Stryker group tapped to transform into mobile brigade
New vehicles will have a presence at the Tri-Cities Readiness Center in Richland
The Washington Army National Guard’s 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team has been selected to take on a new mission and transform to a mobile brigade as part of a major U.S. Army modernization effort. The change means the brigade will replace its fleet of Strykers – eight-wheeled armored vehicles – with more mobile infantry squad vehicles, or ISVs, which are pictured.
Courtesy Washington National GuardA Washington Army National Guard unit with a presence in Richland is being given a new mission and new vehicles as part of it.
The 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team will transition to a mobile brigade as part of a modernization effort being undertaken by the U.S. Army, according to a news release. The change means the brigade will replace its fleet of Strykers – eight-wheeled armored vehicles – with more mobile infantry squad vehicles, or ISVs .
Lt. Col. Joseph Siemandel, a state Department of the Military spokesman, told the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business that the unit’s new vehicles will have a presence at the Tri-Cities Readiness Center near Horn Rapids in Richland.
Washington Army National Guard, Tri-Cities Readiness Center, 2655 First St., Richland. | File photoIn addition to the new vehicles, an infantry battalion from the Utah National Guard will join the newly formed 81st Mobile Brigade.
“Change isn’t always easy, but this is a big win for us,” said Brig. Gen. Paul Sellars, commanding general of the Washington Army National Guard, in a statement. “Being chosen to make the shift to a mobile brigade is a testament to our organization and shows just how strong and capable our team is. This is another major milestone for the 81st, and for the entire Washington Army National Guard. It keeps our organization relevant and ready, whether we’re called to help overseas or respond to emergencies here at home.”
This marks the second major transformation for the 81st Brigade in the past decade. In 2015, the 81st transitioned from an armored brigade combat team with heavy tanks, to a Stryker brigade combat team.
The state’s National Guard recently wrapped up its last drill weekend of the fiscal year but it was a highly pared down event due to federal officials clawing back millions of dollars in funding.
The Washington State Standard reported that half of the 5,000 member Washington Army National Guard members did not take part in last weekend’s drill due to receiving excused absences. Those absences were granted in an effort to reduce costs potentially in the wake of President Donald Trump ordering National Guard troops to patrol the nation’s capital.
