Close Support

In October 1999, the Army proposed to change its organization based on the emerging security challenges of the twenty-first century. The Army Chief of Staff, General Eric Shinseki, charged the Army staff and commands to develop a future force capable of responding more rapidly to the full spectrum of likely operations. Army Transformation has begun with the shift in focus from large, heavy armored vehicles that are very survivable to a more lightly armored force that is "strategically responsive and dominant at every point on the spectrum of conflict." The first organizational manifestation of this change is the Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT). The transformation to this organization will be achieved through changes in doctrine and training as well as technology.