Army announces deployment of Stryker unit to Korea

The Army this fall will deploy a Stryker brigade combat team to replace an armored brigade combat team in Korea, following through on a change in unit type the service announced earlier this year.

The 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division will deploy to South Korea from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, this fall, replacing the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, the Army announced Friday.

The Army earlier this year announced that the Korea Rotational Force would transition to a Stryker brigade combat team rather than an armored brigade combat team. Friday’s rotational announcement marks the transition from armored units to Stryker units on the peninsula.

Stryker units offer greater speed and mobility than their armored counterparts. “By design, we are equipped to rapidly deploy around the globe to fight and win in key or restrictive terrain -- hills, mountains, valleys and urban environments alongside our partner nations,” Col. Chad M. Roehrman, commander of 2-2 SBCT, said in the announcement.

Also on Friday, the service announced the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division will deploy from Ft. Riley, KS, to Europe and replace the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. The Army said the rotation would continue to support allies in Europe.