US Stryker Combat Vehicles For Ukraine Suited To Retaking Occupied Territory

There is nothing subtle about the uses of this vehicle.

For a Ukrainian army determined to launch offensives designed take back occupied territory, including cities, the Stryker combat vehicle may be an excellent addition given its mobility, protective capabilities and landmine-exploding rollers. JL

Joseph Trevithick reports in The Drive:

A new tranche of military assistance for Ukraine, valued at $2.5 billion includes many 8x8 Stryker wheeled armored vehicles, something that hasn't been found in any previous U.S. aid packages for Ukraine, and landmine-defeating rollers to go with them. “It's quieter than a tank and you can get a Stryker in areas that you probably could not get a tank or a Bradley into, especially in urban areas.” The Stryker also provides safer mobility, with better communications and situational awareness systems, than either of those three previously U.S.-supplied vehicles.

The Pentagon has announced a new tranche of military assistance for Ukraine, valued at $2.5 billion. It includes many 8x8 Stryker wheeled armored vehicles, something that hasn't been found in any previous U.S. aid packages for Ukraine, and landmine-defeating rollers to go with them. More tracked Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Avenger air defense systems, and a slew of other missiles and artillery ammunition, are also included, among other things.

This new aid package is a so-called "Presidential Drawdown." The President of the United States, currently Joe Biden, has the authority to provide aid to friendly countries in certain circumstances by 'drawing down' straight from U.S. military stocks. 

How Strykers Could Help Ukraine

While it is still unknown what variant or variants of Stryker the U.S. might provide Ukraine, any would represent a big upgrade for the country from the fleet of more than 1,300 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) or Humvees, 300 M113 Armored Personnel Carriers and 527 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs) the U.S. has already provided, said Duplessis, the retired Stryker officer.

“It's quieter than a tank and you can get a Stryker in areas that you probably could not get a tank or a Bradley into, especially in urban areas,” he told The War Zone. Earlier this month, President Joe Biden authorized the transfer of 50 M2A2-ODS Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine.

The Stryker also provides safer mobility, with better communications and situational awareness systems, than either of those three previously U.S.-supplied vehicles.

 

The list of the package's full contents, as provided by the Pentagon, is as follows:

• Additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS);
• Eight Avenger air defense systems;  
• 59 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) with 590 TOW anti-tank missiles and 295,000 rounds of 25mm ammunition;
• 90 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) with 20 mine rollers;
• 53 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs);
• 350 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs);
• 20,000 155mm artillery rounds; 
• Approximately 600 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds;
• 95,000 105mm artillery rounds;
• Approximately 11,800 120mm mortar rounds;
• Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
• 12 ammunition support vehicles;
• 6 command post vehicles;
• 22 tactical vehicles to tow weapons;
• High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs);
• Approximately 2,000 anti-armor rockets;
• Over 3,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition;
• Demolition equipment for obstacle clearing;
• Claymore anti-personnel munitions;
• Night vision devices;
• Spare parts and other field equipment.

The first-time inclusion of Strykers, and 90 of them, is immediately notable. Reports that U.S. officials were considering adding these vehicles to the next U.S. aid package first emerged more than a week ago.

It remains unclear exactly what of the multitude of Stryker variants Ukraine may now be in line to receive. The Pentagon's description of them here as "Armored Personnel Carriers" indicates that at least a portion of the vehicles will be in the basic Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) configuration, which is not surprising. ICVs have a crew of two, space for nine more troops, and are typically armed with a .50 caliber machine gun or a 40mm automatic grenade launcher in a remotely operate mount on top of the vehicle.

Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicles (ICV). Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

The specific mention that 20 mine rollers will be provided could point to some of the Strykers being Engineer Squad Vehicles (ESV). Mine rollers are designed to detonate various kinds of mines prematurely, protecting the vehicle they are attached to and its occupants. Within the Stryker family, these variants are most typically associated with mine-clearing equipment – which could be very valuable for Ukrainian forces on the offensive – and otherwise configured to better support various combat engineering tasks.