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| Iraq |
| Finally some good news from the Stryker brigade |
| 2003-12-10 |
| Edited for brevity. As Army chaplains and support groups notified families yesterday of the first fatalities among Fort Lewis’ Stryker brigade in Iraq, the unit recorded its first successes against insurgents. In fact, part of the brigade took the Stryker’s first prisoners yesterday when it surprised Iraqi insurgents who had intended to attack U.S. troops with a homemade road mine, ABC news reported. The brigade also raided a home nearby, confiscating a cache of rocket-propelled grenades, dynamite and mortars. In a 24-hour period, ABC news producer Mike Gudgell, who works out of KOMO-TV in Seattle, reported that the Strykers have been shot at, mortared, lost three troops in a rollover accident and taken their first captives. The brigade’s fast new Stryker vehicle, quieter than the Bradley infantry carriers it replaced, is credited with sneaking up and capturing two Iraqis trying to tie together and bury two mortar tubes in the road. The homemade bombs are often set off remotely with a cell phone or door-opening device. But catching Iraqis in the act of planting them has been rare, Gudgell reported. Hopefully the first of many successful engagements to come! |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #4 Anti Armor weapons are getting good enough that nothing short of a M1 is in trouble. The bigger issue now is catching terrorists. Tracked vehicles are just too noisy. Hummers are not armored enough and do not carry any of the advanced thermal equipment. The Stryker is wheeled, quick, has advanced thermals, and most importantly, quiet. As the article states, instead of telegraphing their approach allowing either a EID or ambush, the Stryker was able to sneak up on them. Once the marines go back in next year I bet you will see wide use of their LAV's also. An additional benefit of the Stryker Brigade is that they apparently have a heavier infantry component than the 3rd/4th id's do. I feel this type of unit is better suited to the type of combat going on in Iraq right now. |
| Posted by: Patrick 2003-12-10 2:34:01 PM |
| #3 I hope the money invested into buying glorified armored cars will not be missed elsewhere by US soldiers (wasn't there a report about a family having to provide bodyarmor to its son?). Would a modified M113 have been better? We'll find out in the months ahead. Still, a Stryker is way better than a Humvee for carrying out anti-guerrilla operations. It's also probably quieter because it's not a tracked vehicle (less clanking). |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2003-12-10 1:57:37 PM |
| #2 The Stryker should be ideal for the Iraq mission. It can move faster and more quietly than a Bradley or Abrams, but is not as heavily armored. Most of the "high tech" stuff is communication gear and electronics, not the basic running gear of the vehicle iteself. It does have a nifty remote weapon platform on the roof that the soldiers can fire from within the vehicle. It will be interesting to see how that works. |
| Posted by: remote man 2003-12-10 1:35:39 PM |
| #1 Seeing it from a total outsider's pov (not Us, not military-type), I'm very skeptical about the Strykers; seems like a overindulged high tech-toy. I hope the money invested into buying glorified armored cars will not be missed elsewhere by US soldiers (wasn't there a report about a family having to provide bodyarmor to its son?). |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-12-10 12:56:51 PM |