determined that the size of the support battalion was inadequate to provide sufficient sustainment to the brigade. To fill the shortfall, 300 personnel were added to the MTOE, bringing the total number of support personnel to 618. The increase included the formation of a separate combat service support company (CSSC) in an attempt to augment the brigade’s sustainment capability. The CSSC personnel were quickly absorbed into the BSB during training and garrison requirements, and the company was dropped from the SBCT TOE in fiscal year 2004. The interim BCT officially became the SBCT in its current form on 24 September 2002, and it has performed admirably during five rotations in support of OIF. Two Soldiers from the Regimental <strong>Support</strong> Squadron, 2d <strong>Stryker</strong> Cavalry Regiment, work on the hydraulic system of a load-handling system, which is a key transportation platform for moving critical classes of supply throughout the operating environment. 27
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