Do Stryker Brigade Combat Teams Need Forward Support ...

Army level on at least two separate occasions through
the equipment common operating picture, but it still
has not been resourced. In order to man the MEVs, an
additional 15 healthcare specialists (MOS 68W) are
needed to fill the requirement for a third crewmember
in each MEV. The three Soldiers that are required in
the vehicle are a driver, a vehicle commander, and a
medical attendant for patient care on site and during
movement.
The SBCT’s medical capability can be strengthened
in other ways as well. The brigade medical warehouse
must be authorized a school-trained medical logistics
officer (area of concentration 70K) in the grade of first
lieutenant. The brigade medical supply office mission
requires pharmaceuticals and narcotics management,
so an additional pharmacy specialist (MOS 68Q) also
must be added to the MTOE.
Meeting the Most Unforeseen Circumstances
A strong comparison can be made between the
FSC’s relationship to a battalion and the old forward
support battalion’s relationship to a brigade. One
capability that should be considered for the BSB is
the ability to replace the personnel and equipment in
an FSC, just as the main support battalion was able to
do in the old division support command. In the future,
the U.S. military’s undisputed dominance of a theater
of operations may not be as certain as it has been in
recent times. The ability to reconstitute an FSC that
is rendered ineffective by an enemy would enable the
SBCT to be a strategically responsive force.
In order to supply a replacement FSC, the BSB
MTOE would have to contain redundant personnel and
equipment. For example, the HHC would maintain a
field feeding team that is manned with enough cooks
and equipment to be able to push personnel and equipment
to a maneuver FSC in the event that the FSP is
rendered incapable of performing its mission. The
distribution company would retain enough personnel
and equipment to replace the FSC’s loss of fuel
and transportation assets. The maintenance company
would have a CRT embedded in the wheeled vehicle
repair platoon that could quickly detach and fill the
requirements of the FSC’s maintenance support platoon,
if needed. This design would allow commanders
to pull individual sections or resource an entire FSC.
The BSB, as a customer, would normally use the brigade
special troops battalion’s FSC for food service,
distribution, and maintenance support.
The use of FSCs will allow maneuver battalions to
conduct autonomous operations across a spectrum of
conflict. Fundamentally, an SBCT must see first, understand
first, act first, and finish decisively; it does this
by incorporating digital capability into the combined
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arms fight and by relying on intelligence that is available
within the brigade. The FSC is nested in the concept
that “intelligence drives maneuver.” FSCs allow
maneuver battalions to plan and execute operations
without relying on additional support. An LST could
never support a maneuver battalion without significant
augmentation. Combat operations in OIF 04–06 and
OIF 07–09 demonstrated the importance of battlefield
agility; future operations will be no different.
As the Army continues to transform and redesign
its fighting forces, changes needed for the support battalion
to meet the brigade’s sustainment requirements
become more apparent. The current capabilities of
an SBCT BSB are not adequate to support seven battalions
and maintain the flexibility needed to push sustainment
assets where and when they are needed. The
BSB’s capability gaps will only continue to expand
when the SBCT has to perform tactical operations in a
logistically undeveloped theater. A determined enemy
that can operate in land combat operations and pose
an increased threat will take advantage of these gaps.
We believe that the resources proposed in this article
will provide the BSB with the capability to meet the
sustainment requirements of current and future SBCT
missions. Now is the time to address these requirements
and develop a TOE that will allow this premier
fighting organization to meet the warfighting challenges
presented now and in the future. ALOG
Li e u t e n a n t co L o n e L Da n n y f. tiLzey iS t h e c o M-
M a n D e r o f t h e re G i M e n t a L Support SQ u a D r o n,
2D StryKer cavaLry re G i M e n t, w h i c h iS c u r r e n t L y
SupportinG operation ir a Q i freeDoM 07–09. he
h a S ServeD in variouS a S S i G n M e n t S aS a S c o u t,
LoGiStician, e D u c a t o r, t r a i n e r, Joint p L a n n e r, a n D
c o M M a n D e r. he iS a G r a D u a t e o f Sa L f o r D coLLeGe,
fL o r i D a inStitute o f te c h n o L o G y, a n D So u t h e r n
co n n e c t i c u t State univerSity.
Ma J o r Gary KaSavicha iS t h e executive officer o f
t h e re G i M e n t a L Support SQ u a D r o n a n D iS c u r r e n t L y
DepLoyeD in Support o f operation ir a Q i freeDoM
07–09. he h a S been previouSLy aSSiGneD in Sbct
u n i t S aS a Support o p e r a t i o n S officer, Support
o p e r a t i o n S p L a n S officer, a n D forwarD M a i n t en
a n c e coMpany c o M M a n D e r. he iS a G r a D u a t e o f
Si e n a coLLeGe.
Ma J o r ch a r L e S x. ro t e iS t h e r e G i M e n t a L Support
o p e r a t i o n S officer f o r t h e 2D StryKer cavaLry re G i-
M e n t. in o t h e r Sbct a S S i G n M e n t S, h e c o M M a n D e D
a M a i n t e n a n c e coMpany a n D w a S t h e r e G i M e n t a L
S–4. he receiveD a MaSter’S D e G r e e in Defence S t u DieS
f r o M Ki n G'S coLLeGe Lo n D o n w h iL e a t t e n D i n G
t h e un i t e D Ki n G D o M'S Jo i n t ServiceS co M M a n D a n D
Staff coLLeGe.
JULY–AUGUST 2008