Making the Most of What We Have - Combat Power and the Bradley Dismounted Infantryman

Abstract

Many authors in recent years have lamented the decrease of dismounted infantrymen in J-series Bradley mechanized infantry units. This decrease is often described as a shortage and portrayed as a critical weakness of Bradley units. This monographs takes a fundamentally different approach to the issue and examines not whether there are enough infantrymen in Bradley units but whether Bradley units can generate sufficient combat power to win on the battlefield with the vehicles, men, weapons systems, and organization they currently have. In pursuing the answer to this question, the author employs Brigadier General Huba Wass de Czege's Relative Combat Power Model to analyze how well Bradley units perform doctrinal missions against the typical Soviet force arrays they could expect to see on the modern battlefield. Data and reports on field performance, particularly lessons learned from NTC rotations, provide valuable insights into Bradley unit strengths and weaknesses as they apply to firepower, maneuver, protection, and leadership. Keywords: Infantry, Combat forces, Combat power, Battlefields.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 22, 1990
Accession Number
ADA225487

Entities

People

  • Hugh F. Hoffman Iii

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Anti-Tank Weapons
  • Armored Personnel Carriers
  • Armored Vehicles
  • Artillery
  • Books
  • Combat Operations
  • Command And Control
  • Indirect Fire
  • Infantry Fighting Vehicles
  • Lessons Learned
  • Operating Systems
  • Organizational Structure
  • Social Sciences
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Weapons Effects

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Military Training and Readiness Simulation