Author Description

This detailed study examines the Army's first deployment of a Stryker Brigade Combat Team to Afghanistan in 2009. It created expectations similar to those common in 2004, when four Stryker-equipped battalions replaced four brigades from the 101st Airborne Division in northern Iraq. In 2009, soldiers and leaders at all levels expected Stryker-equipped formations to replicate their successes in Iraq, where they had "forged a reputation... for moving fast and attacking enemy strongholds all over" that country. Indeed, as the Army Times reported, planners and senior leaders in Kabul believed that introducing one or more SBCTs would perhaps revolutionize the fight against the Taliban and other insurgent groups.* And in fact, enemy forces in southern Afghanistan did struggle to find a workable response to the Strykers' speed, mobility, and high number of dismounted infantry.Those who seek a definitive answer to the question of whether the enemy successfully adapted to the Strykers' presence or why the SBCT mission was changed before its effects against insurgent concentrations became permanent will be disappointed by this work. That question lies beyond the scope of this project. Readers will, however, find a detailed study of the initial operations of the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment. Nicknamed the Buffaloes, the unit's operational maneuver tempo early in its deployment more than justified the brigade's deployment to Afghanistan. Shrinking time and space in the Arghandab River Valley in ways previous units could only dream of, 1-17's companies blanketed their areas of operations and significantly degraded enemy effectiveness, but at a much higher cost than originally anticipated. Despite this, the battalion made a solid contribution to the fight against the Taliban and associated elements, demonstrating again the Army's wisdom in adopting the Stryker as combat platform. More than a technical validation of the Stryker, however, 1-17's combat record demonstrate