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Brigade Combat Team

 
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The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic deployable unit of maneuver in the US Army
United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branch maneuver brigade
Brigade

A brigade is a military unit that is typically composed of two to five regiments or battalions, depending on the era and nationality of a given army....
, and its attached support and fire units. Brigade combat teams are generally commanded by a colonel
Colonel

Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country in the world. It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures....
 (O-6), in some rare instances they will be commanded by a brigadier general
Brigadier General

Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General.The rank can be traced back to the militaries of Europe where a brigadier general, or simply a brigadier, would command a brigade in the field....
.






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Brigade Combat Team Cropped
The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic deployable unit of maneuver in the US Army
United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branch maneuver brigade
Brigade

A brigade is a military unit that is typically composed of two to five regiments or battalions, depending on the era and nationality of a given army....
, and its attached support and fire units. Brigade combat teams are generally commanded by a colonel
Colonel

Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country in the world. It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures....
 (O-6), in some rare instances they will be commanded by a brigadier general
Brigadier General

Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General.The rank can be traced back to the militaries of Europe where a brigadier general, or simply a brigadier, would command a brigade in the field....
. A brigade combat team carries with it support units necessary to sustain its operations separate from its parent division. BCTs contain organic artillery support, formerly received from the division artillery (DIVARTY).

Currently, the U.S. Army is converting its brigades into the new Brigade Combat Team (BCT) program . In this program, divisions that generally have not deployed individual brigades due to lack of integral support (1st Armored Division
U.S. 1st Armored Division

The 1st Armored Division —nicknamed ?Old Ironsides?— is a standing armored division of the United States Army with base of operations in Wiesbaden, Germany....
, 25th Infantry Division, etc.) have been restructured, giving them the ability to deploy one or more BCTs anywhere in the world. These BCTs will be able to stand on their own just like a mini-division; however, the soldiers assigned to a BCT will stay at their assignment for 3 years. This is intended to bolster readiness and improve unit cohesion.

Infantry Brigade Combat Team

The Infantry Brigade Combat Team is organized around battalions of motorized infantry, who move with HMMWV and dismount when fighting. Each type of brigade (light infantry, air assault, or airborne) will have the same basic organization. Each infantry brigade will be capable of air assault operations, whether or not it is officially designated as an air assault brigade.
The Infantry Brigade Combat Team will consist two Infantry Battalions and one each Cavalry, Field Artillery, Special Troops, and Support Battalions.

Infantry Battalion

  • Headquarters and Headquarters Company
    • Medical Platoon
    • Reconnaissance Platoon
    • Sniper Section
    • Mortar Platoon
  • Rifle Company (x 3)
    • Rifle Platoon (x 3)
    • Mortar Section
  • Motorized Weapons Company
    • Weapons Platoon (x 4)


Each Infantry Brigade Combat Team consists of two Infantry Battalions. These two battalions will be the primary maneuver elements of the brigade and will each consist of around 650 personnel.

Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron

  • Headquarters and Headquarters Troop
  • Mounted Reconnaissance Troop with HMMWVs (x 2)
  • Dismounted Reconnaissance Troop
  • Surveillance Troop


Fires Battalion

  • Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
  • 105mm Towed Firing Battery (x 2)
  • Target Acquisition Section


Brigade Special Troops Battalion

  • Headquarters and Headquarters Company
    • Military Police Platoon
    • Support Platoon
    • CBRN
      CBRN

      CBRN is an acronym for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear. It is in common use worldwide, to refer to incidents or weapons in which any of these four hazards have presented themselves....
       Reconnaissance Platoon
  • Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company
  • Military Intelligence Company
  • Network Signal Company
  • Combat Engineer Company


The Brigade Special Troops Battalion (BSTB) is a new formation of the Army. It is designed to provide command and control to the brigade combat support companies (Intel and Signal) and any company-sized attachments (such as Air Defense Artillery or Military Police).

Brigade Support Battalion

  • Headquarters and Headquarters Company
  • Distribution Company
  • Maintenance Company
  • Medical Company
  • Forward Support Company (Infantry) (x 2)
  • Forward Support Company (Reconnaissance and Surveillance)
  • Forward Support Company (Fires)


Heavy Brigade Combat Team

The Heavy Brigade Combat Team will be the Army's primary armored force. It will be designed around Combined Arms Battalions that contain both M1 Abrams
M1 Abrams

The M1 Abrams is a Tank classification#Main battle tank produced in the United States. The M1 is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff of the United States Army and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972....
 Tanks and M2 Bradley
M2 Bradley

The M2 Bradley IFV and M3 Bradley CFV are United States infantry fighting vehicles manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments, .As with other infantry fighting vehicles, the Bradley is designed to transport infantry offering at least some armored protection while providing fire cover to dismounted troops and suppressing enemy ta...
 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs).
The Heavy Brigade Combat Team will consist of two Combined Arms Battalions and one each Armed Reconnaissance, Fires, Special Troops, and Support Battalions.

Combined Arms Battalion

  • Headquarters and Headquarters Company
    • Medical Platoon
    • Reconnaissance Platoon
    • Sniper Section
    • Mortar Platoon
  • Tank Company (x 2)
    • Tank Platoon (x 3)
  • Mechanized Infantry Company (x 2)
    • Mechanized Infantry Platoon (x 3)
  • Mechanized Combat Engineer Company


Armed Reconnaissance Squadron

  • Headquarters and Headquarters Troop
  • Armed Reconnaissance Troop (x 3)
    • Armed Reconnaissance Platoon (x 2)
      • M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (x 3)
      • M1114 Up-Armored HMMWV w/ Long-Range Advanced Scout Surveillance System (LRAS3) (x 5)
    • 120mm Mortar Section


Fires Battalion

  • Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
  • 155mm SP Firing Battery (x 2)
  • Target Acquisition Section


Brigade Special Troops Battalion

  • Headquarters and Headquarters Company
    • Military Police Platoon
    • CBRN
      CBRN

      CBRN is an acronym for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear. It is in common use worldwide, to refer to incidents or weapons in which any of these four hazards have presented themselves....
       Reconnaissance Platoon
  • Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company
  • Military Intelligence Company
  • Network Signal Company


Brigade Support Battalion

  • Headquarters and Headquarters Company
  • Distribution Company
  • Maintenance Company
  • Medical Company
  • Forward Support Company (Combined Arms) (x 2)
  • Forward Support Company (Fires)
  • Forward Support Company (Reconnaissance and Surveillance)


Stryker Brigade Combat Team

The Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) is designed entirely around a new armored vehicle: the Stryker
Stryker

The IAV Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled all wheel drive armored combat vehicles produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, in use by the United States Army....
 wheeled armored vehicle. The Stryker Brigade is organized differently than the Infantry or Heavy Brigade Combat Teams. The Stryker Brigade Combat Team will consist of three Infantry Battalions, one Cavalry Squadron, one Field Artillery Battalion, one Brigade Support Battalion, one Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company, one Network Support Company, one Military Intelligence Company, one Engineer Company, and one Anti-Tank Company. Unlike the Infantry and Heavy BCT's there is not a Brigade Special Troops Battalion nor Forward Support companies in the Brigade Support Battalion for the five manuever elements.

Infantry Battalion

  • Headquarters and Headquarters Company
  • Infantry Company (Stryker) (x 3)


Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron

  • Headquarters and Headquarters Troop
  • Mounted Reconnaissance Troop (Stryker) (x 3)
  • Surveillance Troop


Fires Battalion

  • Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
  • 155mm Towed Firing Battery (x 3)


Brigade Support Battalion

  • Headquarters and Headquarters Company
  • Distribution Company
  • Maintenance Company
  • Medical Company


Individual Companies

  • Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company
  • Military Intelligence Company
  • Network Signal Company
  • Combat Engineer Company
  • Anti-Tank Company


See also

  • United States Army
    United States Army

    The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
  • Transformation of the United States Army
    Transformation of the United States Army

    Army Transformation describes the future-concept of the United States Army's plan of modernization. Transformation is a generalized term for the integration of new concepts, organizations, and technology within the armed forces of the United States....
  • USMC Marine Air-Ground Task Force
    Marine Air-Ground Task Force

    The Marine Air-Ground Task Force is a term used by the United States Marine Corps to describe the principal organization for all missions across the range of military operations....
    , for comparison