Heavy Brigade Combat Team
Heavy Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT) are combat units, under the Restructuring of the United States Army, with the greatest firepower and protection. As opposed to the Infantry Brigade Combat Team and Stryker Brigade Combat Team, they can be deployed, only with difficulty, by the heaviest transport aircraft. Intercontinental movement is usually by ship, either from a United States port or on prepositioning ships.
Command and control
The unit is commanded by a colonel.
All vehicles are fully digitized and part of the Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below network providing a common operational picture. Individual soldiers, however, typically have only a short-range radio.
Combat arms units
Standard maneuver forces are two mechanized combined arms battalions and one Scout/Cavalry/Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron. The combined arms battalions have three companies, two of mechanized infantry with 14 M2 Bradley armored fighting vehicles and tw of armor with 14 M1 Abrams tanks. M3 scout vehicles are the primary vehicle for the RSTA squadron.
Direct support weapons include, at the battalion level, four 120mm carriers There is an artillery battalion with two batteries of 155mm M109 howitzers and and both a AN/TPQ-36 and TPQ-37 artillery locating radar. <ref>Brigade Combat Teams, Infantry Center, U.S. Army, August 2009</ref
Brigade Special Troops Battalion
Controlling a variety of combat support functions, the Special Troops Battalion includes:
- Combat engineer company
- Military Intelligence Company
- Signals company
- Headquarters including military police, transportation and medical elements