One of these guys appears to stand out in, well, in just about every way:

n a true show of partnership, a U.S. Paratrooper along with Egyptian and Pakistani soldiers prepare to enter a room during Military Operations in Urban Terrain training at the Mubarak Military City, Egypt, during Operation Bright Star 2009/10. The training was part of the overall exercise designed to build partnerships and military cooperation between the 11 countries involved in the exercise. Photo by Sgt. Ty Stafford

Story: 82nd Airborne Division Helps Train Troops Coalition Forces in Egypt

Also see:
Bright Star Abrams
Bright Star Ospreys

Coalition forces conduct amphibious operations to move U.S. Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit on the USS Bataan, sailing in the Mediterranean Sea, to a staging area on Mubarak Military City near Alexandria, Egypt. Operation Bright Star 2009 is a multinational exercise is designed to improve readiness, interoperability, and strengthen military and professional relationships among U.S., Egyptian and several other participating forces. Photo by Spc. Lindsey Frazier

More info and photos at: Bright Star 2009 Participants Conduct Amphibious Operations Exercise

More Bright Star earlier today.

U.S. Army Pfc. Kevin B. Mettler (front), 22, and Pvt. Jason R. Pompa (rear), 26, mortar gunners for Mortar Platoon, L Troop of the 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment based in Vilseck, Germany, cover their ears as a long-range training round is fired out of a 120 mm mortar which has a maximum range of 6,800 meters. The training rounds have cartridges similar to 12-gauge shotgun shells at the top of each round that detonates a white flash upon impact instead of sending out shrapnel as a live mortar would. Photo by Sgt. Marla Keown

2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment Participates in Joint Task Force-East Training

Soldiers from the 2nd SCR have been rotating every three weeks to Romania and Bulgaria since the second week of August and will continue through the end of October. The combined training facilitated by exercise JTF-East is an integral part of the overall goal which is to increase regional security cooperation, build interoperability capabilities and develop personal and professional relationships.

Noticed this bit in an article noting lower levels of violence in Iraq for 3/2 Stryker:

Roadside bombs, the common killer of American service members in Iraq, appear to be weaker and less sophisticated than before.

MRAPs, new tactics, and reduced levels of violence could all help explain fewer IEDs or fewer casualties from IEDs, but don’t “weaker and less sophisticated” IEDs probably point to either disrupted bomb making or dead expert bomb makers?

In an article from the Seattle Times:

Bravo Company arrived in Afghanistan with 24 Strykers, the first of the eight-wheeled combat vehicles outfitted with high-tech communications and surveillance gear to arrive in Afghanistan. One-third of the vehicles are now out of service due to bomb attacks or maintenance.

The bomb threats are so pervasive that Stryker drivers have abandoned some stretches of road in favor of driving through the deserts on different routes.

The story sure seems to spend a lot of time focusing on negative quotes and experiences of the troops.

An eight-wheel Stryker vehicle from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment is used in a Joint Task Force-East training exercise Sept. 3, 2009, at Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo/Released)

Army to switch 2 heavy brigades to Strykers

Two heavy brigade combat teams will vanish by 2013 to make way for two new Stryker brigades, bringing the Army’s number of active SBCTs to eight and taking another bite out of its armor formations.

Planning documents obtained by Army Times say 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, Texas, and 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Hood, Texas, will be converted to SBCTs beginning in fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012, respectively, and will take 24 months to become fully operational.

While adding a couple more Stryker brigades probably makes sense, I’m not sure I’d do it at the expense of two heavy brigades.

New M-ATVs ready to deploy to Afghanistan

M-ATV by Oshkosh Defense

The new light-weight MRAP-type vehicles will be deployed beginning next month:

The vehicles have a blast-resistant V-shaped hull and are designed to provide MRAP-level protection for troops while offering more mobility than existing MRAPs, which can weigh between 32,000 and 45,000 pounds when empty. The new vehicles are smaller and weigh less than 25,000 pounds, making them more useful in Afghanistan’s uneven, rural terrain.

The initial MRAP deliveries will be made about three months after Army Tank-Automotive and Armament Command signed a $1.05 billion contract with Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense to supply 2,244 vehicles. Since then, the requirement for M-ATVs has tripled to 6,644 vehicles, and contracts have been awarded for 4,321, with additional buys expected soon, Irwin said.

A Japanese soldier ground guides a Type 90 tank into place during a live-fire range at Yakima Training Center, Wash., Sept. 15. The Soldiers were conducting a number of training events at YTC throughout September during the annual Exercise Rising Thunder. Photo by Sgt. Stephen Proctor

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