Army to keep Stryker brigade in Hawaii
Posted : Wednesday Apr 16, 2008 11:04:38 EDT
HONOLULU — The Army on Tuesday said it has made a final decision to base a Stryker brigade at Schofield Barracks on Oahu and to train the unit at Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island, citing strategic advantages provided by the islands.
The conclusion comes even though environmentalists have raised concerns about the unit’s 19-ton Stryker vehicles damaging Hawaii’s fragile environment and cultural sites.
The service first decided to base the brigade in Hawaii several years ago as part of an Army-wide effort to be ready for rapid deployment to hotspots around the world. In 2005, it started transforming a light infantry brigade at Schofield into a Stryker brigade, a unit of 4,000 soldiers and 310 eight-wheeled Stryker vehicles.
But the Army was forced to reconsider its decision in response to a federal appeals court order. The judges said the Army needed to prepare an environmental impact statement that thoroughly analyzed alternatives to basing the force in Hawaii before it reached a conclusion.
The Army study, which was completed in February, considered basing the brigade in Alaska or Colorado.
On Tuesday, the Army said in a press release Hawaii was selected because the islands allow the military to meet its strategic defense and national security needs.
Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of U.S. Army, Pacific, said the decision would send a powerful signal to friends and enemies that the U.S. is committed to its interests in the Asia-Pacific region.
“The Stryker brigade’s capabilities significantly increase our ability to win any conflict in the Pacific,” Mixon said. “We know that Hawaii has limited space and beautiful natural resources. We will continue to protect them.”
Hawaii’s Democratic U.S. Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka praised the announcement, saying they believed the Army evaluated and weighed environmental and security considerations when making its decision.
“We can and must find a balance between preserving Hawaii’s natural and cultural resources, and our need to make sure our brave men and women in the military have the training they need to fulfill their missions,” Akaka said.
U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, said he “looked forward to reading the decision in detail and understanding the Army’s rationale.”
David Henkin, an Earthjustice lawyer who represented environmentalists and Native Hawaiian groups in the court case, said a preliminary review of the Army’s decision provided some welcome news.
He pointed to the part where the Army said it would consider building a live-fire training range alternative to Makua Military Reservation, which is located in a valley Native Hawaiians consider sacred.
Henkin’s clients had been concerned that the Stryker brigade would occupy space that could be used for live-fire training instead of Makua Military Reservation.
The Army’s official Record of Decision addressed that concern, Henkin said.
“It’s a very positive development because it indicates that finally there is an openness to at least evaluating alternative locations to Makua,” Henkin said.
The Army considers Makua vital to soldier readiness but Native Hawaiian groups value the remote valley for its temples and other sacred and cultural sites. Environmentalists point to several dozen endangered species that inhabit the valley.
Henkin said he was still reviewing the rest of the document to see whether it provides enough information for the reasons behind Hawaii’s selection.
The brigade will also train at Oahu locations, including Schofield Barracks, Dillingham Military Reservation, Kahuku Training Area, Kawailoa Training Area and Wheeler Army Airfield.
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May- 4-2005 » Filed Under: 2/25 SBCT
Link to Full Article
By William Cole, Honolulu Advertiser
After four years, a 3,000-page environmental impact report and a federal lawsuit, the Army�s planned Stryker brigade for Hawaii appears to be a reality.
And not a minute too soon, at least in terms of the Army�s timetable for bringing approximately 300 armored vehicles to the state, a move that will fundamentally change the way the Army operates here.
The first ground will be turned this month on a series of projects that will transform land on Oahu and the Big Island for use by the 3,818-soldier unit. The 19-ton Strykers begin to arrive a year from now, and the unit is expected to be operational in 2007.
The project, one of the Army�s biggest in Hawaii since World War II, will include the creation of 71 miles of private trails on Oahu and the Big Island, six new firing ranges, two airfield upgrades, and the purchase of 1,400 acres adjacent to Schofield Barracks.
The pace of the $1.5 billion project picked up almost immediately once the Army prevailed last week in a legal battle against three Native Hawaiian groups that filed suit in federal court to halt the brigade�s arrival.
Construction contracts worth approximately $225 million for fiscal 2005 will go out to bid in the next six months, said Ron Borne, the Army�s transformation director here. Fiscal 2006 probably will see $125 million in construction, he said. Other projects will be completed through 2010.
The first contract was a $9.2 million award to Parsons Corp. to build a small-arms qualification range on Schofield Barracks, Borne said.
The work, part of a plan to consolidate pistol, rifle and machine-gun marksmanship ranges, will include digging trenches for targets, grading, utility work and construction of an administration building and control tower.
Bob DiMichele
Kyle Kajihiro Click image to enlarge
Connect with us!Sign up for email alerts...Follow us on Twitter...Send us photos & videoBy: Paul Drewes
(KHNL) - The Army wants to hear questions and concerns from the public over a controversial project, the Stryker Brigade.
Instead, they got another protest.
The Stryker Brigade is intended as a weapon of war in distant lands, but plans to see if one will be stationed here, have turned Hawaii's public places into a battleground as well. Tuesday night, a war of words erupted in Nuuanu.
The Army is looking for public comments on the Stryker Brigade possibly coming to Hawaii.
"What we want from people is to give us formal comments, written comments and we will incorporate them so they can guide our environmental studies." says Bob DiMichele of the US Army Environmental Command.
Army personnel will not only take down those comments , they'll make sure they are not overlooked. "Each one will get addressed in this study."
But some who show up at this public forum are skeptical, like Jim Haley, who has raised concerns in the past about possible fire dangers the Strykers would bring. And he feels the Army hasn't followed up from previous meetings.
"They assured us they would get back with us on those concerns and they never did."
Others who show up, are upset over the Army's approach to dealing with their concerns this time around.
"We get this, this is not a forum, this not a dialogue, where we can ask questions and people can be heard." says Kyle Kajihiro , of the American Friends Service Committee.
So these protestors made their voices heard. Some argue about the increased military presence the Strykers would bring. Some just want to make sure Hawaii is not burdened with additional problems , like past military training on Kahoolawe.
And what was supposed to be an open invitation for public comments ends up with most of the military, out of the loop.
Wednesday evening, there will be another public forum held in Haleiwa, then two more meetings will take place on Hawaii Island Thursday and Friday evenings.
The supplemental environmental impact statement is expected to be completed this fall.
Lawsuit opposes Stryker brigade
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
Three native Hawaiian organizations are challenging the Army's Stryker plan in federal court, saying the service failed to consider any location other than Hawai'i for the fast-strike unit, in violation of federal environmental law.
At a press conference at 'Iolani Palace yesterday, Kipuka spokesman Beau Bassett talked about the lawsuit challenging the Stryker plan.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
The lawsuit, filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Honolulu by Earthjustice on behalf of the 'Ilio'ulaokalani Coalition, Na 'Imi Pono and Kipuka, seeks to prevent the Army from going forward with the transformation of the 2nd Brigade at Schofield Barracks to a Stryker brigade.
The groups want the Army to delay the project until it expands its environmental impact statement to adequately consider "a range of alternate locations outside Hawai'i for transformation," according to a news release.
In response to the suit, the 25th Infantry Division (Light) and U.S. Army, Hawai'i, released a statement yesterday saying, "We are disappointed that we have been sued as the Army has worked hard to involve the community and public throughout the planning process for transformation and the detailed environmental study conducted to ascertain the environmental effects."
The environmental impact statement was released on June 4, and following a 30-day public review period, the Army signed a "record of decision" on July 7.
The approximately 3,000-page environmental review states that 1,736 tons of dust would be generated from increased vehicle traffic, an increase of 81 percent.
The Army plans to post 291 Stryker vehicles — similar to this one at McChord Air Force Base, Wash. — in Hawai'i by 2007.
Advertiser library photo • July 30, 2003
The Army also concluded there would be significant effects on cultural and biological resources, but that mitigation efforts could reduce them.
The Army said it was going ahead with the Stryker Brigade because it is "critical to achieving current and future national security objectives in U.S. Pacific Command's area of responsibility."
Vicky Holt Takamine, president of the 'Ilio'ulaokalani Coalition, said native Hawaiians have a responsibility to preserve and protect the natural and cultural resources of Hawai'i.
"With every move to destroy cultural sites, to destroy endangered species, native Hawaiian resources that are vital to our cultural practices, we find it extremely difficult to pass on these traditions to the next generation," Holt Takamine said.
The Army last month gave final approval to the $1.5 billion brigade of 291 Stryker vehicles while acknowledging the cultural and environmental concerns of those who have opposed it.
The plan calls for the acquisition of 1,400 acres on O'ahu and 23,000 acres on the Big Island, and networks of private trails for the 20-ton Stryker vehicles.
Earthjustice attorney David Henkin said the National Environmental Policy Act requires federal agencies to look at the range of alternatives before proceeding with a plan such as the Stryker Brigade, which is expected to be operational by 2007.
"They didn't look at that at all," Henkin said at a news conference on the grounds of 'Iolani Palace yesterday. He said the closest the Army got was examining two alternatives — transforming a brigade in a different location, and transforming the 2nd Brigade at Schofield but sending its members to the Mainland for training.
Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.
The high frequency of joint contingency operations in the 1990's -- a frequency directly linked to the rise in global instability and uncertainty in the post-Cold War world and complicated by the reduction in the number of US forward presence forces -- exposed an area of risk with respect to the Army's ability to respond rapidly to crisis. Accordingly, the 1999 Army Strategic Planning Guidance (ASPG) establishes and explicit requirement for the Army of the 21st Century to become more strategically responsive. To meet these requirements the Army began the development of the STRIKE FORCE.
Several concrete challenges must be overcome to satisfy this requirement. The Army organization and force structure is not optimized for full spectrum strategic responsiveness. Frequent contingency responses also place a heavy burden on the operational tempo (OPTEMPO) on Army forces. The Army's contingency experience has also established a continuing requirement for rapid, effective team-building of specifically tailored Army task forces comprised of units drawn from the Army's mix of AC/RC, SOF/conventional, and mechanized/light forces.
The STRIKE FORCE mission would be to deploy globally with a mission tailored force package of combat, combat support, and combat service support forces to conduct strategically responsive operations in support of joint contingencies. Capable of commitment across the full spectrum of conflict, the STRIKE FORCE is optimized to conduct small-scale contingency operations and to deter or contain crises, employing the full range of Army, joint, multinational, and interagency capabilities. The STRIKE FORCE may also support offensive or defensive decisive operations and conduct humanitarian assistance. In addition, the STRIKE FORCE Headquarters serves as a vehicle for developing the future force.
In October 1999 Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki annunced that the Army will develop two technology-enhanced, fast-deployable and lethal brigades at Fort Lewis WA using knowledge gained by Force XXI experiments and off-the-shelf technology available from the private sector. Additionally, heavy tracked vehicles like armored personnel carriers and tanks would be replaced out by lighter, faster, more fuel-efficient wheeled vehicles. He said the Army will develop the capability to put brigade combat teams anywhere in the world within 96 hours after liftoff, a division on the ground in 120 hours, and five divisions within 30 days. The new Initial Brigades build on the Strike Force concept, which focused on the the ability to deploy, almost immediately, a lethal modular force, tailored to operational requirements.
The first two initial brigade combat teams (IBCT's) of the interim force are being created at Fort Lewis, Washington, by reorganizing the 3d Brigade, 2d Infantry Division, and then the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Light Infantry). At least six IBCT's will be established, including at least one in the reserve components. The majority of the interim force will be oriented toward the Pacific. Units converted to the IBCT structure will be the 172nd Infantry Brigade (Separate) at Fts. Wainwright and Richardson in Alaska; the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (Light) at Ft. Polk, LA; the 2nd Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division (Light) at Schofield Barracks, HI; and the 56th Brigade of the 28th Infantry Division (mechanized) of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
The interim force will not be an early-entry force. Instead, the IBCT's will fill the gap between early-entry forces and heavier follow-on forces; the brigades will be lethal, agile, and mobile enough to dominate combat during that interval.
Army Training and Doctrine Command schools are developing new doctrine and training techniques for the IBCT's. Some of the training will be provided in the form of simulations delivered through the Army's distance learning system. Tactical leader training for IBCT officers and noncommissioned officers is underway. Company training and brigade and battalion staff-level training was scheduled to begin at Fort Lewis in September.
While development of the future combat system proceeds, the IBCT will be equipped with an interim armored vehicle. The new Stryker brigades cost an estimated $1.5 billion apiece. Initially, the IBCT worked with armored vehicles borrowed from several other countries as surrogates for the interim armored vehicle.
The Army is on schedule to meet its goal of standing up the objective force by Chief of Staff General Eric K. Shinseki's target timeframe of 2008 to 2012. According to Army officials, the Army should attain the technological innovations needed to create the objective force as projected. Key among these are the technologies required to produce the future combat system, which will be a replacement for the 70-ton M1 Abrams tank that will have the same lethality and survivability but will weigh only 20 tons. The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research and Technology, Dr. Michael Andrews, predicts, "By the end of [20]05, early [20]06, we will have a future combat systems demonstration. We're not having to create new technologies out of thin air."
The Army's IBCT is a full-spectrum, wheeled combat force. It is employed in all operational environments against all projected future threats. However, it is designed and optimized primarily for employment in small-scale contingency operations in complex and urban terrain, confronting low-end and midrange threats that may employ both conventional and asymmetric capabilities. The IBCT deploys very rapidly, executes early entry, and conducts effective combat operations immediately on arrival to prevent, contain, stabilize, or resolve a conflict through shaping and decisive operations. The IBCT participates in war (with augmentation) as a subordinate maneuver component within a division or a corps and in a variety of possible roles. The IBCT also participates (with appropriate augmentation) in stability and support operations as an initial-entry force or as a guarantor to provide security for stability forces by means of its extensive capabilities.
The IBCT is a divisional brigade. It is designed to optimize its organizational effectiveness and to balance the traditional domains of lethality, mobility, and survivability with the domains required for responsiveness, deployability, sustainability, and a reduced in-theater footprint. Its two core qualities are its high mobility (strategic, operational, and tactical) and its ability to achieve decisive action through a dismounted infantry assault. The major fighting components are its motorized infantry battalions. The IBCT has a unique reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) squadron to enhance situational understanding.
To achieve a rapid deployment threshold, the brigade's design capitalizes on the widespread use of common vehicular platforms-particularly a highly mobile, medium-weight, combat/CS platform coupled with the minimization of the personnel and logistical footprint on theater. Encompassing a personnel strength of about 3,500 and preconfigured in ready-to-fight combined-arms packages, the entire IBCT can deploy within 96 hours of "first aircraft wheels up" and begin operations immediately upon arrival.
The Army is currently converting the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division (Medium) and 1st Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division (Light) at Lewis. There are already more than 100 Strykers at Lewis. Under current plans, the next units to convert to the Stryker would be the 172nd Infantry Brigade stationed at Ft. Wainwright, Alaska, the 2nd Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division (Light) at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (Light) at Ft. Polk, La., and the 56th Brigade (Mechanized) of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard's 28th Infantry Division (Mechanized), located in Philadelphia.
The Army plans to shift one of the two Ft. Lewis, Wash.-based Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (BCT) to Europe by FY '07 to meet a recommendation in the FY '01 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). The QDR advised that the Army station a BCT in Europe to augment its forces in Europe, which include the 1st Armored Division, the 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) and the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Each of the two divisions has two maneuver brigades located in Germany, while the 173rd Airborne Brigade is stationed in Italy. Such an assignment would mean either retasking one of the six already-planned BCTs, or adding a seventh brigade. The Army would convert one of the current five Europe-based brigades to a BCT by FY '07, while the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division (Medium) would revert back to a normal brigade, such as with M1 Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles.
On 08 December 2003 the Department of Defense approved plans for the Army to field six Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (SBCT). Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld approved an Army enhancement plan that provides for the acquisition of Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (SBCT) 5 and 6. The Army's plan focused on enhancing the aviation, fire support, network, and sensor capability of SBCTs 5 and 6, and retrofitting brigades 1 through 4 with newer technology as it becomes available. The approval gives the Army permission to begin expending funds for the new brigades' acquisition and fielding. Rumsfeld directed the Army to prepare the plan in a Dec. 2002. The memorandum approved SBCTs 1 through 4, but directed further study of SBCTs 5 and 6 before the Army would receive final approval to field them. Additionally, the plan reviewed basing options for the brigades and the desirability of associating Stryker brigades with Air Force aerial expeditionary forces to facilitate development of joint doctrine, training, and deployment. The fifth SBCT, scheduled for fielding in 2006, will be in the 2d Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Light) at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. The sixth SBCT, scheduled for fielding from 2008 - 2010, will be the 56th Brigade (Mechanized), 28th Infantry Division (Mechanized), of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
The Army announced on May 14, 2004 that 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (Light), will begin the transformation to an Infantry-based Stryker Brigade upon its return from Operation Iraqi Freedom. The unit is expected to attain an initial operational capability (IOC) as an infantry-designed SBCT by late 2006. The conversion of the 2d ACR to an infantry-centric SBCT supports the Army's transition to modularity, standardizes the design for all six planned SBCTs, and increases the number of Army infantry formations available to combatant commanders worldwide to set the tempo of battle and act decisively against enemy forces.
ROD THOMPSON / RTHOMPSON@STARBULLETIN.COM
Staff Sgt. Brian Harp looked out of a hatch on the side of a Stryker military vehicle during a public demonstration in Waimea on the Big Island yesterday.
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Stryker debut
Planned isle exhibitions showcase
the new arrivals for spectators
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By Rod Thompson
rthompson@starbulletin.com
WAIMEA, Hawaii >> Clustered at various locations on the top surface of the Stryker military vehicle are short, hollow tubes like heavy-duty tin cans with their tops cut off.
Strykers on Oahu
The Strykers will be on display on Oahu this week at:
>> Alii Beach Park in Haleiwa, at 66-167 Haleiwa Road, on Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m.
>> Wahiawa District Park in Wahiawa, at 1139 Kilani Ave., on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m.
>> Waianae Intermediate School in Waianae, Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m.
They are smoke-grenade launchers, and they give an insight into the nature of the Stryker.
Their purpose is to create a smoke screen so the Stryker can escape if it comes under heavy fire, Staff Sgt. Brian Harp explained during a public display of two of the vehicles in Waimea on the Big Island yesterday, not far from the Pohakuloa Training Area, where the vehicles will be used in training exercises.
It was the first time the public in Hawaii got an up-close look at the 20-ton, eight-wheeled armored assault vehicles.
"Awesome," said Kiki Kihoi, visiting with her family members.
"I'm impressed," said Waimea resident Jack Bowman.
"I think we're overwhelmed," said Julie Kaaloa, who drove from South Kona with her four children.
Earlier this month, the Army approved the conversion of the 2nd Brigade of Hawaii's 25th Infantry Division (Light) into a Stryker Brigade.
The Stryker Brigade is key to the Pentagon's goal of making the Army a quicker, more versatile force. Hawaii's brigade of 291 Stryker vehicles would be the fifth of six planned nationwide.
The vehicles can carry up to nine troops and travel faster than 60 mph.
Displays continue at the Hilo airport today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Strykers will also be on display on Oahu starting Tuesday.
The two vehicles being displayed are "fire support vehicles," one of 10 ways the Stryker can be configured, from ambulance duty to carrying a 105 mm cannon.
Packed with electronic equipment used to guide other weapons such as artillery, the fire support configuration carries only light weapons for defense.
Sgt. Harp explained the overall purpose of the Strykers. "These are not for attack, only for transportation. They are not like a Bradley (Fighting Vehicle) or a tank. They're just a troop transport," he said.
Lt. Col. Gerald Schmitz explained further: "The vision people have of this vehicle is that it is a tank, and that's not the case. It's not designed to be in a tank-on-tank battle."
But a 105 mm cannon can come in handy for blowing a hole in a wall instead of forcing soldiers to enter a building through a doorway, he said.
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ROD THOMPSON / RTHOMPSON@STARBULLETIN.COM
The public got a hands-on display of the Stryker military vehicle in Waimea on the Big Island yesterday. In this configuration, one of 10 variations, the vehicle is used to support fire from other weapons. Public displays of the vehicle continue today at the Hilo airport from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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The vehicle is powered by a Caterpillar bulldozer diesel engine. "It's surprisingly quiet," said visitor Kihoi. "Our truck at home is louder."
Visitor Kaaloa pointed out an upright bar forward from the Stryker commander's post. She had learned that was designed to snag and cut telephone wires or other lines which might otherwise injure the commander.
Although activist James Albertini planned a demonstration at today's event in Hilo, the only protester at yesterday's event was Lynn Nakkim, who quietly buttonholed a reporter and complained about dust that Strykers would kick up at the Pohakuloa Training Area.
Ron Borne, the civilian heading the transformation of the 2nd Brigade of the 25th Division, confirmed that any vehicle will make some dust, but the Army plans control measures such as "road binding materials," chemicals that create a crust that can last for a month.
Laulani Adams, visiting from Kailua, Oahu, considered the Stryker environmentally friendly because its eight rubber tires don't dig up as much dirt as tracked vehicles.
Adams has a son serving in Iraq with a unit that uses the Strykers. Her son's platoon was hit by enemy fire and a soldier outside the Stryker was killed, she said. Her son inside the Stryker was untouched. "I think he's very safe," she said.
Army spokeswoman Capt. Kathy Turner said officials wanted to give Hawaii residents an opportunity to see the vehicles and to meet some of the troops to ease some environmental and cultural concerns that the Strykers will cause more air and noise pollution and inflict irreparable damage to the land.
"We want the community to touch, see and hear these vehicles," she said. "We want to show the community that this is a work in progress."
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The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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25th Infantry Division
www.25idl.army.mil
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A principal objective of the 2004 and 2005 Army Modernization Plans was to create a more relevant and ready Army to respond to the threats facing America. A key objective was to reorganize the Army in order to increase the number of cohesive deployable units and to improve unit and personnel stability. Reorganizing to a modular designed force, the Army standardized combat, combat support and combat service support unit designs and moved from a division-centric force the Army has had since WWII to a brigade-centric force. The ten Army Active Component combat divisions completed their conversion to a brigade-centric force by 2009. The 25th Infantry Division underwent its modular conversion in the FY 2005-2007 timeframe.
Modular Organization of the 25th Infantry Division
The Army initially announced in 2004 that the 25th Infantry Division would modular convert to six maneuver brigade combat teams, two Stryker, three infantry and one airborne. In addition, a combat aviation brigade and an expanded division headquarters would be formed. In 2005 the Army reduced the number of infantry brigade combat teams to be formed from three to one.
An infantry or airborne brigade combat team basically consists of a headquarters, two infantry battalions, a cavalry reconnaissance squadron, a direct support field artillery battalion, a support battalion and a special troops battalion consisting of a headquarters and headquarters company, an engineer company, a military intelligence company, a signal company and a military police platoon.. A full strength infantry or airborne brigade combat team numbers approximately 3500 personnel.
A Stryker brigade combat team basically consists of a headquarters and headquarters company, three infantry battalions, an infantry anti-tank company, a cavalry reconnaissance squadron, a direct support field artillery battalion, a support battalion and one each engineer, military intelligence and signal companies. The brigade is mounted on approximately 300 Stryker 19-ton armored wheeled vehicles. At full strength a Stryker brigade combat team numbers approximately 3900 personnel. See the information on Stryker Brigades in The Division section for further details on the 25th Division's Stryker brigade combat teams.
Also in October 2005 the Army announced that there would be eleven combat aviation brigades in the Active Component, ten of which were to be affiliated with divisions. The official designation for the 25th's brigade is Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. The Combat Aviation Brigade consists of two reconnaissance/attack helicopter cavalry squadrons, one assault (lift) battalion, a general support aviation battalion, and an aviation support battalion.
The 25th Infantry Division Headquarters was initially organized to consist of a mobile command group, a main command post for planning and analysis and two tactical command posts. The division headquarters relied on the division special troops battalion for support and communications. The special troops battalion consisted of a battalion headquarters and headquarters company, a signal company, and the division band. In January 2010 in order to increase effectiveness in the command and control of division-level operations the division special troops battalion was inactivated with its assets modified and merged with a reorganized division headquarters into a headquarters and headquarters battalion. The headquarters and headquarters battalion consists of a headquarters and support company, an operations company, an intelligence and sustainment company and a signal company. Assets of these companies are task organized by the division headquarters as the mission dictates. The 25th Infantry Division Band is attached to the battalion.
Unit Inactivations
In order to transform from a division-centric to a brigade-centric organization fourteen units were inactivated or transferred from the 25th Infantry Division some of which had served with the Tropic Lightning since 1941 (See list of the units below).
Timeline for 25th Infantry Division Modular Conversion
The modular conversion of the 25th Infantry Division initially began with the activation of the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) at Fort Richardson Alaska on 16 July 2005. All brigade elements were activated as of 16 November 2005. The 4th Brigade Headquarters, the Special Troops Battalion Headquarters Company and the 725th Support Battalion have previously served with the 25th Infantry Division.
In the first quarter of FY 2006 (Oct-Nov-Dec 2005) the 25th Infantry Division elements at Schofield Barracks officially commenced modular conversion. By the end of the third quarter FY 2006 ( 30 June 2006) the 3rd Brigade had reorganized as a modular infantry brigade combat team, the Division Headquarters had reorganized and the Aviation Brigade had reorganized as a combat aviation brigade. The 2nd Brigade began reorganizing in late 2005 from a light infantry brigade to a Stryker brigade combat team. By July 2007 the 2nd Brigade Combat Team had received its full complement of Stryker vehicles and was certified as combat-ready in October 2007.
25th Infantry Division Headquarters and Brigade Combat Team Stationing
On 27th July 2005 the Army announced the final decisions on stationing the 43 brigade combat teams and the 10 division headquarters of the Army's Active Component. For the 25th Infantry Division the plan announced the following locations for the elements of the Tropic Lightning.
Schofield Barracks: Headquarters, 25th Infantry Division, 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Stryker), 3rd Brigade Combat Team (Infantry) and the Combat Aviation Brigade.
Fort Richardson, Alaska: The 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division was activated on 16 July 2005. All units are on Airborne (parachute) status.
Fort Wainwright, Alaska: The 1st Brigade Combat Team (Stryker), 25th Infantry Division was reactivated on 16 December 2006 using the assets of the inactivating 172nd Infantry Brigade (Stryker). The 6th Squadron, 17th Cavalry of the Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division is also stationed at Fort Wainwright. It is attached to the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade.
1st Bde Combat Team (Stryker)
Fort Wainwright, Alaska
Hq & Hq Co.
1-5th Infantry
3-21st Infantry
1-24th Infantry
Co D (AT), 52nd Infantry
5-1st Cavalry
2-8th Field Artillery
25th Support Bn
73rd Engineer Co
184th MI Co
176th Signal Co 2nd Bde Combat Team (Stryker)
Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Hq & Hq Co.
1-14th Infantry
1-21st Infantry
1-27th Infantry
Co B (AT), 52nd Infantry
2-14th Cavalry
2-11th Field Artillery
225th Support Bn
66th Engineer Co
185th MI Co
556th Signal Co
3rd Bde Combat Team (Infantry)
Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Headquarters
2-27th Infantry
2-35th Infantry
3-4th Cavalry
3-7th Field Artillery
325th Support Bn
Special Troops Bn, 3rd Brigade 4th Bde Combat Team (Airborne)
Fort Richardson, Alaska
Headquarters
1-501st Infantry
3-509th Infantry
1-40th Cavalry
2-377th Field Artillery
725th Support Bn
Special Troops Bn, 4th Brigade
Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division
Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii
Hq & Hq Co.
2-6th Cavalry (Rcn/Atk)
6-17th Cavalry (Rcn/Atk) (1)
2-25th Aviation (Asslt)
3-25th Aviation (GS)
209th Spt Bn (Avn) Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 25th Infantry Division
Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Headquarters & Support Co.
Operations Co.
Intelligence & Sustainment Co.
Signal Co.
25 ID Band (attached)
Inactivated Units
2-5th Infantry
HHB, Div Arty
F-7th FA
1-62nd ADA
1-25 Aviation
G-58th Avn
65th Engineer Bn (4)
125th MI Bn
125th Signal Bn
25th MP Co.
HHC, Div Spt Cmd
Special Troops Bn 25th Inf. Div. Transferred Units
556th Personnel Svcs Bn (2)
71st Chem. Co. (3)
Notes
(1) Stationed at Fort Wainwright as of 06/30/06
(2) Became a separate unit in 2006 and was inactivated on 29 February 2008.
(3) To 8th Sustainment Cmd
(4) Reactivated at Schofield Barracks on 16 July 2007, assigned to the 130th Engineer Brigade.
The announcement this week means that construction can resume on about $250 million worth of projects that will accommodate the brigade on the island of Oahu and make it a primary U.S. rapid-response asset in the Pacific.
"Stationing the (Stryker brigade) in Hawaii sends a powerful signal to our friends and our enemies that we are committed to U.S. interests in this vital region," said Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter.
Stryker brigades are based on the new Stryker armored vehicle, which is designed to transport combat troops directly into action. The Hawaii brigade, part of the 25th Infantry Division, is currently serving in Iraq until early 2009.
The Army's decision disappointed environmentalists who fear the 19-ton vehicles will tear up Hawaii's ecosystems and encroach on land that is sacred to native Hawaiians. "We're taking a look at it," Earthjustice lawyer David Henkin told the Honolulu Advertiser. "We're talking with our clients about it and trying to figure out what the appropriate course of action is."
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin said the planned infrastructure for the brigade includes new roads and trails for the vehicles in and around Schofield Barracks.
© 2008 United Press International, Inc.
By William Cole - Honolulu Advertiser
Posted : Thursday Nov 1, 2007 10:38:59 EDT
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii — The Stryker brigade and its 4,000 soldiers received a send-off yesterday for 15 months in Iraq amid uncertainty over whether the unit will return to Hawaii afterward.
The ceremony at Sills Field repeated a scene that has become familiar since early 2004 — when the same unit, the 2nd Brigade, which was then a light infantry brigade — prepared for Schofield’s first big deployment to Iraq.
The last of more than 7,000 other Schofield soldiers who spent the past 15 months in northern Iraq, meanwhile, returned home yesterday. With them was 25th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. “Randy” Mixon.
About 750 soldiers representing five Stryker battalions heading out stood at attention and saluted as their unit flags were cased for the deployment that will begin after Thanksgiving.
But there was more soldier optimism even as commanders raised concern about repeat deployments and an overstretched force more than 4 1/2 years into the Iraq War.
The Stryker brigade and its 328 armored vehicles are expected to operate in the areas of Taji, the desert to the west, and north Baghdad, where sectarian violence remains a large problem.
The monthly toll of U.S. service members who have died in Iraq in October is on track to be the lowest in nearly two years, with 36 troop deaths recorded as of yesterday, according to The Associated Press.
The so-called “Anbar Awakening” and rebellion of tribal sheiks against al-Qaida fundamentalism in the west has raised hopes that similar efforts and a political reconciliation can be successful in Taji, about 10 miles north of the capital.
“I think (the news) is encouraging. I follow as closely as I can the news coming out of Iraq — specifically with the reconciliation in Anbar province,” said 1st Lt. Chris Calway, 25, from Wilmington, Mass. “We’re on the outskirts of Anbar. It’s encouraging to see that things are improving and hopefully, that can extend to our area, too.”
CAPABILITY ATTAINED
More than two years after the transformation to a Stryker brigade was begun, Maj. Gen. William Brandenburg, the deputy commanding general of U.S. Army, Pacific, at Fort Shafter, told those assembled yesterday for the sendoff that initial operating capability for the unit has been attained.
The 19-ton armored vehicles include an infantry model that carries nine soldiers and two crew.
The Stryker brigade preparedness hasn’t come without challenges, including an environmental lawsuit and federal court ruling that has the Army re-examining whether the $1.5 billion unit should remain in Hawaii, or be in Alaska or Colorado.
EIS PENDING
Some of the nearly $700 million in projects that were under way for the brigade on Oahu and the Big Island were halted, with a judge allowing only training crucial for the Iraq deployment.
An environmental impact statement is being completed, and when the 15-month deployment to Iraq is over, the Stryker soldiers could find that their homecoming will be to the Mainland.
“I’ve truly been privileged to watch these great leaders and soldiers overcome obstacles,” Brandenburg said, noting the litigation.
“Time — not enough time to get things done. Distance required to get some training completed that required a separation of eight weeks (from families).”
But Brandenburg said “the mission was successfully accomplished. ... The team is ready for what lies ahead. I’ve seen the preparation.”
Col. Todd B. McCaffrey, the Stryker brigade’s commander, said soldiers will have about two weeks’ leave starting this weekend. There is the expectation that they will begin leaving for Iraq shortly after Thanksgiving.
McCaffrey said the brigade is “working hard” to maintain the post-Thanksgiving departure schedule because the soldiers will be away from their families most of this holiday season and possibly all of the next with the deployment.
The brigade’s 328 Stryker vehicles are getting birdcage-like “slat” armor and other upgrades before being shipped from San Diego to Kuwait.
The soldiers recently completed two months of training and brigade certification in California. They are expected to be gone from Hawaii by mid-December.
The Stryker soldiers also will land in Kuwait and stay at Camp Buehring, one of the temporary tent cities the U.S. military maintains in the desert.
There, they will conduct a few extra days of weapons live-fire training before heading into Iraq. The Stryker vehicles will be trucked on flatbeds to the Taji area.
PROS AND CONS
McCaffrey said soldiers who re-enlisted to stay with the Stryker brigade remained in Hawaii for the past two years as the unit was transformed.
That’s better than many other Army units, which have been on quicker turn-arounds for Iraq duty.
“The reality is, most of these (non-commissioned officers) want to go back, because the ones who were there before want to see the mission through,” McCaffrey said.
Calway, the first lieutenant with the 66th Engineers, said there are definitely pros and cons.
He and his wife, Kelly, have a 5-week-old daughter, Hazel.
“I’m excited to go with my unit and go with my guys that I’ve been training with,” said Calway, who’s making his first Iraq deployment. “But I do hate leaving my wife and baby.”
Michelle Chavez said the impending deployment “is a little nerve-racking, I guess you could say, because it’s the first time going through it for me.”
Spc. Ruben Chavez, 20, her husband, is an infantryman. They have two children.
“I’m busy, trying to get everything arranged before he leaves, and to spend as much time as possible with the kids,” she said.
Erin Picco also said it’s difficult balancing family life and combat deployments with a 17-month-old son.
Capt. Luciano Picco, 25, from Albuquerque, N.M., is with the 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery.
“I know he’s out there doing what he loves to do. He’s trying to protect everyone and I try to support him,” Erin Picco said. “But it’s difficult to raise our child when he’s gone.”
She wishes he was deploying to Afghanistan instead of Iraq, and is hoping the next year will be one of positive change for U.S. troops, but she, too, has greater overall optimism.
“I can tell they are making progress from talking to other people who have been overseas,” she said. “I’m glad they are doing what they are doing.”
Hawaii Stryker brigade prepares for Iraq duty
By William Cole - Honolulu Advertiser
Posted : Thursday Nov 1, 2007 10:38:59 EDT
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii — The Stryker brigade and its 4,000 soldiers received a send-off yesterday for 15 months in Iraq amid uncertainty over whether the unit will return to Hawaii afterward.
The ceremony at Sills Field repeated a scene that has become familiar since early 2004 — when the same unit, the 2nd Brigade, which was then a light infantry brigade — prepared for Schofield’s first big deployment to Iraq.
The last of more than 7,000 other Schofield soldiers who spent the past 15 months in northern Iraq, meanwhile, returned home yesterday. With them was 25th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. “Randy” Mixon.
About 750 soldiers representing five Stryker battalions heading out stood at attention and saluted as their unit flags were cased for the deployment that will begin after Thanksgiving.
But there was more soldier optimism even as commanders raised concern about repeat deployments and an overstretched force more than 4 1/2 years into the Iraq War.
The Stryker brigade and its 328 armored vehicles are expected to operate in the areas of Taji, the desert to the west, and north Baghdad, where sectarian violence remains a large problem.
The monthly toll of U.S. service members who have died in Iraq in October is on track to be the lowest in nearly two years, with 36 troop deaths recorded as of yesterday, according to The Associated Press.
The so-called “Anbar Awakening” and rebellion of tribal sheiks against al-Qaida fundamentalism in the west has raised hopes that similar efforts and a political reconciliation can be successful in Taji, about 10 miles north of the capital.
“I think (the news) is encouraging. I follow as closely as I can the news coming out of Iraq — specifically with the reconciliation in Anbar province,” said 1st Lt. Chris Calway, 25, from Wilmington, Mass. “We’re on the outskirts of Anbar. It’s encouraging to see that things are improving and hopefully, that can extend to our area, too.”
CAPABILITY ATTAINED
More than two years after the transformation to a Stryker brigade was begun, Maj. Gen. William Brandenburg, the deputy commanding general of U.S. Army, Pacific, at Fort Shafter, told those assembled yesterday for the sendoff that initial operating capability for the unit has been attained.
The 19-ton armored vehicles include an infantry model that carries nine soldiers and two crew.
The Stryker brigade preparedness hasn’t come without challenges, including an environmental lawsuit and federal court ruling that has the Army re-examining whether the $1.5 billion unit should remain in Hawaii, or be in Alaska or Colorado.
EIS PENDING
Some of the nearly $700 million in projects that were under way for the brigade on Oahu and the Big Island were halted, with a judge allowing only training crucial for the Iraq deployment.
An environmental impact statement is being completed, and when the 15-month deployment to Iraq is over, the Stryker soldiers could find that their homecoming will be to the Mainland.
“I’ve truly been privileged to watch these great leaders and soldiers overcome obstacles,” Brandenburg said, noting the litigation.
“Time — not enough time to get things done. Distance required to get some training completed that required a separation of eight weeks (from families).”
But Brandenburg said “the mission was successfully accomplished. ... The team is ready for what lies ahead. I’ve seen the preparation.”
Col. Todd B. McCaffrey, the Stryker brigade’s commander, said soldiers will have about two weeks’ leave starting this weekend. There is the expectation that they will begin leaving for Iraq shortly after Thanksgiving.
McCaffrey said the brigade is “working hard” to maintain the post-Thanksgiving departure schedule because the soldiers will be away from their families most of this holiday season and possibly all of the next with the deployment.
The brigade’s 328 Stryker vehicles are getting birdcage-like “slat” armor and other upgrades before being shipped from San Diego to Kuwait.
The soldiers recently completed two months of training and brigade certification in California. They are expected to be gone from Hawaii by mid-December.
The Stryker soldiers also will land in Kuwait and stay at Camp Buehring, one of the temporary tent cities the U.S. military maintains in the desert.
There, they will conduct a few extra days of weapons live-fire training before heading into Iraq. The Stryker vehicles will be trucked on flatbeds to the Taji area.
PROS AND CONS
McCaffrey said soldiers who re-enlisted to stay with the Stryker brigade remained in Hawaii for the past two years as the unit was transformed.
That’s better than many other Army units, which have been on quicker turn-arounds for Iraq duty.
“The reality is, most of these (non-commissioned officers) want to go back, because the ones who were there before want to see the mission through,” McCaffrey said.
Calway, the first lieutenant with the 66th Engineers, said there are definitely pros and cons.
He and his wife, Kelly, have a 5-week-old daughter, Hazel.
“I’m excited to go with my unit and go with my guys that I’ve been training with,” said Calway, who’s making his first Iraq deployment. “But I do hate leaving my wife and baby.”
Michelle Chavez said the impending deployment “is a little nerve-racking, I guess you could say, because it’s the first time going through it for me.”
Spc. Ruben Chavez, 20, her husband, is an infantryman. They have two children.
“I’m busy, trying to get everything arranged before he leaves, and to spend as much time as possible with the kids,” she said.
Erin Picco also said it’s difficult balancing family life and combat deployments with a 17-month-old son.
Capt. Luciano Picco, 25, from Albuquerque, N.M., is with the 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery.
“I know he’s out there doing what he loves to do. He’s trying to protect everyone and I try to support him,” Erin Picco said. “But it’s difficult to raise our child when he’s gone.”
She wishes he was deploying to Afghanistan instead of Iraq, and is hoping the next year will be one of positive change for U.S. troops, but she, too, has greater overall optimism.
“I can tell they are making progress from talking to other people who have been overseas,” she said. “I’m glad they are doing what they are doing.”
Hawaii Stryker brigade prepares for Iraq duty
By William Cole - Honolulu Advertiser
Posted : Thursday Nov 1, 2007 10:38:59 EDT
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii — The Stryker brigade and its 4,000 soldiers received a send-off yesterday for 15 months in Iraq amid uncertainty over whether the unit will return to Hawaii afterward.
The ceremony at Sills Field repeated a scene that has become familiar since early 2004 — when the same unit, the 2nd Brigade, which was then a light infantry brigade — prepared for Schofield’s first big deployment to Iraq.
The last of more than 7,000 other Schofield soldiers who spent the past 15 months in northern Iraq, meanwhile, returned home yesterday. With them was 25th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. “Randy” Mixon.
About 750 soldiers representing five Stryker battalions heading out stood at attention and saluted as their unit flags were cased for the deployment that will begin after Thanksgiving.
But there was more soldier optimism even as commanders raised concern about repeat deployments and an overstretched force more than 4 1/2 years into the Iraq War.
The Stryker brigade and its 328 armored vehicles are expected to operate in the areas of Taji, the desert to the west, and north Baghdad, where sectarian violence remains a large problem.
The monthly toll of U.S. service members who have died in Iraq in October is on track to be the lowest in nearly two years, with 36 troop deaths recorded as of yesterday, according to The Associated Press.
The so-called “Anbar Awakening” and rebellion of tribal sheiks against al-Qaida fundamentalism in the west has raised hopes that similar efforts and a political reconciliation can be successful in Taji, about 10 miles north of the capital.
“I think (the news) is encouraging. I follow as closely as I can the news coming out of Iraq — specifically with the reconciliation in Anbar province,” said 1st Lt. Chris Calway, 25, from Wilmington, Mass. “We’re on the outskirts of Anbar. It’s encouraging to see that things are improving and hopefully, that can extend to our area, too.”
CAPABILITY ATTAINED
More than two years after the transformation to a Stryker brigade was begun, Maj. Gen. William Brandenburg, the deputy commanding general of U.S. Army, Pacific, at Fort Shafter, told those assembled yesterday for the sendoff that initial operating capability for the unit has been attained.
The 19-ton armored vehicles include an infantry model that carries nine soldiers and two crew.
The Stryker brigade preparedness hasn’t come without challenges, including an environmental lawsuit and federal court ruling that has the Army re-examining whether the $1.5 billion unit should remain in Hawaii, or be in Alaska or Colorado.
EIS PENDING
Some of the nearly $700 million in projects that were under way for the brigade on Oahu and the Big Island were halted, with a judge allowing only training crucial for the Iraq deployment.
An environmental impact statement is being completed, and when the 15-month deployment to Iraq is over, the Stryker soldiers could find that their homecoming will be to the Mainland.
“I’ve truly been privileged to watch these great leaders and soldiers overcome obstacles,” Brandenburg said, noting the litigation.
“Time — not enough time to get things done. Distance required to get some training completed that required a separation of eight weeks (from families).”
But Brandenburg said “the mission was successfully accomplished. ... The team is ready for what lies ahead. I’ve seen the preparation.”
Col. Todd B. McCaffrey, the Stryker brigade’s commander, said soldiers will have about two weeks’ leave starting this weekend. There is the expectation that they will begin leaving for Iraq shortly after Thanksgiving.
McCaffrey said the brigade is “working hard” to maintain the post-Thanksgiving departure schedule because the soldiers will be away from their families most of this holiday season and possibly all of the next with the deployment.
The brigade’s 328 Stryker vehicles are getting birdcage-like “slat” armor and other upgrades before being shipped from San Diego to Kuwait.
The soldiers recently completed two months of training and brigade certification in California. They are expected to be gone from Hawaii by mid-December.
The Stryker soldiers also will land in Kuwait and stay at Camp Buehring, one of the temporary tent cities the U.S. military maintains in the desert.
There, they will conduct a few extra days of weapons live-fire training before heading into Iraq. The Stryker vehicles will be trucked on flatbeds to the Taji area.
PROS AND CONS
McCaffrey said soldiers who re-enlisted to stay with the Stryker brigade remained in Hawaii for the past two years as the unit was transformed.
That’s better than many other Army units, which have been on quicker turn-arounds for Iraq duty.
“The reality is, most of these (non-commissioned officers) want to go back, because the ones who were there before want to see the mission through,” McCaffrey said.
Calway, the first lieutenant with the 66th Engineers, said there are definitely pros and cons.
He and his wife, Kelly, have a 5-week-old daughter, Hazel.
“I’m excited to go with my unit and go with my guys that I’ve been training with,” said Calway, who’s making his first Iraq deployment. “But I do hate leaving my wife and baby.”
Michelle Chavez said the impending deployment “is a little nerve-racking, I guess you could say, because it’s the first time going through it for me.”
Spc. Ruben Chavez, 20, her husband, is an infantryman. They have two children.
“I’m busy, trying to get everything arranged before he leaves, and to spend as much time as possible with the kids,” she said.
Erin Picco also said it’s difficult balancing family life and combat deployments with a 17-month-old son.
Capt. Luciano Picco, 25, from Albuquerque, N.M., is with the 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery.
“I know he’s out there doing what he loves to do. He’s trying to protect everyone and I try to support him,” Erin Picco said. “But it’s difficult to raise our child when he’s gone.”
She wishes he was deploying to Afghanistan instead of Iraq, and is hoping the next year will be one of positive change for U.S. troops, but she, too, has greater overall optimism.
“I can tell they are making progress from talking to other people who have been overseas,” she said. “I’m glad they are doing what they are doing.”