National Guard unit swaps heavy armor for GM-built squad vehicle

Soldiers from the Tennessee National Guard’s 278th Cavalry Regiment became the first licensed operators of the Infantry Squad Vehicle within their state last week, completing a new equipment training course hosted by the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell from March 31 through April 2.

The training marks a concrete step in the 278th’s conversion from an Armored Brigade Combat Team to a Mobile Brigade Combat Team — a structural shift the unit learned it would undergo last May, making it one of the first National Guard formations in the country to adopt the Army’s new MBCT configuration. Select soldiers drawn from across Tennessee completed the ISV Operator New Equipment Training and will now return to their home units as qualified instructors, seeding the regiment with the expertise needed to bring the rest of its force up to speed.

“I was thrilled to finally be able to get hands-on with these new vehicles so I can begin teaching my Soldiers about them,” said Staff Sgt. Albert Ziss, Training Non-Commissioned Officer for Lebanon’s 3rd Battalion. “Everyone at my unit has been looking forward to getting and operating these new ISVs since they were first announced.”

The ISV sits at the center of the Mobile Brigade Combat Team concept. Built by GM Defense on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 commercial truck platform, the nine-passenger vehicle is designed to move an infantry squad with its full combat load — weapons, gear, and all — across rugged terrain faster than legacy tactical vehicles permitted. Its commercial underpinnings are a deliberate design choice: roughly 90 percent of the parts needed to maintain it are standard off-the-shelf components, reducing the logistical burden on units in the field and cutting the time required to train mechanics.

“They handle, maneuver, and run like a typical truck, so most Soldiers are very comfortable with that already,” said Staff Sgt. Robert Mines, the 101st Airborne Division’s Master Driver and the course instructor. “The dashboard and layout were kept like a traditional civilian car or truck, making it very intuitive to operate.”

That ease of use extends to the vehicle’s tactical utility. The ISV is light enough to be air-dropped onto a battlefield or sling-loaded beneath a helicopter, giving commanders options for rapid insertion that heavier armored vehicles simply cannot offer. Its modular design allows it to be reconfigured for different mission sets, and it can be fitted with a rescue litter in the rear to evacuate a wounded soldier without requiring a dedicated medical vehicle. Ziss called the litter capability one of the more striking features he encountered during training, noting its practical value for a unit that will increasingly operate in distributed, fast-moving environments.

The broader transformation of the 278th reflects a wider Army push to field formations that are lighter, faster to deploy, and less expensive to sustain than traditional armored units, while retaining lethal capability. MBCTs are intended to fill a gap between heavy armor and light infantry — units that can reach a crisis faster than a tank brigade but bring more firepower and mobility than dismounted forces alone.

“For decades, the 278th has been Armored Cavalry and we pride ourselves on being the best at what we do,” Ziss said. “So being one of the first National Guard units to transform into this new, more lethal structure is only fitting and we’re proud to do it.”

Units across Tennessee have already begun receiving ISVs, and the regiment expects to complete its vehicle transition over the coming months. For Army planners watching the National Guard’s modernization closely, the 278th’s early progress provides an early indicator of how quickly reserve component formations can absorb a significant structural and equipment change — a question that will matter considerably as the service pushes its MBCT model across more of the force.