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Strykers land for ATEX02

by Pvt. Sara Wood

FORT IRWIN, Calif. (Army News Service, July 30, 2002) -- Demonstrating increased joint strategic deployment ability, four C-17 aircraft carrying eight Stryker Infantry Carrier vehicles and 75 soldiers from Fort Lewis, Wash., landed at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, Calif., July 25.

The Strykers and soldiers came from A Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division -- part of a Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

The role of the SBCT during the Army Transformation Experiment 2002 is to initiate the first Stryker involvement at the National Training Center on an experimental basis, said Warrant Officer Mark A. Miller, brigade mobility officer for the SBCT.

ATEX02 is part of the Millennium Challenge 2002 exercise that is designed to test military transformation concepts across the Department of Defense.

The Stryker, the Army's new eight-wheeled, interim armored vehicle, is the first major vehicle to be fielded into the Army in 14 years.

"We're going to put the vehicle through its paces and see what it can do," said Sgt. John Bartlett, vehicle commander with A Co., 5th Bn., 20th Inf. Regt.

The SBCT will demonstrate its capabilities in a live and simulated training environment during ATEx02. The SBCT is able to deploy from the U.S. to any theater within days, Bartlett said.

"It will facilitate a quick reactionary force to go into any hostile area or developing theater and serve as a deterrent," Miller said.

Because the Stryker has wheels instead of tracks, Miller said, it is easier to transport and load on and off vehicles and aircraft.

"It took us minutes to off-load with soldiers," Miller said. "That means that within minutes, we can have a lethal force rolling down the road."

The Stryker is an important part of the Army transformation because of its rapid, strategic deployability and mobility, Miller added. "It will be a vital piece of equipment in the future Army," he said.

Miller said he expects the Stryker will perform well at ATEx02 and will demonstrate the lethality of the SBCT.

(Editor's note: Pvt. Sara Wood is assigned to the 13th Public Affairs Detachment.)