Replacing Strykers with light vehicles: the United States Army's new idea

In 1999, the United States Army launched a plan to bridge a gap between two of its vehicles for operational areas.

Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), the solution to a problem created with the successor to the Humvee
Ford M151 MUTT, the almost forgotten successor to the Jeep Willys and predecessor to the Humvee

The birth of the Stryker and the gap it filled

The US Army wanted a new, highly mobile armored vehicle, the IAV (Interim Armored Vehicle), that would be a middle ground between the protection of a tracked M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and the fast but poorly protected Humvee tactical vehicles. In November 2000, General Motors Defense and General Dynamics Land Systems won the IAV competition with the LAV III, the Canadian version of the Swiss MOWAG Piranha 8x8 armored vehicle. In February 2002, the US Army renamed the IAV: Stryker.

Ten years later, the U.S. Army had nearly 4,200 Strykers in service. Its deployment in the wars from Afghanistan to Iraq revealed certain shortcomings that were addressed with additional armor, improved suspension, and wider tires, among other upgrades. The vehicle demonstrated extremely high operational availability rates, and in 2006 the U.S. Army began reorganizing some units around the Stryker, as the basis for a new concept.

Currently, the U.S. Army has 9 Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (SBCTs), brigades that offer greater mobility and faster deployment than Armored Brigades and more protection than Infantry Brigade Combat Teams. The 9 Stryker Brigades are divided into 7 active-duty units and 2 assigned to the National Guard.

The US replaces a brigade's Strykers with ISVs

In July 2015, the Washington Military Department announced that the Washington National Guard's 81st Armored Brigade Combat Team, which currently operates M1A1 Abrams tanks and M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, would be converted into a Stryker Brigade. The transition began in September 2016.

Nine years later, new changes are coming to that brigade. A few days ago, Army Recognition reported that the U.S. Department of War has begun transforming the 81st Stryker Combat Brigade. This change radically alters the transformation that began ten years ago in that unit: "The brigade is phasing out its Stryker 8x8 armored vehicles in favor of lighter Infantry Squad Vehicles, or ISVs, developed through a GM Defense and Polaris partnership. Army planners describe the move as a test case for new “mobile” formations intended to move faster, deploy farther, and survive in contested zones where heavy armor may not be practical", notes Army Recognition.

This decision is somewhat shocking. It was during the Battle of Mogadishu (1993) that the US Army discovered the shortcomings of its Humvees, which offered high mobility but little protection. A significant portion of the 19 American soldiers killed in that battle died due to these deficiencies in protection.

The Infantry Squad Vehicles (ISV)

Infantry Squad Vehicles (ISVs) are excellent options for airborne units, as they offer a highly mobile solution for light infantry units during deployments. These vehicles can be transported inside CH-47 Chinook helicopters or as a suspended load from UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. The ISV is largely based on the components of a Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 pickup truck. It can carry up to nine fully equipped soldiers.

However, ISVs may be insufficient for protected infantry units, which are the ones that need armored vehicles to deploy in combat zones under enemy fire. In fact, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated that the Stryker's shortcoming is not its mobility, but its lack of protection, especially against the threat of suicide drones. This remains a challenge for many allied armies.

Poland wants the Strykers that the US is retiring from service

The paradox is that while the US Army is initiating this program to replace Strykers with ISVs, several allied armies are developing programs to equip themselves with 6x6 and 8x8 armored vehicles. One of them is Spain, with the VCR Dragón 8x8 program.

It so happens that Poland has already expressed interest in acquiring the Strykers that the US Army is retiring from service as part of its shift towards ISVs, as reported yesterday by the Polish website Defence24.pl. Poland aims to acquire these armored vehicles at no cost through the US Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program.

TRACKX, Finland's solution

In September, I already pointed out here that Finland could opt for the same strategy as the US with the Patria TRACKX, an armored vehicle that prioritizes mobility over protection to adapt to the challenging environments of that Nordic country. On this matter, what do you think is the most appropriate solution? Let me know in the comments section of this article.

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Photos: U.S. Department of Defense / U.S. Army / U.S. National Guard.