The changes over the past few years and those coming up will put the Army at a total of 31 BCTs in the regular Army, comprised of 11 armored. 13 infantry and seven Stryker brigades once complete.
The Army National Guard will hold 27 BCTs, among them five armored, 20 infantry and two Stryker brigades. This gives the total Army 58 BCTs.
Also, the Army has rethought the idea of having divisions with multiple types of brigades in it. Even though the Army is brigade-centric with independently operating brigades, having sister brigades of the same type at the same base is still useful, for example, for sending a brigade off in emergencies.
I had missed that notion when it was the idea of the day.
The Army is smaller than it was pre-9/11 as far as brigade numbers. I think the combined total was more than 70 if memory serves me.
Although the brigades should be fully (or more) manned unlike the pre-9/11 under-strength brigades.
I suspect the Army is still too light for peer-to-peer. I'd like to see four more armored brigades in the active component.
And, as I argued in Army magazine, separate tank battalions or heavy task forces that can be attached to the Stryker and infantry brigades when needed.
