Tactical and Operational Impact on the Brigade Combat Teams' Ability to Defend Against Near-Peer Adversaries after Restructuring of Field Artillery Assets

Abstract

As the United States Army emerges from nearly two-decades of operations in Afghanistan and over fifteen years of operations in Iraq, dramatic efforts are necessary to position US military for the intense challenges anticipated if we were to engage near-peer adversaries such as China and Russia in combat. We will not enjoy the same technological superiority that we have grown accustomed to during Operation's Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. The Secretary of the Army has outlined his vision for how the Army must evolve over the next decade to meet this challenge. To be ready to deploy, fight, and win against US adversaries, the US Army must emphasize manning, training, and equipping US forces to operate in joint environments, across all domains, while maintaining the ability to conduct operations across the entire range of military operations. This paper concludes, that to achieve this vision, the US Army will need to increase the Field Artillery assets available in each Brigade Combat Team, and train to employ unguided munitions to mass effects against US adversaries. It is also concluded that the use of Precision-Guided Munitions will remain vital to overall mission accomplishment with the understanding that they have limited effects against a highly mobile enemy conducting offensive operations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 14, 2019
Accession Number
AD1110365

Entities

People

  • Anthony J. Varela

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artillery
  • Artillery Ammunition
  • Combat Operations
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Lessons Learned
  • Military History
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • Organizational Structure
  • Precision-Guided Munitions
  • Warfare
  • Weapons Effects

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Military Science
  • Strategic Security Studies