Army  transformation plans call for the ability to deploy a brigade anywhere in  the world in 4 days, a division in 5 days, and five divisions within 30 days. Progress Has Been Made, but the Army Cannot Currently Achieve Its Deployment Goal of 4 Days

Although Stryker brigades will be more rapidly deployable than Army  heavy armored brigades, the Army cannot currently achieve its goal of  deploying a Stryker brigade anywhere in the world within 4 days. However, if sealift  were used to deploy the Stryker brigades, deployment times to many  global regions would be significantly longer than the 4-day goal the Army  has set for itself. Obtaining this amount of airlift for  deploying one Stryker brigade would require allocating 31 percent of the  Air Force’s total 2005 inventory of C-17 aircraft and 38 percent of its C-5  aircraft inventory. Army Plans to Use a Combination of Airlift and Sealift to Deploy Stryker Brigades

Because it may not always be possible to obtain sufficient airlift to deploy  an entire Stryker brigade, Army officials anticipate using a combination of  airlift and sealift to deploy the brigades, although sea deployment time  would be slower than the Army’s 4-day worldwide deployment goal to  most locations. Army’s Plan for Supporting and Sustaining Stryker Brigades in Combat Operations Is Still Evolving

The Army’s plan for supporting and sustaining Stryker brigades in combat  operations is still evolving and cannot be considered finalized until a  number of issues are resolved. These issues include the results from the  operational evaluation of the first brigade, funding questions, and  decisions relating to implementing some of the plan’s logistical support  concepts. The Army will not be able to finish its support plan until November 2003,  when results from the operational evaluation of the first Stryker brigade  will be issued. To make Stryker brigades easier to deploy and support, the Army  designed the brigades with a support structure that is only about one-third  the size of that found in a heavy armored brigade. Before it can fully implement the support plan, the  Army will need to determine the cost and decide whether it will fund the  acquisition of vehicles and equipment replacement reserves. In addition,  deployment goals may need further modification should the brigade’s  organizational and operational design significantly change in response to  direction from OSD to enhance the brigade’s capabilities.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Army is organizing and equipping rapidly deployable Stryker brigades as the first step in its planned 30-year transformation. Stryker brigades are to help fill a gap in capabilities between current heavy and light forces--heavy forces require too much time to deploy, and light infantry forces lack the combat power and mobility of the heavy forces. The Army has a goal to be able to deploy a Stryker brigade anywhere in the world with 4 days. As part of a series of ongoing reviews of Army transformation, GAO assessed the Army's progress in (1) meeting its deployment goal for Stryker brigades and (2) supporting and sustaining a deployed Stryker brigade in combat operations.

What GAO Found

The Army has made significant progress in creating forces that can be more rapidly deployed than heavy forces with its medium weight Stryker brigades, but it cannot deploy a Stryker brigade anywhere in the world within 4 days. Meeting the 4-day worldwide deployment goal of a brigade-size force would require more airlift than may be possible to allocate to these brigades; at present, it would take from 5 to 14 days, depending on brigade location and destination, and require over one- third of the Air Force's C-17 and C-5 transport aircraft fleet to deploy one Stryker brigade by air. Because airlift alone may not be sufficient, the Army is planning to use a combination of airlift and sealift to deploy the brigades. However, if sealift were used to deploy the Stryker brigades, deployment times to many global regions would be significantly longer than the 4-day goal the Army has set for itself. The Army's plan for supporting and sustaining Stryker brigades in combat operations is still evolving. The Army will not be able to finish its support plan until November 2003, when the results from an operational evaluation of the first Stryker brigade will be issued. Before it can fully implement the support plan, the Army will also need to make funding and other decisions relating to implementing some of the plan's logistical support concepts. Deployment goals may need modification should the brigades' design significantly change in response to direction from the Office of the Secretary of Defense to enhance the brigades' capabilities.