Brigade combat team The brigade combat team ( BCT ) is the basic deployable unit of maneuver in the US Army . A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branch maneuver brigade , and its attached support and fire units . A brigade combat team is generally commanded by a colonel ( O - 6 ) , but in rare instances it is commanded by a brigadier general . A brigade combat team carries with it support units necessary to sustain its operations away from its parent division . BCTs contain organic artillery support , formerly received from the division artillery ( DIVARTY ) . Currently , the U . S . Army is converting its brigades into the new Brigade Combat Team ( BCT ) Program . In this program , divisions that previously had not deployed individual brigades due to lack of integral support have now been restructured . The 1st Armored Division , 25th Infantry Division , etc . now have the ability to deploy one or more BCTs anywhere in the world . These BCTs will be able to stand on their own , like a division in miniature . The soldiers assigned to a BCT will stay at their assignment for three years ; this is intended to bolster readiness and improve unit cohesion . Infantry Brigade Combat Team . The infantry brigade combat team is organized around three battalions of infantry . Each type of brigade ( light infantry , air assault , or airborne ) has the same basic organization . Each infantry brigade is capable of air assault operations , whether or not it is officially designated as an air assault brigade . Also , most units typically maneuver in HMMWVs when deployed and operate as " motorized infantry " to facilitate speed of movement . The infantry brigade combat team consists of seven battalions : one cavalry ( RSTA ) , one brigade support , one engineer , three infantry and one field artillery . Stryker Brigade Combat Team . The Stryker brigade combat team ( SBCT ) is a mechanized infantry force structured around the Stryker eight - wheeled variant of the General Dynamics LAV III , chosen as " interim armored vehicle " for the US Army . A full Stryker brigade was intended to be C - 130 Hercules air transportable into theatre within 96 hours , while a division - sized force is expected to need 120 hours . The Stryker brigade is an organic combined arms unit of light armored vehicles , and is organized differently than the infantry or armored brigade combat teams . The Stryker brigades are being used to implement network - centric warfare doctrines , and are intended to fill a gap between the United States ' highly mobile light infantry and its much heavier armored infantry . The BCT Ground Combat Vehicle Program is the planned successor of the interim armored vehicle . Each Stryker brigade combat team consists of three infantry battalions , one reconnaissance ( cavalry ) squadron , one fires ( artillery ) battalion , one brigade support battalion , one brigade headquarters and headquarters company , one network support company , one military intelligence company , one engineer company , and one anti - tank company . Unlike the infantry and armored BCTs , there is neither a brigade special troops battalion nor forward support companies in the brigade support battalion for the five maneuver elements . Armored Brigade Combat Team . The armored brigade combat team is the army ' s primary armored force . It was designed around combined arms battalions that contain both M1 Abrams tanks and M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles ( IFVs ) . Other vehicles , such as HMMWV s and variants of the M113 armored personnel carrier , operate in a supporting role . In the future , it will also contain vehicles from the BCT Ground Combat Vehicle Program . An armored brigade combat team consists of seven battalions : three combined arms , one cavalry ( RSTA ) , one artillery , one engineer and one brigade support battalion . Prior to 2012 , the armored brigade combat team was named the heavy brigade combat team . An ABCT includes 60 Abrams tanks , 60 Bradley IFVs , and 112 M113 vehicles . The operational cost per mile with these combat systems is $ 66 , 735 per mile . The range of the Abrams limits the brigade to 205 miles , requiring fuel every 12 hours . The brigade needs $ 195 , 000 gallons of fuel , which is transported by 15 5 , 000 - gallon M969A1 tankers and 48 2 , 500 - gallon M978 tankers . Modernization . The U . S . Army plans to implement elements of the BCT Modernization program in 2010 . This program utilizes elements from the Future Combat Systems Program that was canceled in early 2009 . The program comes in two segments . The first to be implemented would be the " Early Infantry Brigade Combat Team Capability Package " ( Early IBCT Package ) , which would modernize infantry brigade combat teams . The second to be implemented would be the " Follow - on Incremental Capability package " , which could modernize all brigades .