The event, specifically tailored to the Stryker brigade combat teams fielding the newest Strykers and updated equipment, also hosted industry professionals and other stakeholders to learn more about the newest capabilities and modernization plans for the Army. (U.S. Army photo by: Spc. Kourtney Nunnery) VIEW ORIGINAL
The staff section that Grable is a part of is the information warfare enterprise staff section of I Corps that is constantly seeking new information about equipment available to those in their field. (U.S. Army photo by: Staff Sgt. Christina Westover) VIEW ORIGINAL
The conference covered topics such as technology integration and convergence, which was specifically tailored to the Stryker brigade combat teams fielding the newest Strykers and updated equipment.
“What you have within the Stryker brigade is the potential to achieve convergence-like effects because of what you can do in that formation,” said Lt. Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commanding general of America’s First Corps. “We always talk about ‘fire’ but it’s important to look at the effects achieved across multiple domains.” (U.S. Army photo by: Spc. Kourtney Nunnery) VIEW ORIGINAL
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash.— America’s First Corps hosted the annual Stryker Leader’s Summit, also known as the Stryker Warfighter Forum, inviting industry professionals, Department of Defense civilians, and Leaders from Stryker brigade combat teams across the Army, Jan. 23-24, 2024, at JBLM’s American Lake Conference Center. The two-day event gave the opportunity for discussions about modernization of equipment, readiness of Soldiers, and the newly fielded Stryker equipment across the U.S. Army. The conference covered topics such as technology integration and convergence, which was specifically tailored to the Stryker brigade combat teams fielding the newest Strykers and updated equipment.
“What you have within the Stryker brigade is the potential to achieve convergence-like effects because of what you can do in that formation,” said Lt. Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commanding general of America’s First Corps. “We always talk about ‘fire’ but it’s important to look at the effects achieved across multiple domains.”
Stryker brigades are particularly unique due to the mobility and the advanced ability to command and control from a wide-range network. The Stryker, though it has had many evolutions and updates since its’ fielding in 2002, is still the premier medium-weight vehicle used in the U.S. military today.
“Our unit has a broad swath of capabilities,” said Col. Andy Gallo, commander of the 2-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division. “As a combined arms formation, we have incredible mobility - we can take the fight to any adversary very quickly and very aggressively with a whole suite of various weapons systems and capabilities.”
Along with discussion of new technological improvements, the modernization and transformation of training became the main focus. This shift in priority ensures that new Soldiers entering the Army are trained to be more advanced and more lethal than ever before.
“There’s this component of discipline that's a part of this as well,” said Brunson. “We have to discipline ourselves to do the things that we need to do in the absence of a materiel solution. We have to talk about these things and then get out there and shape that requirement from the field.”
During the conference, the attendees were divided into smaller groups to discuss lessons learned from their respective positions to determine solutions to obstacles they’ve seen in training. Brigade command teams discussed how the equipment performed in deployed environments and training, highlighting some hurdles and possible solutions from their perspectives.
“Everyone at this conference has a different perspective of how the Army should modernize or improve based on what their position is,” said Sgt. Maj. Ryan Longacre, the Stryker Warfighter Forum’s sergeant major. “The important thing about this conference is how we’re all collaborating together to work towards the same goal - improving our formations and increasing lethality on the battlefield. When we talk about modernizing SBCTs, it’s always about the vehicles. The main difference with this conference is that we’re not just talking about the Strykers, we’re talking about the squads, because the squads are the most lethal fighting function we have.”
One of the guest speakers, Brig. Gen. Monte Rone, the commandant of the U.S. Army Infantry School and director of the Future Soldier Lethality Cross Functional Team, spoke about how the training for infantry Soldiers has changed to adapt to the needs of more cohesive and lethal teams.
“At the end of the day, our main effort at the U.S. Army Infantry School is to educate, train and develop infantry Soldiers and leaders,” said Rone. “We want to ensure that when they arrive at your unit on day zero, they’re prepared to be part of a formation because we don’t fight as individuals, we fight as a team.”
Modernization extends past Strykers and other vehicle platforms. The training and cohesion of teams has become a trending topic that will continue to be developed in forums and round table discussions within the Army. These priorities correlate with the overarching goal of transforming the military into a Multi-Domain Force, aligning with the Army Modernization strategy.
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