Deployability of the Ibct in 96 Hours: Fact or Myth?

The Interim Brigade Combat Team was designed to allow the Army to rapidly deploy a lethal and survivable force into contingency areas across the entire spectrum of conflict. With the IBCT, the Army plans to fill the gap between capability and deployability that currently exists between heavy and light forces. The IBCT was designed to be more lethal, survivable, and combat effective than a light brigade and more deployable than a heavy brigade. As a deployment yardstick in designing the IBCT, the Army has used 96 hours - the Chief of Staff, Army's goal of having a brigade deploy anywhere in the world. To achieve this 96-hour goal the Army has designed the entire IBCT on being deployable by air. Because of airlift requirement for the IBCT, the brigade's logistical structure is very austere. When deployed into an operational area, the unit will depend on reach-back systems for much of its logistical support. This additional logistical support must be integrated either before or during the flow of the IBCT personnel and equipment into a contingency area to ensure the brigade's survivability and combat effectiveness. The purpose of this monograph is to determine if the Army can deploy an IBCT in 96 hours. Since so much of the IBCT's credibility rests on being able to rapidly deploy, it is necessary to test the feasibility of the brigade being deployed within 96 hours. If the Army cannot deploy the brigade in 96 hours, the service needs to determine ways to enhance the IBCT's deployability. Furthermore, the author determined it necessary to examine sealift as a viable alternative to transporting the IBCT. Because of the brigade's logistical austereness, sealift of additional stocks with the brigade's organic equipment would enhance the unit's survivability and combat effectiveness. Furthermore, in the Army's design of this force, the author could not find any evidence that sealift had been tested as a viable alternative to airlift when deploying the IBCT. The author gath

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