From Transformation to Combat: The First Stryker Brigade at War
Mark J. Reardon · Jeffery Charlston · Jeffery A. Charlston
Jan 2007 · Government Printing Office
Ebook
73
Pages
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The Stryker battalion that fought at Tall Afar had capabilitiesthat the U.S. Army force in Somalia lacked. Although the American soldiers inboth engagements had similarskills and equipment, the Stryker-equippedunit also had the advantage of accessto real-time intelligence; responsivejoint firepower; mobile, armor-protected combat systems; and sharedawareness down to the squad level. The advantages the unit s communications offered in this case were not always present in its other operations, where the enemy employed weapons and tactics that allowed himto blend easily into the civilian population; but the force s technologicaladvantages at Tall Afar made a decided difference.
The crucial test of the Stryker Brigade, and of Army Transformation, did not take place in a laboratory or amid the dusty trails and hillsof Fort Irwin s National Training Center. It came in Iraq, where thesoldiers of the Stryker Brigade faced a resilient and dedicated foe. Theeffort cost the unit over the course of that year a total of 13 combatdeaths, 13 noncombat deaths, and some 300 other casualties. The priceto its opponents was immeasurably greater.
The fielding of the initial Stryker Brigade represented but the firststep in an ongoing processto change the nation s Army. The entire force, not just a few select organizations, must be capable of providing combatcommanders with well-led, well-trained, and well-equipped fightingunits. The scope of this effort becomes apparent only with a realization70that the Army is focusing not only on organizational and technologicalsolutions but also on the military culture that gives those attributes their strength: the sum total of the training, education, and leadership qualities of the people who make change happen. Throughout the process, the American soldier will figure large, for he is the centerpiece of the entire organization.
The Stryker battalion that fought at Tall Afar had capabilitiesthat the U.S. Army force in Somalia lacked. Although the American soldiers inboth engagements had similarskills and equipment, the Stryker-equippedunit also had the advantage of accessto real-time intelligence; responsivejoint firepower; mobile, armor-protected combat systems; and sharedawareness down to the squad level. The advantages the unit s communications offered in this case were not always present in its other operations, where the enemy employed weapons and tactics that allowed himto blend easily into the civilian population; but the force s technologicaladvantages at Tall Afar made a decided difference.
The crucial test of the Stryker Brigade, and of Army Transformation, did not take place in a laboratory or amid the dusty trails and hillsof Fort Irwin s National Training Center. It came in Iraq, where thesoldiers of the Stryker Brigade faced a resilient and dedicated foe. Theeffort cost the unit over the course of that year a total of 13 combatdeaths, 13 noncombat deaths, and some 300 other casualties. The priceto its opponents was immeasurably greater.
The fielding of the initial Stryker Brigade represented but the firststep in an ongoing processto change the nation s Army. The entire force, not just a few select organizations, must be capable of providing combatcommanders with well-led, well-trained, and well-equipped fightingunits. The scope of this effort becomes apparent only with a realization70that the Army is focusing not only on organizational and technologicalsolutions but also on the military culture that gives those attributes their strength: the sum total of the training, education, and leadership qualities of the people who make change happen. Throughout the process, the American soldier will figure large, for he is the centerpiece of the entire organization.
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