Strykers take first step in move to Fort Carson

By Bill Good, PEO Ground Combat SystemsFebruary 19, 2014

1-4 SBCT
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The first group of the Double V-hull Strykers arrives at Fort Carson, Colo. The Strykers' arrival marks the beginning of a force restructure that will transition the Army's 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, to a Stryker Brigade ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Stryker Train
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WARREN, Mich. (Feb. 19, 2014) -- Earlier this month, the first Double V-Hull Stryker vehicles began to arrive at Fort Carson, Colo., just weeks after the Army announced the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, would convert to a Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

Planning for the movement of the Strykers began in October, when the Army decided to revamp its force structure and field Double V-Hull, known as DVH, Strykers at Fort Carson.

"When we received word that 1-4 would be the first stateside brigade, our team went to work immediately to help facilitate the transition," said David Dopp, project manager for the Army's Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT).

In November, PM SBCT sent a facility reconnaissance team to Colorado to learn all they could about the Strykers new home and to begin planning for the move. Shortly after the Army announced the transition in January, they facilitated the new material introductory brief to the brigade commander and his staff.

"The new material introductory brief is a vital piece to fielding a combat vehicle to a new unit. It really breaks it down into two parts. The first is a detailed explanation of the Stryker and all of its characteristics. The second allows us to synchronize transition efforts with the gaining unit, agree on the schedule of events, and to align all of the administrative details that make a complex movement like this happen," said Catherine Doherty, team Stryker's chief of operations and fleet management.

The arrival of the Strykers marks the beginning of a 10-month transition period for Fort Carson where their existing heavy combat vehicles, like the Abrams tank and the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, will be moved out to make room for the lighter, more agile Stryker wheeled vehicle.

The first Strykers to arrive are just the beginning -- over 300 in total are scheduled to arrive to complete the brigade.

"The Soldiers from the 1-4 did a great job preparing to receive the first group of vehicles from the rail yard. We had a very short window to off load the Strykers and we wouldn't have been able to meet our time table without them. It was a great team effort in the cold weather," added Doherty.

The next step in the transition begins in March, when PM SBCT will begin conducting new equipment training with the 1-4 Soldiers.

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Related Links:

Brigade combat teams cut at 10 posts will help other BCTs grow

Army to convert brigade combat team at Fort Carson

Army.mil: North America News

STAND-TO!: Army Force Structure Changes

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