Difference and progression between an IBCT, HBCT and a Striker Brigade Combat Team - Essay Example

Furthermore, an army is a collection of different elements working together. These elements are allotted to units as per the organization. Each group or organization has different characteristics. In army organization, factors like mobility, firepower and elements allotted determine its operational role. With recent developments in technology, efficiency of weapon systems has increased. This improved efficiency means manpower requirement has decreased over time. There is a need for compact and capable army units that can undertake tasks efficiently.

To cater for new advancements in technology, the US Army is planned to undergo restructuring at basic level. Previously, an army division was the basic unit of action. This meant that an army division had the capability to undertake independent action through its own command channel. A division typically consists of three brigades. This number may vary as per operational role of the division. A typical conventional infantry division consisted of approximately 15,000 to 25,000 soldiers and command was centralized at this level (Kahn and McLemore 12).

However, with the new reorganization, brigade has been made the basic unit of action. It has approximately 5,000 soldiers and still possesses the capabilities of a typical conventional army division. This brigade group is called Brigade Combat Team or BCT. This basic unit or BCT is mixed with different elements to form combat teams. They are discussed in detail; This combat unit comprises of simple foot infantry and has a combat arms unit for specialized elements and weapons that are dedicated with this combat unit.

Because of foot infantry, this unit is easy to move and deploy. It is flexible in operational capabilities. However, this unit has the least firepower and protection. The brigade is organized into one Special Task Battalion, two Infantry Battalions (plain or foot), one Reconnaissance Squadron, one Field Artillery Battalion and one Support Battalion