Brigade combat team
Encyclopedia
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branch maneuver brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
, and its attached support and fire units. A brigade combat team is generally commanded by a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
(O-6), but in rare instances it is commanded by a brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
. A brigade combat team carries with it support units necessary to sustain its operations separate from its parent division. BCTs contain organic artillery support, formerly received from the division artillery (DIVARTY).
Currently, the U.S. Army is converting its brigades into the new Brigade Combat Team (BCT) Program.http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/bua.htm In this program, divisions that generally have not deployed individual brigades due to lack of integral support (1st Armored Division
U.S. 1st Armored Division
The 1st Armored Division—nicknamed "Old Ironsides"—is a standing armored division of the United States Army with base of operations in Fort Bliss, Texas. It was the first armored division of the U.S...
, 25th Infantry Division, etc.) have been restructured, giving them the ability to deploy one or more BCTs anywhere in the world. These BCTs will be able to stand on their own, like a division in miniature. The soldiers assigned to a BCT will stay at their assignment for three years; this is intended to bolster readiness and improve unit cohesion
Unit cohesion
Unit cohesion is a military concept, defined by one former United States Chief of staff in the early 1980s as "the bonding together of soldiers in such a way as to sustain their will and commitment to each other, the unit, and mission accomplishment, despite combat or mission stress"...
.
Infantry brigade combat team
Also, most units typically maneuver in HMMWVs when deployed and operate as "motorized infantry" to facilitate speed of movement. The infantry brigade combat team consists of two infantry battalions and one each cavalry (RSTA), field artillery, special troops, and support battalions.
Infantry battalion
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company
- Medical Platoon
- Reconnaissance Platoon
- Fire Support Platoon
- Mortar Platoon
- Signal Section
- Sniper Section
- Staff Section
- Rifle Company (x 3)
- Rifle Platoon (x 3)
- Mortar Section
- Motorized Heavy Weapons Company
- Heavy Weapons Platoon (x 4)
Each infantry brigade combat team consists of two infantry battalions. These two battalions will be the primary maneuver elements of the brigade and will each consist of around 650 personnel.
Cavalry Squadron (Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition)
- Headquarters and Headquarters Troop
- Medical Platoon
- Fire Support Platoon
- Staff Sections
- Mounted Reconnaissance Troop with HMMWVs (x 2)
- Cavalry Scout Platoon (x 3)
- Mortar Section
- Dismounted Reconnaissance Troop
- Infantry Scout Platoon (x 2)
- Sniper Section
- Mortar Section
Fires battalion
- Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
- Target Acquisition Section
- M119 105mm Howitzers (2 batteries x 8 guns)
Brigade special troops battalion
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company
- Military Police Platoon
- Support Platoon
- CBRNCBRNCBRN is an initialism for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear. It is used to refer to situations in which any of these four hazards have presented themselves. The term CBRN is a replacement for the cold war term NBC , which had replaced the term ABC that was used in the fifties...
Reconnaissance Platoon
- Military Intelligence Company
- Network Signal Company
- Combat Engineer Company
The brigade special troops battalion (BSTB) is a new formation of the Army. It is designed to provide command and control to the brigade combat support companies (intelligence and signals) and any company-sized attachments (such as air defense artillery or military police).
Brigade support battalion
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company
- Distribution Company
- Maintenance Company
- Medical Company
- Forward Support Company (Infantry) (x 2)
- Forward Support Company (Cavalry RSTA)
- Forward Support Company (Fires)
Stryker brigade combat team
Mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers , or infantry fighting vehicles for transport and combat ....
force structured around the Stryker
Stryker
The IAV Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled, 4-wheel-drive , armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III and produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, in use by the United States Army. The vehicle is named for two American servicemen who posthumously received the Medal of Honor:...
eight-wheeled variant of the General Dynamics
General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation is a U.S. defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world. Its headquarters are in West Falls Church , unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Falls Church area.The company has...
LAV III
LAV III
The LAV III armoured vehicle is the latest in the Generation III Light Armoured Vehicle series built by General Dynamics Land Systems, entering service in 1999. It is based on the Swiss MOWAG Piranha IIIH 8x8....
, chosen as "interim armored vehicle" for the US Army. A full Stryker brigade was intended to be C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
air transportable into theatre within 96 hours, while a division-sized force is expected to need 120 hours. The Stryker brigade is an organic combined arms
Combined arms
Combined arms is an approach to warfare which seeks to integrate different branches of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects...
unit of light armored vehicles, and is organized differently than the infantry or heavy brigade combat teams. The Stryker brigades are being used to implement network-centric warfare
Network-centric warfare
Network-centric warfare, also called network-centric operations, is a military doctrine or theory of war pioneered by the United States Department of Defense in the 1990's....
doctrines, and are intended to fill a gap between the United States' highly mobile light infantry and its much heavier armored infantry. The BCT Ground Combat Vehicle Program
BCT Ground Combat Vehicle Program
The Ground Combat Vehicle is the U.S. Army's replacement program for armored fighting vehicles in Heavy and Stryker brigade combat teams. The GCV is organized under the Follow On Incremental Capabilities Package of the BCT Modernization program. The first variant of the vehicle is to be prototyped...
is the planned successor of the interim armored vehicle.
Each Stryker brigade combat team consists of three infantry battalions, one reconnaissance (cavalry) squadron, one fires (artillery) battalion, one brigade support battalion, one brigade headquarters and headquarters company, one network support company, one military intelligence company, one engineer company, and one anti-tank company. Unlike the infantry and heavy BCTs there is neither a brigade special troops battalion nor forward support companies in the brigade support battalion for the five maneuver elements.
Reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition squadron
- Headquarters and Headquarters Troop
- Mounted Reconnaissance Troop (Stryker) (x 3)
- Surveillance Troop
Fires battalion
- Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
- 155mm Towed Firing Battery (3 batteries x 6 guns)
Brigade support battalion
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company
- Distribution Company
- Maintenance Company
- Medical Company
Individual companies
- Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company
- Military Intelligence Company
- Network Signal Company
- Combat Engineer Company
- Anti-Tank Company
Stryker vehicles
- M1126 Infantry Carrier VehicleM1126 Infantry Carrier VehicleThe M1126 Infantry Carrier Vehicle is an armoured personnel carrier and part of the Stryker family of vehicles , used by the United States Army.-General:...
- M1127 Reconnaissance VehicleM1127 Reconnaissance Vehicle-General:The RV provides an effective platform for RSTA Squadrons and battalion scouts to perform reconnaissance and surveillance operations. The RV accommodates a squad of six and an additional augmentee, for a total vehicle capacity of seven personnel....
- M1128 Mobile Gun System armed with 105 mm overhead gun for direct fire
- M1129 Mortar CarrierM1129 Mortar CarrierThe M1129 Mortar Carrier, is a 8×8 wheeled armored mortar carrier of the Stryker family of combat vehicles produced by General Dynamics Land Systems...
armed with 120 mmSoltamSoltam Systems is an Israeli Defense company located near Yokneam. The company has been developing and manufacturing advanced artillery systems, mortars, ammunition and peripheral equipment since 1952. Soltam Systems serves armed and special forces in more than 60 countries...
or 81 mm MortarMortar (weapon)A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber.... - M1130 Command VehicleM1130 Command VehicleThe M1130 Commander Vehicle is an armoured vehicle based on the Stryker platform that provides the brigade with the means to receive information and data, analyze, prepare and transmit data, and control the forces/functions carrying out combat missions....
- M1131 Fire Support VehicleM1131 Fire Support VehicleThe Fire Support Vehicle of the Stryker series provides automated enhanced surveillance, target acquisition, target identification, target tracking, target designation, position location and communications functionality...
(FSV) with targeting and surveillance sensors - M1132 Engineer Support VehicleM1132 Engineer Support VehicleThe Engineer Squad Vehicle is the variant of the Stryker vehicle issued to combat engineer squads in the US Army Stryker brigade combat teams.-General:This vehicle gives engineer squads protected transportation on the battlefield...
(ESV) - M1133 Medical Evacuation VehicleM1133 Medical Evacuation VehicleThe Medical Evacuation Vehicle is the Battalion Aid Station for brigade units, providing treatment for serious injury and advanced trauma cases.-General:...
(MEV) - M1134 Anti-Tank Guided Missile VehicleM1134 Anti-Tank Guided Missile VehicleM1134 Anti-Tank Guided Missile Vehicle is a US armored fighting vehicle from the Stryker family of vehicles. As the brigade's primary tank destroyer system, the ATGM reinforces the brigade's infantry battalion, reinforces the brigade reconnaissance squadron and provides long-range direct...
(ATGM) armed with TOWBGM-71 TOWThe BGM-71 TOW is an anti-tank missile. "BGM" is a weapon classification that stands for "Multiple Environment , Surface-Attack , Missile ". "TOW" is an acronym that stands for "Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire command data link, guided missile"...
missile - M1135 Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, Reconnaissance VehicleM1135 Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, Reconnaissance VehicleThe M1135 Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle provides nuclear, biological and chemical detection and surveillance to supply battlefield visualization of hazards.- Design :...
(NBC RV)
Heavy brigade combat team
M1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...
tanks and M2 Bradley
M2 Bradley
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle is an American fighting vehicle platform manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments, formerly United Defense.As with other infantry fighting vehicles, the Bradley is designed to transport infantry with armor protection while providing covering fire to suppress enemy...
infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs). Other vehicles, such as HMMWVs and variants of the M113 armored personnel carrier, operate in a supporting role. In the future it will also contain vehicles from the BCT Ground Combat Vehicle Program
BCT Ground Combat Vehicle Program
The Ground Combat Vehicle is the U.S. Army's replacement program for armored fighting vehicles in Heavy and Stryker brigade combat teams. The GCV is organized under the Follow On Incremental Capabilities Package of the BCT Modernization program. The first variant of the vehicle is to be prototyped...
.
The heavy brigade combat team consists of two combined arms battalions and one each armed reconnaissance (cavalry), fires (artillery), special troops, and support battalions.
Combined arms battalion
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company
- Medical Platoon
- Reconnaissance Platoon
- Sniper Section
- Mortar Platoon
- 2 TankTankA tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
Companies- 3 Tank Platoons per company (equipped with 4 M1 Abrams Tanks per platoon)
- 2 Mechanized InfantryMechanized infantryMechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers , or infantry fighting vehicles for transport and combat ....
Companies- 3 Mechanized Infantry Platoons per company (equipped with 4 M2 BradleyM2 BradleyThe Bradley Fighting Vehicle is an American fighting vehicle platform manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments, formerly United Defense.As with other infantry fighting vehicles, the Bradley is designed to transport infantry with armor protection while providing covering fire to suppress enemy...
Infantry Fighting Vehicles per platoon)
- 3 Mechanized Infantry Platoons per company (equipped with 4 M2 Bradley
Armored reconnaissance squadron
- Headquarters and Headquarters Troop
- Reconnaissance Troop (x 3)
- Scout Platoon (x 2)
- M3 BradleyM3 BradleyThe M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle is an American tracked armored reconnaissance vehicle manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments based on the Bradley Fighting Vehicle family. The M3 CFV is used by heavy armored cavalry units in the U.S. Army.-History:The M3 Bradley was originally...
Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (x 3) - M1114 Up-Armored HMMWV w/ Long-Range Advanced Scout Surveillance System (LRAS3) (x 5)
- M3 Bradley
- 120mm Mortar Section
- Scout Platoon (x 2)
Fires battalion
- Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
- 155mm SP Firing BatteryM109 howitzerThe M109 is an American-made self-propelled 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It was upgraded a number of times to today's M109A6 Paladin...
(2 batteries x 8 guns) - Target Acquisition Section
Brigade special troops battalion
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company
- Military Police Platoon
- CBRNCBRNCBRN is an initialism for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear. It is used to refer to situations in which any of these four hazards have presented themselves. The term CBRN is a replacement for the cold war term NBC , which had replaced the term ABC that was used in the fifties...
Reconnaissance Platoon
- Military Intelligence Company
- Network Signal Company
- Mechanized Combat Engineer Company
Brigade support battalion
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company
- Distribution Company
- Maintenance Company
- Medical Company
- Forward Support Company (Reconnaissance and Surveillance)
- Forward Support Company (Combined Arms) (x 2)
- Forward Support Company (Fires)
Modernization
The U.S. Army plans to implement elements of the BCT ModernizationBCT Modernization
The Brigade combat team Modernization is the United States Army's principal modernization program for Brigade combat teams from 2009 to the present...
program in 2010. This program utilizes elements from the Future Combat Systems
Future Combat Systems
Future Combat Systems was the United States Army's principal modernization program from 2003 to early 2009. Formally launched in 2003, FCS was envisioned to create new brigades equipped with new manned and unmanned vehicles linked by an unprecedented fast and flexible battlefield network...
Program that was canceled in early 2009.
The program comes in two segments. The first to be implemented would be the Early Infantry Brigade Combat Team Capability Package (Early IBCT Package) which would modernize infantry brigade combat teams. The second to be implemented would be the Follow-on Incremental Capability package which could modernize all brigades.
See also
- United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
- Transformation of the United States ArmyTransformation of the United States ArmyArmy Transformation describes the future-concept of the United States Army's plan of modernization. Transformation is a generalized term for the integration of new concepts, organizations, and technology within the armed forces of the United States....
- USMC Marine Air-Ground Task ForceMarine Air-Ground Task ForceThe Marine Air-Ground Task Force is a term used by the United States Marine Corps to describe the principal organization for all missions across the range of military operations. MAGTFs are a balanced air-ground, combined arms task organization of Marine Corps forces under a single commander that...
, for comparison - British Army Future Army Structure (Next Steps)Future Army Structure (Next Steps)Future Army Structure , or FAS is the name given to an ongoing review of the structure of the British Army, and in particular its fighting brigades.-Background:...
, for comparison - MOWAG PiranhaMowag PiranhaThe MOWAG Piranha is a family of armoured fighting vehicles designed by the Swiss MOWAG , corporation....
derived vehicles used by other forces - 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States)