{"id":20321,"date":"2018-09-20T21:59:22","date_gmt":"2018-09-20T21:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/09\/20\/the-army-is-converting-two-bcts-as-it-beefs-up-its-fighting-force-for-the-next-big-war\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:12:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:12:51","slug":"the-army-is-converting-two-bcts-as-it-beefs-up-its-fighting-force-for-the-next-big-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/09\/20\/the-army-is-converting-two-bcts-as-it-beefs-up-its-fighting-force-for-the-next-big-war\/","title":{"rendered":"The Army is converting two BCTs as it beefs up its fighting force for the next big war"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Army will convert one Stryker <\/a>brigade combat team into an armored brigade combat team<\/a> next year and an infantry brigade combat team to a Stryker brigade combat team in 2020, officials announced Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This comes as the force realigns itself from 17 years of fighting<\/a> counterinsurgency warfare across the globe, to a shift toward near-peer adversaries<\/a> such as Russia<\/a> and China<\/a>, which have large formations of mechanized ground combat units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also follows increasing demand for the Army\u2019s armored brigades, which are committed to nine-month rotations in Kuwait, Korea and Germany, on top of other missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1st Armored Division\u2019s 1st Brigade Combat Team at Fort Bliss, Texas, will convert from Stryker to armored next year, while the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado, will convert from infantry to Stryker in the spring of the following year, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secretary of the Army Mark Esper said in a release that the conversion \u201censures the Army remains the world\u2019s most lethal ground combat force, able to deploy, fight and win against any adversary, anytime and anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move will see a host of changes for the soldiers at both locations, said Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson, the Army\u2019s deputy chief of staff for operations, or G-3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some soldiers will stay on post and shift to the new units, some new soldiers will come in from the various career courses and initial training. Others may decide to retrain or re-enlist to join the new units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exact numbers have not yet been calculated; that will be handled by the Army\u2019s Human Resource Analysis staff, Anderson said. But the equipment and infrastructure refurbishing and refitting will take an estimated 18 to 24 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simultaneously, individual soldier movement, training and, later, unit training to build BCT readiness for combat training center rotations will continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are very pleased with this decision. Fort Carson provides world class training opportunities for Strykers, and having another Stryker brigade combat team will improve 4th Infantry Division\u2019s lethality,” said Maj. Gen. Randy A. George, the division commander, in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2nd IBCT is currently deployed in separate operations in both Afghanistan and Kosovo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The base of the ABCT relies on the Abrams tank, Bradley Fighting Vehicle and the Paladin artillery piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move comes after last year\u2019s conversion of the 3rd Infantry Division\u2019s 2nd BCT at Fort Stewart, Georgia, from an infantry brigade to an armored brigade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That will put the Army at a total of 31 BCTs in the regular Army, comprised of 11 armored. 13 infantry and seven Stryker brigades once complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army National Guard will hold 27 BCTs, among them five armored, 20 infantry and two Stryker brigades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This gives the total Army 58 BCTs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
U.S. Soldiers with 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division prepare their M1 Abrams tanks for movement during Decisive Action Rotation 17-04 at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif., Feb. 17, 2017. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. David Devich, Operations Group, National Training Center).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This announcement also comes after a recent announcement by U.S. Army Europe that it will add 1,500 soldiers to the current force strength of 33,000 troops in Germany by September 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those forces will include a field artillery brigade headquarters, two multiple-launch rocket system battalions, a short-range air defense battalion and supporting units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were five installations reviewed for these latest conversions \u2014 Fort Bliss, Fort Carson, Fort Riley in Kansas, Fort Stewart, and Fort Hood in Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fort Bliss and Fort Carson won out primarily for two reasons: their extensive training areas and their ability to provide force projection, or deploy rapidly or move equipment to theater, Anderson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t