Military

DATE=11/3/03

TYPE=English Feature

NUMBER=7-38013

TITLE=US Army's New Stryker Debuts

BYLINE=Tom Banse

TELEPHONE=260-1623 (Editor)

DATELINE=Tacoma, Washington

EDITOR=Faith Lapidus

CONTENT=

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INTRO: The U-S Army's first new armored vehicle in twenty years is about to make its combat debut. The expensive, eight-wheel-drive troop carriers are rolling off transport ships at an undisclosed Persian Gulf port. Troops with the 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Washington will ride the vehicles from there into Iraq. As they embarked on their mission last week, the soldiers told reporter Tom Banse they are confident that any bugs or problems in the new "Stryker" have been worked out.

AUDIO: CUT 1 SFX BAND Establish, then under and lose slowly

TEXT: The U-S Army sent its "transformed" armor brigade into combat after a ceremony steeped in tradition. Nearly four thousand soldiers in desert camouflage march onto the parade field at Fort Lewis behind their regimental colors. They stand at attention as several generals inspect the perfectly straight rows of troops. Behind them, the bleachers are filled with families who snap pictures and later run onto the field to embrace loved ones who are about to rotate into Iraq. Seven-year-old Mata Leota is just old enough to comprehend the danger his father will face.

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"I'll be a little worried and I think he might get hurt, but I know he's a strong man."

TEXT: Mata's father, Sgt. Major Frank Leota says he feels well prepared on the eve of the year-long deployment. He will help lead the first combat test of new tactics built around a high-tech, nimble eight-wheel drive armored vehicle named the Stryker.

AUDIO: CUT 3 SFX STRYKER ENGINE ROARS Fade up briefly, then under and lose under Cut 4

TEXT: The drab green transporter was designed to fill a tactical gap between tanks and heavy armor that take a long time to get to the fight . and light infantry, in Humvees and trucks, that are agile but lack protection.

AUDIO: CUT 4 SFX TRAINING (GUNFIRE) Swell up for about :05, then under text and x-fade with Cut 5

TEXT: The Stryker comes with a machine gun or missile turret, is packed with electronics and has room for 9 infantrymen. It looks a little like a cross between a turtle and a truck. The brigade's soldiers have trained with their new vehicles for more than a year on different terrain in Washington state, Louisiana and the California desert.

AUDIO: CUT 5 SFX TRAINING (SHOUTING) X-fade with Cut 4 under previous text, up full briefly for soldier yelling, "This is three. If you could pull up."; then under again and lose under Cut 6

TEXT: Army Specialist Tim Cornelius says he's reasonably sure the Stryker battalion can withstand the guerilla-style warfare now being seen in Iraq.

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"If it was a truck trying to drive into us, I mean, we're pretty quick. We're just as quick as most cars are. We could always go cross country (off-road). They'd hard time keeping up with us. But as far as us standing still, I really don't know. They've got a lot of new upgrades to the armor and stuff. I really don't know what kind of blast this would take."

TEXT: Various defense analysts continue to question whether the Stryker vehicle is ready for prime time. But Brigade Commander Michael Rounds has no such doubts.

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"I know people from the outside still think that there are some bugs. I don't really see any bugs. I think we've got the normal issues within preparation that any unit has. My evaluation is, am I comfortable taking this brigade into combat? I absolutely am."

TEXT: The Ft. Lewis Brigade is expected to deploy into the volatile Sunni Triangle west of Baghdad. The Colonel's troops express confidence in the modifications the Army made to strengthen the armor on its Strykers. The U-S military's highest-ranking general, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers, says he's eager to see how the unit performs.

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"I think it will be a good test and I think what we're going to see in Iraq is [that] this system, while not built for that contingency, is going to fit into the needs over there just perfectly."

TEXT: Defense consultant Williamson Murray says he hopes the Army is honest in evaluating its new two-million-dollar a piece transporter.

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"The crucial area once we get into combat is how carefully we evaluate it. Look, the services at times have been really good about evaluating what's good and bad. At other times, they've been dreadful in terms of covering up the deficiencies of their equipment."

TEXT: The Army has a lot riding on the new brigade now rotating into Iraq. The Pentagon has already spent about four billion dollars transforming a quartet of heavy armor divisions into Stryker brigades. Congressional overseers want to see results before committing more money to the program.

For Coast to Coast, I'm Tom Banse near Tacoma, Washington.