Training the Artillery Battery to Assume IO
Abstract
The Iraqi Theater of Operations (ITO) has largely become what can be termed Low Intensity Conflict (LIC) or Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW). The use of supporting arms in general, and artillery in specific, is sporadic at best. Arguments have been made that artillery units, being the least engaged division units, are well suited for ancillary missions such as Information Operations (IO) and Civil Military Operations (CMO). CMO has been given to the artillery regiments and battalions as a secondary mission as directed in ALMAR 061- 05. Whether IO becomes a tertiary mission officially or as a result of CMO mission creep, it is undoubtedly on the horizon for the artillery community. For artillery batteries to be used as provisional IO batteries minor changes in structure and major changes in training must take place. The mission creep had already begun, even before the ALMAR outlining CMO as the secondary mission. The majority of IO billets are filled by Marines carrying the 08XX Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) designation. The logic behind the staffing of these billets is largely based on "effects based targeting," the latest term to be over utilized and under defined. This paper will not attempt to analyze the merits of this trend but rather work on the premise that it is a forgone conclusion that artillery will inherit this mission.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA522240
Entities
People
- James Kidd
Organizations
- Marine Corps University