	Background

The Army continues to transform its forces toward its goal to be more  strategically responsive and to dominate across the full spectrum of  military operations — from small-scale contingencies to a major theater  war. The Army conducted the evaluation from April through May 2003. The Army and OSD Met the Requirements of the Act to Assess the Stryker Brigade

The Army and OSD met the requirements of the fiscal year 2002 National  Defense Authorization Act to, respectively, plan and conduct an  operational evaluation of the Stryker brigade and certify the evaluation  results. The Army met the requirements by (1) obtaining approval of the  evaluation plan by the Department of Defense Director of Operational Test  and Evaluation, (2) deploying the brigade to the evaluation site, and (3)  conducting combat missions across the full spectrum of potential threats. The act also made additional vehicle procurement and brigade deployment  contingent upon a certification that the brigade’s design is operationally  effective and operationally suitable. On August 19, 2003, the Acting Secretary of the Army forwarded a  memorandum requesting that the Secretary of Defense submit to Congress  the operational evaluation report prepared by the Army following the  evaluation and certify that the results of the evaluation indicate that the  Third Brigade, Second Infantry Division’s design is operationally effective  and operationally suitable. The Army has  deployed the first Stryker brigade to Iraq. The report was submitted to the Commanding General, U.S. Forces  Command, who endorsed the report’s findings. Although the I Corps  commander assessed the brigade’s design as operationally both effective  and suitable, the operational evaluation report noted that the Stryker  brigade experienced difficulties in demonstrating some of the key  operational capabilities, which were primarily attributed to an accelerated  fielding schedule and a lack of adequate training time. Stryker Brigade Demonstrated Both Strengths and Weaknesses during the Operational Evaluation

Based on our observations of the brigade’s performance at the two combat  training centers and our analysis of data collected during the evaluation,  the brigade performed as designed but did not consistently demonstrate its  capabilities, indicating both strengths and weaknesses. The operational evaluation also  demonstrated weaknesses in the areas of staff planning, usage of digital  systems, sustainment of the brigade, and established company-level  combat procedures. Civilian contractors were also used ineffectively to  support the units. The Army concluded that the issues were  largely training related, but it also identified a few as design or equipment  related. Although the Army developed, and is implementing, a plan that  will mitigate most of the identified issues, the Army’s immediate focus was  to resolve those training and equipment issues that affected the brigade’s  ability to deploy to Iraq. The brigade’s performance indicates that the  issues and weaknesses are being mitigated. However, the Army is not fully addressing the potential brigade design and  the brigade equipment issues identified from the operational evaluation,  which were not included in the predeployment training, although the  issues have implications for future brigades. By  completing the evaluation and certifying the design, the Army and OSD  met the requirements of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal  year 2002. Recommendations for Executive Action

To assist the Stryker Brigade Combat Teams’ transformation efforts, we  recommend that the Secretary of Defense direct the Secretary of the Army  to    develop a plan that completes the mitigation efforts on those issues not  addressed prior to deploying the brigade and    apply, as applicable, adjustments made to the training, design, and  equipment of the brigade to future Stryker brigades.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Army continues to transform units, known as Stryker brigades, into lighter, rapidly deployable, and more capable forces. Because Stryker brigades are an entirely new design, the fiscal year 2002 National Defense Authorization Act required the Army to conduct an evaluation of the design, to include deployment of the brigade and execution of combat missions across the full spectrum of potential threats. The act also required the Secretary of Defense to certify that the evaluation results indicate the design is both operationally effective and suitable. As one in a series of reviews of Army transformation, GAO monitored the evaluation to assess (1) whether the Army and the Secretary of Defense met legislative requirements, (2) how the Army evaluated both the operational effectiveness and suitability of the brigade's design, (3) what the brigade's performance was during the evaluation, and (4) how the Army plans to mitigate issues identified during the evaluation.

What GAO Found

The Army and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) met the legislative requirements of the fiscal year 2002 National Defense Authorization Act. The Army developed a plan for conducting an operational evaluation of the first Stryker brigade; obtained the plan's approval from the Department of Defense Director of Operational Test and Evaluation; and from April through May 2003, the brigade deployed to the evaluation sites and conducted combat missions across the full spectrum of potential threats--from major theater of war to security and stability operations. In September 2003, OSD certified to Congress that the brigade design is both operationally effective and suitable. The Army has deployed the first Stryker brigade to Iraq. The Army developed an evaluation plan and established a control cell that used independent evaluators to monitor and collect data on the brigade's performance. The cell compiled and analyzed the data and submitted a report to the I Corps commander, who declared the design as operationally effective and operationally suitable. The commander noted that performance difficulties were due to an accelerated fielding schedule and inadequate training time. The U.S. Forces Command endorsed the report. GAO determined, based on its observations and analyses, that the brigade's performance showed strengths and weaknesses. The brigade could perform as designed but did not consistently demonstrate its capabilities. The brigade's strengths were its ability to conduct combat missions, including deployment using different transportation modes and the ability to use the Stryker vehicle's speed and agility. The weaknesses related to staff planning, digital system usage, sustainment, and executing company-level combat missions. Contractors were also used ineffectively. GAO concluded that the primary cause of the weaknesses was insufficient training proficiency. The Army is implementing a plan to mitigate most operational evaluation issues. The Army concluded that the issues were largely training related, although some were related to design or equipment. The brigade, in preparation for deployment to Iraq, conducted additional training to address the issues the Army and GAO identified. The brigade's training performance indicates that these issues are being mitigated. The Army is addressing the training and equipment issues for the first Stryker brigade; however, it has deferred some critical issues that have implications for future brigades.