The most recent dedicated FoV is the Stryker, designed from day one to provide a common chassis upon which to build a variety of brigade-level vehicles: Infantry Carrier, Mobile Gun System, Mortar Carrier, Engineer, Command & Control (C2), Medical Evacuation, Reconnaissance, NBC Reconnaissance, Fire Support, and Anti-Tank Guided Missile vehicles.
“The Stryker was the biggest development in the 2000s. Three days before 9/11, we signed the contract for the Stryker; 18 months later, it was in the field,” Talbot explained. “It changed the game in terms of technology insertion because of its ability to expand and modernize. It was designed from the beginning with all the variants, not just taking the platform and finding another variation. You have 10 variants of the Stryker with all common parts, which makes it a lot easier for contracting, acquisition, and logistics.
U.S. Army soldiers from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division engage targets at 200 to 1,000 meters during a live fire training exercise Sept. 19, 2012, at Pohakuloa Training Area, on Hawaii. U.S. Army photo
“Stryker also changed the dynamics of the battle. You can hear an Abrams tank coming; you can’t hear a Stryker, which is quiet and resilient as hell. So you’ve added another element as we change the force structure to the brigade combat team, with the Stryker at its center, as a self-contained battle group. It’s almost plug and play – what do you need, add the right force package and away you go, in 24 to 48 hours.”
The Stryker FoV also changed both contracting and technology insertion for the nation’s ground forces. Built with the ability to expand and modernize – an old concept given battle-ready life – Stryker platforms have seen constant updates in armor, systems integration, and computerization.
Stryker contracting also benefited from the Marine Corps’ experience with its LAV (Light Armored Vehicle), built by General Dynamics Land Systems Canada and based on the Swiss MOWAG Piranha I eight-wheeled family of armored fighting vehicles. Procured by the Marine Corps in the 1980s, the LAV FoV includes:
- LAV-AT (Anti-Tank);
- LAV-M (Mortar);
- LAV-AD (Air Defense);
- LAV-R (Recovery);
- LAV-C2 (Command & Control);
- LAV-LOG (Logistics);
- LAV-MEWSS (Mobile Electronic Warfare Support System); and
- LAV-EFSS (Expeditionary Fire Support System)
“When the Marines took their LAVs into Afghanistan in 2002-03, the production schedule of Stryker was increased because the Marine LAVs had done so well – and the Stryker is essentially LAV 2.5,” Talbot continued. “From 2003 until 2011, there was at least one SBCT [Stryker Brigade Combat Team] in Iraq. Two years before that, they didn’t exist.”
In the current force, largely built up to handle the demands of combat in Southwest Asia since 9/11, a number of FoV have contributed to the war effort, not only through added capability, but also reduced logistics and maintenance requirements.
“From a logistics and supply standpoint, if you’re buying in bulk, the FoV system really works. Just imagine having to ship 14 different kinds of tires and keeping them sorted,” he added. “Now, everybody uses the same tire.”
TACOM’s Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems (PEO GCS) is the U.S. focal point in upgrading existing and leading the design and development of the Army’s advanced FoV, including robotics and unmanned ground systems. As set out in the PEO GCS mission and vision statements, their task is to “pursue commonality and interoperability by leveraging common ground combat vehicle standards and systems – reducing system support costs and logistical footprint across the portfolio of ground combat platforms … execute life cycle management of the world’s best ground combat systems in a collaborative learning environment by developing, acquiring and supporting modernized and affordable systems with common integrated capabilities, always focusing on the needs of the joint warfighter.”