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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

#R-03-027 May 5, 2003

ARMY ANNOUNCES SBCT UNIT MANNING INITIATIVE

The Army announced today that Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) Three, presently the 172d Separate Infantry Brigade, U.S. Army Alaska, will be the first Army unit manned under the Unit Manning Initiative. The Army's intent for unit manning is to improve combat readiness and cohesion while setting conditions for improved soldier and family well-being. Unit manning synchronizes the assignment of soldiers with the life cycle of their unit. This decision combines two crucial initiatives: first, transforming the Army from an individual soldier replacement system to a unit manning system that enhances cohesion, keeps trained soldiers, leaders and commanders together longer, thereby improving warfighting capability, and second, maximizing the capabilities of Army units.

Unit manning the 172d SBCT will provide the Army with an important opportunity to develop and implement evolving personnel policies tailored to both building and regenerating SBCTs. Army G-1 personnel policy officials have identified a number of personnel policies that could be improved to support unit manning and to decrease personnel turbulence. From this experience, the Army will also gain important insights for unit manning Objective Force units in support of the Army's Transformation Campaign Plan. Unit manning will enable the Army to convert current units into Objective Force units in conjunction with fielding of Future Combat Systems (FCS). The goal is a trained and ready Alaska SBCT deployable for operations from the time of its initial operating capability (IOC) in summer, 2005 and beyond.

"We are an Army at war and transforming. We must transform to be fully ready to fight and win against emerging threats and across the full spectrum of conflict. Unit manning is a part of that transformation and the Stryker Brigade Combat Teams, beginning with the 172d, are the right units for this initiative," said Secretary of the Army Thomas White.

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For more information on Unit Manning Initiative, media may contact U.S. Army Public Affairs at (703) 697-5343 / 5662 / 7550. This document is available on Army Link, a World Wide Web site on the Internet at http://www.dtic.mil/armylink/ .