Stryker industry experts and U.S. Army leaders gathered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s American Lake Conference Center, Jan. 9-10, 2023, for the annual Stryker Leader’s Summit. The two-day event gave attendees the opportunity to discuss modernization and readiness for Stryker units throughout the Army. The summit brought together Army leaders from various Stryker units, DoD civilians, and industry professionals. Static displays and demonstrations gave attendees an up-close look at the latest Stryker technologies and concepts. Association of the United States Army President, Gen. (ret.) Robert B. Brown, former commander of the United States Pacific, kicked off the summit with opening remarks.
“It’s important for us to take a day like today to understand where we’re going and what the way forward is for the Stryker. I know that the answers are here in this room right now. It’s a critical time going from modular brigade centric, to division centric, and really a return to training for full scale combat operations. Despite all the buzzwords, all of the misunderstanding out there, there’s no question that Multi-Domain Operations is the future. The Stryker brigades are the only infantry centric medium brigades in the Army. They have tremendous capability, enhanced lethality, mobility, and networked mission command,” said Lt. Gen. Xavier Brunson, commanding general of America’s First Corps.
The summit emphasized the Army’s 2030 Force Structure Initiatives and included key discussion on Stryker brigade combat team (SBCT) modernization and Stryker improvements. Leaders in attendance also discussed challenges, lessons learned and ways to maintain and improve readiness. Guests in attendance also had the opportunity to observe some of the latest technology and Strykers. One of the Strykers being showcased was the Double V-Hull A1, which is equipped with 30mm weapons and an unmanned auto-cannon. While the summit encouraged Stryker stakeholders to discuss updates and changes to the SBCT, members acknowledged that the U.S. Army’s number one priority, its people, are critical to the decision-making process.
The Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in London, Ontario. The Stryker was conceived as a family of vehicles forming the backbone of a new medium-weight brigade combat team (BCT) that was to strike a balance between heavy armor and infantry. The service launched the Interim Armored Vehicle competition, and in 2000, the service selected the LAV III proposed by GDLS and General Motors Defense. The service named this family of vehicles the “Stryker”. Ten variants of the Stryker were initially conceived, some of which have been upgraded with v-hulls.
