Editing Mechanized infantry (section)

==Present day==
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[[File:1st BDE 25th ID(L) Irak 2004.jpg|thumb|left|[[Stryker]] vehicle and dismounted infantry of the US Army's [[Brigade combat team#Stryker brigade combat team|1st Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division]] in Mosul, Iraq, 2004.]]

At present, almost all infantry units from industrialized nations are provided with some type of motor transport. Infantry units equipped with IFVs rather than lighter vehicles are commonly designated as "heavy", indicating more combat power but also more costly long-range transportation requirements. In [[Gulf War#Operation Desert Shield|Operation Desert Shield]], during the buildup phase of the First Gulf War, the U.S. Army was concerned about the lack of mobility, protection and firepower offered by existing rapid deployment (i.e., airborne) formations; and also about the slowness of deploying regular armored units. The experience led the U.S. Army to form [[Brigade combat team|combat brigades]] based on the [[Stryker]] wheeled IFV.

In the British Army, "heavy" units equipped with the [[Warrior Tracked Armoured Vehicle|Warrior IFV]] are described as "armoured infantry", and units with the [[FV432#Bulldog|Bulldog APC]] as "mechanised infantry". This convention is becoming widespread; for example the [[French Army]] has "''motorisées''" units equipped with the wheeled [[Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé|VAB]] and "''mécanisées''" units with the tracked [[AMX-10P]].

The transport and other logistic requirements have led many armies to adopt wheeled APCs when their existing stocks of tracked APCs require replacement. An example is the Canadian Army, which has used the [[LAV III]] wheeled IFV in fighting in Afghanistan. The [[Italian Army|Italian]], [[Spanish Army|Spanish]] and [[Swedish Army|Swedish]] armies are adopting (and exporting) new indigenous-produced tracked IFVs. The Swedish [[Combat Vehicle 90|CV90]] IFV in particular has been adopted by several armies.

[[File:Mechanized infantry syria.jpg|thumb|right|A tracked IFV, the US [[30th Armored Brigade Combat Team|30th ABCT]]'s [[M2 Bradley|M2A2 Bradley]], on patrol in eastern Syria, 2019.]]
A recent trend seen in the [[Israel Defense Forces]] and the [[Armed Forces of the Russian Federation]] is the development and introduction of exceptionally well-armored APCs (HAPC), such as the [[IDF Achzarit]], that are converted from obsolete [[Tank|main battle tanks]] (such as the Soviet [[T-55]]). Such vehicles are usually expedients, and lack of space prevents the armament of an IFV being carried in addition to an infantry section or squad. In the Russian Army, such vehicles were introduced for fighting in urban areas, where the risk from short range infantry anti-tank weapons, such as the [[RPG-7]], is highest, after Russian tank and motor infantry units suffered heavy losses fighting Chechen troops in [[Grozny]] during the [[First Chechen War]] in 1995.

Many APCs and IFVs currently under development are intended for rapid deployment by aircraft. New technologies that promise reduction in weight, such as electric drive, may be incorporated. However, facing a similar threat in [[History of Iraq (2003–2011)|post-invasion Iraq]] to that which prompted the Russians to convert tanks to APCs, the occupying armies have found it necessary to apply extra armor to existing APCs and IFVs, which adds to the overall size and weight. Some of the latest designs (such as the German [[Puma (IFV)|Puma]]) are intended to allow a light, basic model vehicle, which is air-transportable, to be fitted in the field with additional protection, thereby ensuring both strategic flexibility and survivability.

===Medium mechanized forces===
In the late [[Cold War]] and early 21st century, various countries developed medium infantry forces armed with armored vehicles, which typically consisted of wheeled armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and assault guns. Medium mechanized forces are characterized by having more strategic air and road mobility than heavier, tank-based armored forces while offering better armor protection for the formation than the lighter [[motorized infantry]] formation, in which vehicles were considered "battle taxis" due to poor protection. The earliest experiment was the short-lived Soviet Light Motor Rifle Division in 1987, which consisted of wheeled BTR platforms for its primary armament.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mechanized_infantry&action=edit&section=5 |title=The Unknown Soviet Light Division (1987) |website=Battle Order |date=October 20, 2023 }}</ref> In the 1990s, the United States explored [[Stryker Brigade Combat Team]] (SBCT) formation and doctrines, which was a medium mechanized infantry formation with all-wheeled platforms centered around [[Stryker]] armored personnel carrier. In the early 21st century, China reformed its ground forces with the concept called Medium Combined Arms Brigade (CA-BDE), armed with [[Type 08]] universal wheeled platform. A similar trend of adopting the medium mechanized forces was observed in European countries, including the Italian, Polish, and French armed forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uklandpower.com/2017/12/06/the-genesis-of-medium-weight-wheeled-forces/#:~:text=Using%20medium%20weight%20forces%20effectively,encircle%2C%20seize%20and%20hold%20territory. |title=The Genesis of Medium Weight Wheeled Forces. |website=UK Land Power |date=December 6, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9416.html |title=The Capabilities That Medium-Armored Forces Bring to the Full Spectrum of Operations |website=RAND Corporation |date=2009 |last1=Johnson |first1=David E. |last2=Grissom |first2=Adam R. |last3=Oliker |first3=Olga }}</ref>