Army's new armored vehicles will speed deployments.

As Pfc. Shaun Ratcliff sees it, the Army is finally "working smarter, not harder."

Ratcliff is talking about the Army's new Interim Armored Vehicles, which are designed for quick air transport entry into a fast-breaking contingency or peacekeeping mission.

The all-wheeled vehicles can travel 60 mph and go as far as 300 miles on a tank of fuel. They are designed to fill a gap between the Army's light infantry forces, which lack armored protection, and heavier task forces, which include the M-1 Abrams tanks.

Two of the vehicles--an infantry carder and a mobile gun system--were on display May 17 at the Pentagon for the national media.

On hand to talk about the vehicles were soldiers like Ratcliff--members of the 5/20th Infantry Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash. The battalion is one of three currently testing the concept with borrowed Canadian Army vehicles.

"It's the best thing we've got going now," said Ratcliff.

Spc. John Schuch agrees.

"I love the infantry carder vehicle," said Schuch. "It gets us to the battlefield expediently and we're refreshed and ready to do the mission when we arrive."

The new vehicles will be outfitted in six brigades throughout the Army. They are part of an Army Transformation goal, initiated by Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki, to deploy brigade combat teams anywhere in the world within 96 hours, a division on the ground in 120 hours, and five divisions within 30 days.

The goal is a good one, said Lt. Col. Ralph Baker, Commander, 5/20th Infantry Battalion.

"The Chief has the right concept," said Baker. "It's easy to step up to the plate and hit and score."

Introduction of the interim armored vehicles for now--and still-undefined objective vehicles for a future force--"will allow the Army to add an option to its predominately heavy force and predominately light force," said Baker.

"A commander does not like his options limited."

Use of composite armored material will help reduce the weight of the vehicles, said Baker.

The wheeled armored vehicles will stop .50-cal rounds and 152 nun airburst rounds, said Sgt. Frederick Neal, another member of the battalion.

"It's like an armored taxi," Neal explained.

Light armored vehicle fires can be inflated or deflated from inside the vehicle, said Schuch, to make it safer for different types of surfaces, such as hardtop or mud.

The Army has a contract with a subsidiary of General Motors to produce 2,131 light armored vehicles over the next five to six years, at a cost of nearly $4 billion.

Eight different configurations of the infantry carrier will be used as scout, support and command vehicles. Another variant will serve as a mobile gun system, with a 105 mm cannon--the same gun tube as on the original M-1 Abrams tank. This is not a tank replacement, said Army officials, but it gives direct fire capability to support the infantry elements. All the vehicles will be deployable by C-130 and larger aircraft.

The vehicle is propelled by a Caterpillar engine, which is common to the Army's family of medium tactical vehicles, said Neal. The same repair parts mean a reduction in the Army's logistical footprint and support costs.

The different configurations of the infantry carder vehicles include: command; mortar carder; anti-tank guided missile; reconnaissance; fire support; engineer support; medical evacuation; and nuclear, biological and chemical reconnaissance.