GM Defense ready to deliver first STRYKER armoured vehicles to U.S. Army

LONDON, ON, March 5 - GM Defense based in London, Ontario, Canada, invites you to attend First Acceptance Ceremonies for the U.S. Army's new fleet of STRYKER armoured vehicles. The vehicles will provide the U.S. Army's Brigade Combat Teams with a new generation of fast, agile and highly deployable light armoured vehicles to support its military deployments overseas. First Acceptance events will be held Friday, March 08, 2002, and will include special events for both employees of GM Defense as well as guests from the military, government, community and supplier sources across North America. Media guests are cordially invited to inspect the new STRYKER vehicle, to meet the GM workforce and to talk with officials of the U.S. Army and GM Defense.

Friday, March 8, 2002, Acceptance Events include:

- An Employee Rollout and First Vehicle Inspection to be held at 8:30 a.m. in the main GM Defense manufacturing plant, Building 15, 1991 Oxford Street East, London, Ontario. Over 1,500 GM employees will meet with officials of the U.S. Army and inspect the first delivered vehicles.

- Formal First Acceptance ceremonies will follow at 11 a.m. at the London Convention Centre, 300 York Street, in downtown London. A guest list of over 400 government, community and supplier guests will attend for acceptance speeches, vehicle inspection and a reception.

The STRYKER vehicle fleet, named in honour of two U.S. Army Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, will form the basis of a major U.S. Army transformation initiative. The Army will take delivery of 2,100 STRYKER vehicles manufactured by GM Defense and its joint venture partner General Dynamics Land Systems. The contract is valued at C$6 billion. The target is to provide U.S. Army combat forces with a highly deployable, armored vehicle fleet that combines firepower and battlefield mobility with high levels of survivability and versatility.