The Stryker Brigade Combat Team: Rethinking Strategic Responsiveness and Assessing Deployment Options

Examines alternative means to decrease the deployment time for the new Army medium-weight brigade, comparing air and sealift from the United States with air and fast (but short-range) sealift from forward bases or preposition sites. Historical experience and an assessment of U.S. regional interests are used to determine how much warning time the United States typically has before major force deployments and where it is most likely to deploy such forces

Alan J. Vick (Ph.D., Political Science, University of California, Irvine) is a social scientist at RAND, Washington, DC.

David T. Orletsky (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, SM, Aeronautics and Astronautics) is an associate engineer, at RAND, Washington, DC. His research interests include Chinese defense modernization; command and control sensor, weapon and communication technology; and USAF operational analysis.

Bruce R. Pirnie (Ph. D., Modern History, Rupprecht-Karl University, Heidelberg, Germany) is a senior analyst at RAND, Washington, D.C. Research areas include modeling and special operations forces.