MARCH 31, 2025 – Soldiers from the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team have begun training on upgraded Stryker vehicles the brigade received recently.
As part of a program to modernize the 56th SBCT, the brigade is receiving 324 upgraded Strykers. Twenty-five of those Strykers are now at Fort Indiantown Gap, where they are being used to train Soldiers.
The upgraded vehicles have a “double-V” hull and are replacing the brigade’s legacy flat-bottom-hull Strykers. In addition to the shape of the vehicles’ hulls, the new Strykers have several other minor differences that the Soldiers who use them must learn about.
The training, which is broken into separate sessions for drivers and maintainers, is designed to be “train-the-trainer” training. After completing the training, the Soldiers will go back to their units and train other Soldiers in their units.
Capt. Matthew McCabe, battalion logistics officer (S4) for 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, said the training is designed for experienced Stryker operators and maintainers to learn the differences between the old and new vehicles.
“It’s allowing these individuals to go back to their units, be the subject matter experts and it’s allowing us to get our hands on a piece of equipment that’s more modern than what we had before,” McCabe said.
Sgt. Robert Leamer, a vehicle commander with Alpha Co., 1st Battalkion, 111th Infantry Regiment, said there are several small differences between the old and new vehicles, but driving them is pretty much the same.
“A lot of updates seem to be with the armor, with the new hull,” Leamer said. “They have some safety features, like the emergency shut off for the fuel, and a couple of comms things, but as far as these Strykers, they seem to roll very similar to the old ones.”
About 55 Soldiers are scheduled to go through the drivers training, and about 30 Soldiers will go through the maintenance training.
The training is being conducted by employees of General Dynamics Land Systems, the company that manufactures the Strykers.
“This training will set the brigade up for success in fiscal year ’26 after all our Soldiers are back from their deployments and the new Strykers are all fielded to the units,” McCabe said.
Story by Brad Rhen
Joint Force Headquarters – Pennsylvania National Guard