As I understand it, the dismounted infantry squad is the center-piece of both the IBCT and the SBCT.
Strykers are there to carry the squad, their stuff, provide the digital comms, protect them from small arms, indirect-fire and get the squad to the right place to dismount and go fight. The Stryker is very much an APC NOT and IFV. OBTW, a full nine-man squad gets off the stryker vice 5-6-7 Soldiers from a BFV. To a large degree the same situation applies to any APC versus IFV comparison.
BTW, seperate Tank Bns longer exist in the US Army. You could re-org a HBCT CAB into a Tank Bn and a Mech Bn but then are robbing Peter to pay Paul. Not sure anyone did that even with all the detailed intra-BCT re-orgs that happened in Iraq.
Pretty sure we don't need/want to go back to a force structure of just heavy (HBCTs) and Light (IBCTs). SBCTs are the Medium/middleweight force that take less strat lift and less time to deploy vice heavy and provide a degree of mobility and protection once they get there.
Awhile back in this thread, I posted a fairly detailed description of a re-org'ed HBCT. The end state would provide the CDR with three viable maneuver Bn/Sqdrns with NO additional expenditures in either personnel or equipment. In fact there were sufficient savings to create a "new" company fof escort and security troops to assist in rear area operations.
So, yes most of my input has been short-term band-aides but they worked.
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