The Pennsylvania National Guard’s 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team will receive more than 300 upgraded Stryker vehicles next year.

The brigade, nicknamed the “Independence Brigade,” is stationed at Biddle Air National Guard Base in Horsham, Pa. It is one of nine Stryker brigade teams operated by the Army. 

A Stryker is an eight-wheeled armored vehicle that first entered service in 2002. They can reach speeds of up to 60 mph and hold up to 11 personnel inside, depending on the vehicle’s variant. 

The brigade will swap 322 outdated flat-bottom Stryker vehicles in August and receive 316 upgraded “double-V hull” Strykers in mid-2025, according to a service release.

The new hull provides protection to personnel inside the vehicle as it is designed to better deflect outside explosions. The double-V hull was designed after flat-bottom Strykers struggled to survive against IED landmines in Afghanistan.

The upgrades come at a busy time for the 4,000-personnel strong Independence Brigade. More than 600 of its service members are currently deployed in East Africa, and 600 more are slated to join them later in the year. Additionally, the brigade is scheduled to deploy to the Joint Multinational Training Center in Grafenwoehr, Germany, this year. 

“This puts a heavy load on the non-deployed soldiers who will have to divest the current fleet and receive the new fleet,” brigade commander Col. Christopher Costello said. 

Despite this, he expressed confidence that the upgrades will not affect the brigade’s day-to-day operations. 

“Even though it isn’t the most advanced Stryker platform, it is one that offers more protection to the crew due to the V-shaped hull design,” Costello said.