A Bradley Fighting Vehicle moves off the range during an exercise at Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland, on Mar. 10, 2026. The Defense Department Inspector General said this week that the Army is having difficulty maintaining its fleet of these vehicles due to high operational tempo and a shortage of mechanics. (Ronald D. Bell/U.S. Army)
The Army is struggling to ensure that Bradley Fighting Vehicles used by troops in Europe are mission-ready, according to a new Pentagon watchdog report that found a brigade’s worth of the vehicles initially reported as fit to fight were unusable.
The Defense Department Inspector General said this week that deployed units are confronted with systemic problems when it comes to keeping their armored vehicles in working order in connection with persistent shortages of mechanics and an intense operational tempo.
The IG audit examined a fleet of Bradleys used during the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division’s 2023 deployment in support of efforts aimed at deterring Russian aggression on NATO’s eastern flank.
“The Army did not effectively manage the repairs of the BFVs,” the report, dated March 16, said. Moreover, when the brigade ended its deployment it “improperly reported the condition of the BFVs turned in as fully mission capable.”
The Pentagon watchdog audit found that 96 of 117 Bradleys (about 82%) were initially reported by the unit as fully mission-ready. However, a subsequent joint inspection determined all 117 vehicles were unfit for use and riddled with mechanical issues, the report said.
One Bradley alone had 36 different faults, rendering it inoperable despite being listed as fully mission capable, the IG said. As a result, the Army had to pull 97 replacement Bradleys from its prepositioned stocks warehoused in Germany to equip the next incoming unit’s 2024 rotation.
U.S. Army Europe and Africa maintains numerous locations where key pieces of equipment, such as Bradley Fighting Vehicles and Abrams tanks, are stored for use by incoming units. The idea behind the program is to ensure that forces, either arriving in Europe for planned drills or in a crisis, can quickly fall in on combat-ready gear.
The IG said that subsequent Army efforts to repair the 117 Bradleys lagged. As of July 2025, only 51 of the 117 vehicles had been repaired to the Army’s maintenance standard, the report said.
Among the initial challenges was a lack of sufficient mechanics within the deployed brigade, which commanders said could increase repair times by 50%. Troops were also spread across multiple locations during the deployment, complicating maintenance work, the report said.
The commander of the brigade told the IG that during their deployment, most of the Bradleys were able “to run, shoot, and communicate” and were therefore deemed mission capable. However, that outlook “provided a false readiness level” and “gave the impression that the BFVs would not need extensive repairs,” the report said.
Meanwhile, Army sustainment units based in Europe also lacked the capacity to absorb the workload after the brigade returned to the United States, the IG said. Maintenance teams were stretched thin by competing demands that included ongoing efforts related to supporting and equipping Ukraine in its war with Russia.
The IG called upon USAREUR-AF to conduct a theaterwide study to determine what Bradley Fighting Vehicle repair capabilities are needed to meet mission requirements and develop a program to address any gaps.
USAREUR-AF, in a response to the IG, said units often have insufficient time between training events and their deployment dates for maintenance and that “severely limits their ability to fully reconstitute combat power,” the report said, adding the situation causes “a persistent readiness challenge.”
USAREUR-AF said it has implemented several initiatives to address the problems, such as establishing a forward-stationed maintenance augmentation team that can surge support when needed.
The command also said it would comply with the IG’s request for a formal study.
