Army's New Tactic: A Silent, Deadly Power

W I T H  T H E  S T R Y K E R  B R I G A D E,  Iraq, Dec. 12 -- They are large and lethal, spookily quiet and ridiculously fast.

No one heard the 20-ton, eight-wheeled, lightly armored Stryker coming, or heard it drive past on the dirt road at Camp Udari in Kuwait.

That was ABCNEWS' first introduction to just how unique these armored personnel carriers really are, and why the Army has brought almost 300 of the new vehicles to Iraq.

The Army considers both of these qualities to be tactically crucial as it faces off against a new type of enemy in a new kind of war. The Iraqi insurgents setting off improvised explosive devices or firing rocket-propelled grenades at U.S. soldiers tend not to stand and fight a pitched battle. Rather, they hit quickly and move away, sometimes not even staying around long enough to gauge the results of their attacks.

So the soldiers of the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, now known as the Stryker Brigade, have adopted a new method of reacting to attacks: They rush toward the source. Depending on how many vehicles are on patrol, upward of 30 highly trained trained infantrymen may stream out to chase down the insurgents.

Meanwhile, other Strykers stay on the periphery, scanning the fields or buildings with their thermal cameras and covering the troops with a .50 caliber machine gun or Mark-19 automatic grenade launcher.

The tactic is new. The vehicles are new. The brigade is new.

It's all part of the transformation of the Army into what they hope will be a relevant force, with units able to dash to trouble spots anywhere in the world, within 92 hours, and have with them enough firepower to handle things.