The Future of Infantry: Maneuver in the Twenty-First Century.
Abstract
The thesis of this paper is that highly mobile infantry based forces combined with increasingly lethal artillery and aviation will become the dominant land combat force of the future. This change will be brought about as the geopolitical environment evolves into a new set of circumstances requiring capabilities traditionally associated with infantry. At the same time, domestic requirements will continue to shape the direction of national strategy and force structure, focusing on lighter more economical dual use technologies. As technological developments create the requirement and the capability for a dispersed and expanded battlefield, mobility requirements will expand the roles of aviation (due to its speed) and artillery (due to its range). Infantry, with its abilities to merge dismounted mobility with aviation and to provide information to artillery systems even in close terrain, will be the key to full spectrum dominance. In turn, the infantry force will require significant changes in how it is selected, organized, trained, employed and supported in order to meet the challenges of future conflict.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 13, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA326977
Entities
People
- Billy E. Wells Jr
Organizations
- United States Army War College