Transformation of The United States Army - Modular Combat Brigades

Modular Combat Brigades

Modular combat brigades are be self-contained combined arms formations. They are standardized formations across the active and reserve components, meaning an armor brigade at Fort Hood will be the same as one at Fort Stewart. Before, different armored units had slightly different designs.

Reconnaissance plays a large role in the new organizational designs. The Army felt the acquisition of the target was the weak link in the chain of finding, fixing, closing with, and destroying the enemy. The Army felt that it had already sufficient lethal platforms to take out the enemy and thus the number of reconnaissance units in each brigade was increased. The brigades also depend on joint fires from the Air Force and Navy to accomplish their mission. As a result, the amount of field artillery has been reduced in the brigade design.

The three types of combat brigades are Heavy Brigade Combat Teams (HBCTs), Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCTs include light, air assault and airborne units), and Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (SBCTs). The organization of brigades will change, with the armored cavalry regiment serving as a model in some ways:

Armored Brigades, or ABCTs consists of 3,783 troops. Since the brigade has more organic units, the command structure includes a Deputy Commander (in lieu of the traditional Executive Officer) and a larger staff capable of working with civil-affairs, special operations, psychological operations, air defense, and aviation units. An armored brigade consists of:

• the Brigade Headquarters: 43 Officers, 17 Warrant Officers, 125 Enlisted - total: 185 men. The Commander and Deputy Commander each have a personal M2A3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
• a Brigade Special Troops Battalion or BSTB, consisting of a Headquarters Company, a Signal Company, a Military Intelligence Company with a TUAV platoon and an Engineer Company. The BSTB fields 28 Officers, 6 Warrant Officers, 470 Enlisted - total: 504 men. The Engineer company fields 13x M2A2ODS-E and 6x Assault Breacher Vehicle.
• a US Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, consisting of a Headquarters Troop and three Reconnaissance Troops. The HHT fields 2x M3A3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicles and 3x M7A3 Fire Support Vehicles armed with TOW anti-tank guided missiles, while each reconnaissance troop fields 7x M3A3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicles. The squadron fields 35 Officers and 385 Enlisted - total: 424 men.
• two Combined Arms Battalions; one from the Infantry Branch and one from the Armor Branch. Each battalion consists of a headquarters company, two armor companies and two rifle companies. The battalions field 48 Officers and 580 Enlisted each - total: 628 men. The HHC company fields 1x M1A2 main battle tank, 1x M2A3 infantry fighting vehicle, 3x M3A3 cavalry fighting vehicles, 4x M7A3 fire support vehicles and 4x M1064 mortar carriers with M120 120mm mortars. Each of the two armor companies fields 14x M1A2 main battle tanks, while each rifle company fields 14x M2A3 infantry fighting vehicles.
• a Fires battalion, consisting of a headquarters battery, two fires batteries with 8x M109A6 self-propelled 155 mm howitzers each and a target acquisition platoon. 24 Officers, 2 Warrant Officers, 296 Enlisted - total: 322 men.
• a Support battalion, consisting of a a headquarters, a medical, a distribution and a maintenance company, plus four forward-support companies, which support each one of the the three maneuver battalions, respectively the fires battalion. 61 Officers, 14 Warrant Officers, 1019 Enlisted - total: 1094 men.

Infantry brigades, or IBCTs in the new design will comprise around 3,300 soldiers. Its design includes:

• Brigade Special Troops Battalion (with the brigade headquarters, security and military police platoons, and signal, intelligence, and engineer companies)
• RSTA (Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition) squadron (with two motorized recon troops with HMMWVs with LRAS-capability, one dismounted recon troop)
• (2) Infantry Battalions (each with three infantry companies, a weapons company containing four motorized assault platoons with anti-tank capability)
• Fires battalion (with two 8-gun 105 mm Howitzer batteries, a target acquisition platoon, and joint fires cell)
• Support battalion (medical, distribution, and maintenance companies, plus four forward-support companies to support the three maneuver elements and fires battalion)

Stryker Brigades or SBCTs will comprise 3,900 soldiers, making it the largest of the three combat brigades. It was designed prior to Gen. Schoomaker's arrival and thus, unlike the other brigades, it includes three—not two—maneuver battalions in addition to a reconnaissance squadron. Its design includes:

• Headquarters Company
• Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition squadron (with three 14-vehicle, two-120 mm mortar reconnaissance troops plus a surveillance troop with UAVs and NBC detection capability)
• (3) Stryker infantry battalions (each with three infantry companies with 12 infantry-carrying vehicles, 3 mobile gun platforms, 2 120 mm mortars, and around 100 infantry dismounts each, plus scout and medical platoons and a sniper section.)
• Anti-tank company (9 TOW-equipped Stryker vehicles)
• Fires battalion (three 6-gun 155 mm Howitzer batteries, target acquisition platoon, and a joint fires cell)
• Engineer Company
• Signal Company
• Military Intelligence Company (with UAV platoon)
• Support Battalion (medical, maintenance, and distribution companies)