Anniston Army Depot plays vital role with Army’s Stryker vehicles
Editor’s note: Anniston Army Depot’s Stryker Exchange program, which began in 2012 through a partnership with General Dynamics Land Systems, works with the Army and assists in efforts to modernize the Army’s fleet of combat vehicles.
The Stryker vehicles are planned to be in the Army’s fleet until 2050, thus modernization of the various variants of the vehicle remain a major focus.
Anniston Army Depot is the designated Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for tracked and wheeled ground combat vehicles (minus Bradley), towed and self-propelled artillery, assault bridging systems, individual and crew served small caliber weapons and locomotives, rail equipment and non-tactical generators.
The depot repairs and maintains vehicle systems such as the M1 Abrams tank, M88 Recovery Vehicle, Stryker, M113 M9 Ace Combat Earthmover and the Assault Breacher Vehicle. Major components of each vehicle are also overhauled and returned to stock. – Source: U.S. Army
Vehicles being serviced at the Army’s Anniston Army Depot.
Deploying to U.S. southern border
DOD News
The Pentagon is deploying a Stryker Brigade Combat Team and a General Support Aviation Battalion to the southwestern border, accelerating efforts to fulfill President Donald J. Trump’s directive to bolster military support in securing the U.S. – Mexico border. The units, equipped with wheeled vehicle and air capabilities, are set to reinforce border operations in the coming weeks, Pentagon Press Secretary Sean Parnell announced today.
Each SBCT is a mechanized infantry force of approximately 4,400 soldiers, and the Army’s nine SBCTs — seven active-duty and two National Guard — are known for their rapid deployment and versatility. Built around the Stryker vehicle — an eight-wheeled armored platform — the brigade balances mobility, protection and firepower. Capable of transport via C-130 Hercules aircraft within 96 hours, the Stryker excels in operations requiring swift response.
Complementing this, the GSAB, with roughly 650 troops, brings aviation muscle — UH-60 Black Hawks for command and medical evacuation, and CH-47 Chinooks for heavy lift — enhancing operational reach and support.
The Stryker’s design — lighter than tanks, yet more robust than light infantry — makes it ideal for the border’s vast terrain, while the aviation battalion’s air traffic control and lift capacity ensure seamless coordination.
“These forces will arrive in the coming weeks, and their deployment underscores the department’s unwavering dedication to working alongside the Department of Homeland Security to secure our southern border and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the United States under President Trump’s leadership,” Parnell said in a statement today.
This deployment marks the latest wave of active-duty troops sent to the border since Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025. Following his declaration to “seal the border” and combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking, initial deployments included 1,600 Marines and soldiers by late January, joining 2,500 reservists already mobilized.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, addressing the mission’s scope on his first official day in late January, emphasized adaptability. “Whatever is needed at the border will be provided,” he said, signaling a robust commitment to the president’s homeland defense priority.
Other stories of interest:
