Armor in Urban Terrain: The Critical Enabler

84 Pages·2006·4.53 MB·English

The Professional Bulletin of the Armor Branch PB 17-06-2
Editor in Chief Features
LTC SHANE E. LEE
6 Armor in Urban Terrain: The Critical Enabler
by Major General Peter W. Chiarelli, Major Patrick R. Michaelis,
Managing Editor and Major Geoffrey A. Norman
CHRISTY BOURGEOIS 12 Task Force Iron Dukes Campaign for Najaf
by Lieutenant Colonel Pat White
Commandant 18 Sadr City: The Armor Pure Assault in Urban Terrain
MG ROBERT M. WILLIAMS by Captain John C. Moore
25 Platoons of Action: An Armor Task Force’s Response
to Full-Spectrum Operations in Iraq
by John P.J. DeRosa
ARMOR (ISSN 0004-2420) is published bi-
month l y by the U.S. Army Armor Center, 31 Light Cavalry Platoon — Armor Team Integration Procedures
ATTN: ATZK-DAS-A, 201 6th Avenue, Ste 373, by First Lieutenant Jonathan Silk
Building 1109A, Fort Knox, KY 40121-5721.
36 Task Force Death Dealers: Dismounted Combat Tankers
Disclaimer: The information contained in AR- by Captain Donald Stewart, Captain Brian McCarthy, and Captain James Mullin
MOR represents the professional opinions of
40 Death Before Dismount: Transforming an Armor Company
the authors and does not necessarily reflect
by Captain Michael Taylor and First Sergeant Stephen Krivitsky
the official Army or TRADOC position, nor
does it change or supersede any information 49 “Checkmate on the Northern Front:”
presented in other official Army publications. The Deployment of TF 1-63 Armor in Support of Operation Iraqi Freedom
by Major Brian Maddox
Official distribution is limited to one copy for
each armored brigade headquarters, arm ored 54 3d Squadron, 7th U.S. Cavalry Up Front:
cavalry regiment headquarters, armor battal- Operation Iraqi Freedom Lessons Learned
ion headquarters, armored cavalry squadron by Major J.D. Keith
head quarters, reconnaissance squadron head- 60 Air-Ground Integration
quar ters, armored cavalry troop, armor com- by Captain Shawn Hatch
pany, and motorized brigade headquarters of
65 Reconnaissance Patrols in Baghdad
the United States Army. In addition, Army li-
First Lieutenant Gregory S. Hickerson
braries, Army and DOD schools, HQ DA and
MACOM staff agencies with responsibility for 68 Defeating the Threat in Iraq Through the Combined Arms Convoy Concept
armored, direct fire, ground combat systems, by Captain Klaudius K. Robinson
organizations, and the training of personnel
72 Company-Level Cordon and Search Operations in Iraq
for such organizations may request two cop ies
by Captain Dale Murray
by sending a request to the editor in chief.
78 Checkpoint and Traffi c Control Point Operations
Authorized Content: ARMOR will print only
by First Lieutenant Michael Gantert
those materials for which the U.S. Army Armor
Center has proponency. That proponen cy in- 80 2006 Armor Warfi ghting Symposium:
cludes: all armored, direct-fire ground combat “Mounted Warriors for a Nation at War”
systems that do not serve primarily as infantry 81 2006 Armor Warfi ghting Symposium/Armor Trainer Update Schedule of Events
carriers; all weapons used exclusively in these
systems or by CMF 19-series enlisted soldiers;
Departments
any miscellaneous items of equipment which
armor and armored cavalry organizations use
2 Contacts
exclusively; training for all 19-series officers
3 Letters
and for all CMF-19-series enlisted soldiers;
4 Commander’s Hatch
and information concerning the training, logis-
5 Driver’s Seat
tics, history, and leadership of armor and ar-
mored cavalry units at the brigade/regiment
level and below, to include Threat units at
those levels.
Material may be reprinted, provided credit is
given to ARMOR and to the author, except
Periodicals Postage paid at Fort Knox, KY, and additional mailing offi ces. Postmaster: Send address changes to Editor,
where copyright is indicated. ARMOR, ATTN: ATZK-DAS-A, 201 6th Avenue, Ste 373, Fort Knox, KY 40121-5721.
Distribution Restriction: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
March-April 2006, Vol. CXV, No. 2 USPS 467-970
“From My Position...”
“. . . politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics port. These young warrior-diplomats are performing their duties in
with bloodshed.” ways that few American military thinkers envisioned 20 years ago,
Mao Tse-tung, On Protracted War, 1938 but are nevertheless very similar to how their 19th-century ances-
tors performed them on the Western frontier.
As Armor Soldiers serving during the Cold War, we learned to place
the maximum amount of firepower at the decisive point on the bat- In short, our soldiers have not only had to adjust their tactics, but
tlefield to destroy our enemies as quickly as possible in the event have also had to adjust their thinking. The Armor Conference that
deterrence failed. We learned to rapidly close with and destroy en- many of us were familiar with in the past has also changed to adapt
emy forces using fire, maneuver, and shock effect. When deterrence to the war we are in now and may be fighting in the future, rather
failed during Operation Desert Storm, Saddam’s army learned the than the war we would prefer to fight. After a year-long absence, the
hard way what happens when you attempt to fight a well-equipped Armor Conference has returned as the “Armor Warfighting Sympo-
army that has had more than twenty years to perfect its ability to sium.” Although visitors will see some similarities to past conferenc-
fight high-intensity wars. While some of our most senior military lead- es, this year’s symposium will be fundamentally different.
ers made a few political decisions, our politicians played the largest
Among the subject-matter experts at this year’s event will be armor
role in determining the conditions for victory. The nature of this war
leaders who have recently served in leadership positions from the
allowed the majority of military leaders at the time to concentrate
tank/Bradley crew level to brigade command. They have conducted
efforts on the application of violence alone.
high-intensity, urban combat operations in Fallujah, and have re-
Later on, during the mid-1990s, we learned how to keep the peace traced the footsteps of von Steuben, training Iraqi soldiers in Khal-
in places such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Haiti, and Macedo- diya. They are experts in counterinsurgency and mounted opera-
nia. These deployments were initially dubbed operations other than tions in urban terrain (MOUT). More importantly, these mounted
war (OOTW), as if this acronym made a clear distinction between warriors have successfully led soldiers fighting the three-block war
the use of military forces in combat and the use of those same forc- and are more than willing to share their hard-won knowledge.
es in less violent situations. Although using the armed forces in all
The 2006 Armor Warfighting Symposium, “Mounted Soldiers for a
of the situations described above was meant to achieve some po-
Nation at War,” will focus on soldiers in the ranks of staff sergeant
litical goal, we really saw the latter examples as something other
through major. The reasons for this focus are simple. These sol-
than war. Military leaders during this period often made tactical de-
diers are doing the armor force’s heaviest lifting in the current fight
cisions with profound strategic and political implications, but com-
and they are learning the hard lessons while applying them on the
bat decisionmaking was rare. With few exceptions, most of us saw
ground. These soldiers are also the present and future leaders of
no middle ground between these two extremes.
the Armored Force. Unless peace is suddenly restored, and today’s
Of course, our perceptions of the nature of war changed significant- experts are proven wrong, these soldiers will still be fighting this
ly once we were engaged in Afghanistan and Iraq. In both of these war when they are serving as the Army’s senior leaders. For these
situations, we found ourselves fighting the “three-block war” that reasons, we will aim to capture their thoughts and experiences on
U.S. Marine Corps General Charles Krulak first addressed during warfighting and distribute them to the force while we still have the
the past decade. In other words, to paraphrase Mao, peacekeep- opportunity. Within a year’s time, the dynamics of the current battle-
ing, high-intensity warfare, counterinsurgency, and deterrence are field could completely shift.
all forms of warfare. They only differ in the level of violence present
If there was ever a conference you should attend, it is this one. The
and the tools available to the belligerents. In Iraq, many armor offi-
Armor Force needs you here in May to share your experiences and
cers and noncommissioned officers have learned that their ability
ideas. You will not regret the time you spend here, and the force will
to teach people how to select a city council, turn on the electricity,
be better for your efforts. See you there!
or keep the streets clean is just as important as their ability to prop-
erly conduct a cordon and search operation or call for close air sup- S.E. LEE
By Order of the Secretary of the Army: Official:
SANDRA R. RILEY
PETER J. SCHOOMAKER
Administrative Assistant to the
General, United States Army
Secretary of the Army
Chief of Staff
0535601
Points of Contact
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ARMOR Editorial Offi ces U.S. Army Armor Center
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Format, or ASCII (please indicate wordprocessing format on disk or COL Richard G. Piscal (ATZK-TD)
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article to only one Army professional bulletin at a time. Command/Combat Identifi cation (ATZK-PBC-CID)
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If you use Power Point for illustrations, please try to avoid the use of ex- Aubrey Henley 5155
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Unit of Action Maneuver Battle Lab (ATZK-UA)
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es, and delivery problems, or for awards in format ion, con tact Con-
Soldier - Mounted Warrior (ATZK-ATS)
nie Stiggers or Connie McMillen, United States Armor Association,
MAJ Bryan Salyers 3519
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E-mail: [email protected]
phone [phone]; or FAX [phone]. You can also access the
Association through their web site at www.usarmor-assn.org.
UNIT DISTRIBUTION: To report unit free distribution delivery prob- U.S. Army Armor School
lems or changes of unit address, e-mail us at [email protected].
mil; phone DSN 464-2249, com mercial [phone]; or FAX DSN Director of the Armor School (ATZK-DAS)
464-5039, commercial [phone]. Requests to be added to the of- COL Robert Valdivia 1050
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itor in Chief.
1st Armor Training Brigade (ATZK-BAZ)
COL Peter D. Utley 8736
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ARMOR MAGAZINE ONLINE: Visit the ARMOR magazine web site
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ARMOR HOTLINE — DSN 464-TANK: The Armor Hotline is a 24- NCO Academy (ATZK-NC)
hour service to provide assistance with questions concerning doctrine, CSM Samuel Wilson 5150
training, organizations, and equipment of the armor force. E-mail: [email protected]
2 — March-April 2006
Canister Round a “Hit” laboration. There was no sanctuary, no North bequeathed the painting to the Fort Phil Kear-
Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Iran, or Syria in ny/Bozeman Trail Association. The November-
Dear ARMOR,
where they could recover and reorganize. We December issue does not give proper credit to
This letter is in response to the article by Ma- must be cautious of which lessons we take the Association for the use of the famous oil
jor (now LTC) Benjamin Harris, titled “Gunner, from this successful counterinsurgency. painting. ARMOR ’s staff wishes to apologize
Canister, Troops,” published in the November- for this oversight, and on behalf of the Associ-
The main thrust of this letter responds to Lieu-
December 2005 issue of ARMOR. The article ation, welcome new members from all over the
tenant General Ulmer’s article on leader behav-
focuses on several different areas related to United States.)
ior, specifically at the division command level.
this round, including the rapid acceleration of
It is incomprehensible to me that the “Big 12”
the type classification and materiel release The Fort Phil Kearney/Bozeman Trail Asso ci-
does not include tactical competence (gener-
milestones, as well as the production of the car- ation, formed in 1986, lobbied the Wyoming
alship), intelligence, and courage. In war, that
tridges fielded. This was made possible by the legislature for support for the staffing, opera-
is the bottom line.
efforts of both government and industry — tru- tion, and maintenance of the Fort Phil Kear-
ly a remarkable team accomplishment. The English soldiers in the Peninsula referred ney and Fetterman battle sites. The associa-
to Wellington as “that long-nosed bastard who tion was instrumental in obtaining the gift of a
Recently fielded in Iraq, tankers from both the
beats the French.” He despised his own sol- building from First Interstate Bank, which be-
U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps have
diers’ behavior, but admired and relied on their came the Visitor’s Center. They raised money
been conducting familiarization training over
fighting qualities. Aside from his immediate co- to renovate the building, pay the staff, adver-
the past couple of months, normally prior to
terie, his officers did not much care for him. tise, establish the annual Bozeman Trail Days
their planned deployments to Kuwait and Iraq.
The men certainly did not love Wellington the celebration, and much more.
During this familiarization training, units have
way Napoleon’s soldiers loved him; however,
been firing at various ranges from 50 to 300 Later, the Association purchased about 24
before a battle, they would turn and look for
meters with very positive results. Troop type acres at the Wagon Box site, which increased
him until they saw him. Then they would settle
formations and various types of wall obstacles it from only 1 acre. Members from 26 states
in. Wellington delivered victory.
have been included in the target sets. Again, and 6 foreign countries contributed to that ef-
while results at various ranges differ slightly, the Most of Jackson’s officers thought he was cer- fort. The Association was the catalyst for the
overall effects were devastating and certainly tifiable. He never shared his plans, he was ruth- land trade with Texaco, giving the state an ad-
showed the unique capability of the canister less about march discipline, and he was hard- ditional 15 acres at the fort site and an addi-
round. As one soldier recently said after wit- ly charismatic. As a professor at VMI, he was tional 11 acres at the Fetterman site. The Foun-
nessing a canister round fired, “The enemy can dull and pedantic. However, he was one of the dation was formed primarily to preserve more
still run but the canister round will make his rare generals in the Civil War who understood land around the sites, and over $152,000 was
hiding places even smaller!” a flank attack. During battle, he transformed raised to purchase the lots on Sullivant Hills
from a plough horse to a war horse. McClel- north of the fort — again, spurred by a $60,000
Additionally, the design and manufacture of a lan, on the other hand, was much beloved in challenge grant from the Peter Kiewit Founda-
dummy round for loader training and familiar- the Army of the Potomac, but tactically inept. tion. Association members from 30 states and
ization is nearly complete. As units continue to 9 foreign countries donated to the effort. The
familiarize or employ the M1028, they learn Not micromanage? Read Patton’s instruc- Association has contributed close to $1 million
more about the canister round; they learn just tions to the Third Army published in 1944. Men dollars, based on today’s values, in land, a
how devastating it is at close range. As LTC in war follow leaders who deliver victory. As a building, artifacts, dioramas, archaeology, art,
Harris said, “Gunner, Canister, Troops!” former coach at the National Training Center, I and books. Once purchased by the Founda-
was astounded by the number of brigade com-
WAKELAND KUAMOO tion, the land was gifted to the Association.
manders whose plan of attack consisted of a
piecemeal frontal attack, leading with the light Fort Phil Kearny is believed to be the largest
Dear ARMOR, battalion at night in an unsupported fight. Ear- military-built stockade fort west of the Missis-
ly that morning the mech-heavy task force sippi. Today, visitors can gaze out from the fort
Hip-hip hooray!!! The long-awaited and sore-
impaled itself on one of the MRCs. The tank- and the Battle Ridge and see what the sol-
ly needed tank canister round is close to real-
heavy reserve was committed to continued fail- diers, Indians, and civilians saw in 1866. Land
ity!!! In Vietnam, our M48 medium gun tank’s
ure at the point where the mech-heavy force under negotiation includes the Fort Phil Kear-
basic load was usually close to 50-percent
was destroyed. And during this operation, artil- ny cemetery location, once a national ceme-
canister. Our tanks primarily used canisters.
lery did not provide support at the decisive tery where the dead from the Fetterman battle
There were many enemy soldiers in the open
point. By the time close-air support arrived, the were originally buried and where some bodies
that our machine guns could not engage as ef-
battle was over. Granted, this was a training en- may still remain; the sites of the homes of
fectively. And even when we were in the deep
vironment on a MILES battlefield, but it was Wheatley and Fisher, civilians killed at the bat-
woods or jungle, we would use canister rounds
nevertheless startling how many brigade com- tle; two sawmill sites; blockhouse sites; the fort
to clear a hole in the vegetation for a high-ex-
bat teams did not apply basic U.S. doctrine. brickyard site, and more. To the north is Sulli-
plosive round to follow.
vant Hills with life-sized Indian silhouettes on
JOHN WEAR In Russ Weigley’s book, Eisenhower’s Lieu- the horizon. To the east is the John Phillips
Former SGT, USMC tenants, he states that in the ETO about one- monument, a tribute to his famous 236-mile
third of division commanders were relieved of ride to alert the command at Fort Laramie af-
command. In its short 200-year history, the Ar- ter Fetterman’s tragic fate. Pilot knob is visible
“Big 12” Should Include Tactical
my has been challenged to identify military tal- to the south. From this site, soldiers signaled
Competence, Intelligence, Courage ent in peacetime. If we are going to apply some- the fort of the attack on the wood wagons,
Dear ARMOR, thing like the Big 12 to this process, please let which precipitated the Fetterman disaster. The
us start with tactical and technical compe- earliest route of the famous Bozeman Trail
I would like to address two of your articles in tence, exceptional intelligence, and moral and goes through this area and the Bozeman Trail
the January-February 2006 issue of ARMOR. physical courage. story is integral to the history of the fort. There
Regarding Lieutenant Drohan’s article, “An PHILIP ALLUM are teepee rings and other sites, which are vir-
Integrated Approach: British Political-Military LTC, U.S. Army, Retired tually undisturbed.
Strategy in the Malayan Emergency,” we must
remember that most of the insurgents were Requests for information may be sent to Fort
Chinese communists. They were outsiders in “The Fetterman Fight” Phil Kearney/Bozeman Trail Association, P.O.
Malaysia. Dramatically different from the situa- (Ed. Note - The cover of the November-De- Box 5013, Sheridan, WY 82801 or visit the web
tion in Vietnam, where the United States sup- cember 2005 issue of ARMOR illustrates “The site at http://www.philkearny.vcn.com.
ported a Catholic regime associated with the Fetterman Fight,” by J.K. Ralston. The painting LARRY LEWIS
French colonialists and later the Japanese col- was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Don Foote, who President, FPK/BTA
March-April 2006 — 3
Major General Robert M. Williams
Commanding General
U.S. Army Armor Center
“Mounted Warriors for a Nation at War” —
2006 Armor Warfighting Symposium
In light of the upcoming Armor War- lutions by the dates the original articles courage everyone to take advantage of
fight ing Symposium in May, this issue of were written. The earliest articles deal this opportunity.
ARMOR Magazine is a special edition with facing a conventional threat during
focused on this year’s theme, “Mounted the initial invasion of Iraq and a subse- I would like to remind our readers that
Warriors for a Nation at War.” In this is- quent high-intensity phase. The articles the Frederick Franks Award is a great
sue, you will find a detailed agenda of from 2004 and later deal increasingly chance to recognize someone who has
the conference, instruction on how to sub- more with stability and reconstruction op- worked hard to make our branch and our
mit nominees for the Frederick Franks erations and security threats posed by an Army better. The award recognizes an ac-
Award, and a number of specially select- insurgency. In each article, leaders find tive duty or reserve officer, noncommis-
ed past articles that support the sympo- creative and innovative solutions to com- sioned officer, or Department of the Army
sium’s theme. plex operations. Civilian who has demonstrated a long
time contribution to the warfighting ca-
These premier articles cover a wide va- Our mission at the Armor Center is to pabilities of the U.S. Army. In keeping
riety of topics from authors with a broad determine how to best prepare our Army’s with the theme “Mounted Warriors for a
spectrum of experience; however, they are mounted Soldiers for continued success Nation at War,” this year we will give spe-
all connected. First, each article demon- on today’s complex battlefields and share cial consideration to the nominees’ con-
strates the continuing necessity of mount- that invaluable information with the op- tributions toward the tactics, techniques,
ed forces in today’s environment. Mount- erational force. The 2006 Armor Warfight- and procedures in today’s current operat-
ed warriors in tanks and Bradleys led the ing Symposium directly supports that mis- ing environment. I ask everyone to con-
way during the initial invasion of Iraq and sion. The heart of the symposium will sider who in your organization might be
performed superbly. As we transitioned be daily subject-matter-expert briefings, a good nominee.
to the subsequent “Phase IV,” we quickly as well as a series of focused discussion
discovered that armored vehicles, includ- panels. These discussion panels are made Our mounted force is the best our nation
ing Abrams and Bradleys, were just as up of Soldiers ranging in rank from staff and our world have ever seen, and events
important at the lower spectrum of con- sergeant to colonel and cover a number such as this symposium will only make
flict as they were during the drive to Bagh- of current and relevant topics. My mis- it stronger. I am confident that all of us
dad. Mounted warriors from both the U.S. sion for these discussion panels is to will depart the Armor Warfighting Sym-
Army and Marine Corps are critical to determine how we continue to defeat the posium better prepared to defend our na-
our success in Iraq and they will remain creative, asymmetrical enemy we fight to- tion. I am proud of the great work our Ar-
a key component of our force until our day and expect to fight in the future. I mor Soldiers are doing around the world
mission is complete. have requested the Armor Force’s best and I am proud to be your branch chief.
Soldiers to participate because the true You are truly making a difference and the
The articles are also connected by the benefit of this symposium will be the les- legacy of your accomplishments will live
experiences of young leaders learning to sons these panel members develop and for years. The 2006 Armor Warfighting
adapt their organizations and tactics, tech- take back to share with fellow Soldiers. Symposium will be a great event and I
niques, and procedures to the environ- This symposium is a once-a-year oppor- look forward to seeing you in May.
ments they may face. You can see the evo- tunity for the Armor Force to come to-
lution of the authors’ challenges and so- gether and learn from each other. I en- FORGE THE THUNDERBOLT!
4 — March-April 2006
CSM Otis Smith
Command Sergeant Major
U.S. Army Armor Center
Training the Stryker —
Forging Into the Future
In keeping with the theme of this year’s process. They learn how to conduct thor-
Armor Warfighting Symposium, “Mount- ough preventive maintenance checks and
ed Warriors for a Nation at War,” I would services on the vehicle and identify the
most Soldiers. Firing a .50-caliber ma-
like to update the force on the status of the lo cation of key components that must
chine gun at a target located behind a win-
Stryker vehicle and the current training be checked daily. The crew also receives
dow at 1,500 meters, and hitting that tar-
program being conducted at Fort Knox to class es in recovery operations, which
get with a single shot, is pretty amazing
ensure Armor Soldiers have a thorough make units more self-sufficient.
as well.
understanding of the vehicle and how to
The crews also undergo an extensive
employ it effectively in the Global War In addition to the NET Team, 5th Squad-
driver’s training course, which requires
on Terror. ron, 15th Cavalry, 1st Armor Training Bri-
every crewmember to operate the Stryk-
gade, at Fort Knox, provides RV training
Of the ten different variants of the Stryk- er over various types of terrain and through
to advanced individual training (AIT) Sol-
er vehicle, Fort Knox is the proponent for various types of weather conditions. The
diers who will be assigned to Stryker bri-
the reconnaissance vehicle (RV), the com- Stryker is equipped with the new driv-
gades once they have successfully com-
mand vehicle (CV), and the mobile gun er’s vision enhancer (DVE), which can
pleted basic training and advanced in-
system (MGS). The Fort Knox Stryker be used during both day and night driv-
dividual training. This is accomplished
New Equipment Training (NET) Team ing operations. Once the crew has com-
through a two-week add-on course where
has the responsibility of overseeing train- pleted the 40-hour driver’s training re-
the Soldiers will receive condensed class-
ing conducted by the General Dynamics quirement, crewmembers can be licensed
es, which include vehicle operations and
Land Systems (GDLS) contractors at the to operate the vehicle.
driver’s training.
unit and crew levels. All of the personnel
assigned to the Fort Knox Stryker NET Training requirements on the CV are ex- Once the MGS fielding program is es-
Team are certified instructors on the RV tremely stringent due to the vast amount tablished, the Stryker NET Team will as-
and CV, and will be certified on the MGS of electronics equipment contained in- sume that role as well. For many tankers,
when that program comes online in early side the vehicle. If the equipment is not going from a 68-ton tracked armored ve-
2006. This certification is conducted in powered up properly, the entire system hicle down to an 18-ton wheeled armored
conjunction with the GDLS contractors could short-out and cause loss of impor- vehicle is hard to grasp and appreciate.
and instructors who are already on hand tant com munications on the battlefield. However, with its 105mm main gun, the
and have teaching experience. The training requirements include com- MGS will undoubtedly get a chance to
plete shutdown of the vehicle’s system, prove itself in the role of infantry support
Units being outfitted with the Stryker ve- bringing it back online, and sending mes- in the Global War on Terror. The first units
hi cles undergo quite a bit of training and sages through Force XXI battle command are scheduled to begin receiving their
reorganization. Some of these units are brigade and below (FBCB2) and over the MGS vehicles sometime in 2006. Part of
former light infantry, which have very tactical internet via satellite uplinks. the MGS NET will include shooting com-
little, if any, experience with heavy vehi- bat tables IV through VIII, which will be
cles. For these Soldiers, it is a big change. The last portion of the NET includes tested and validated at Fort Knox in the
For others, mainly the scouts (19D series), going to the range and becoming famil- early part of 2007. The 19K Soldiers as-
it is not much of a change since they are iar with firing various weapons from a signed to the Stryker NET Team are pre-
familiar with Bradleys and HMMWVs. new platform. For the RV, this includes paring to begin the training and certifi-
firing the M2 heavy barrel flex .50-cali-
cation processes so we can get this much
During the period of instruction, crews ber machine gun and the 40mm MK19
desired vehicle out in the inventory.
re ceive a class on the basic characteristics grenade launcher. The CV, which is out-
and capabilities of the Stryker. Most stu- fitted with the remote weapons station, is The Armor Warfighting Symposium
dents find this one of the more interest- capable of firing from both closed and promises to be the best yet! I am looking
ing classes they receive during the NET open hatch positions — a new event for forward to seeing you there.
March-April 2006 — 5
Armor in Urban Terrain: The Critical Enabler
by Major General Peter W. Chiarelli, Major Patrick R. Michaelis, and Major Geoffrey A. Norman
(Reprinted from March-April 2005)
“…tanks and mechanized Infantry face problems in con- explosive device (IED), the mortar, and the AK47 in an asym-
fines of urban areas that place them at a severe disadvan- metric fashion, using the concrete valleys of the cityscape
tage when operating alone. Only together can these forces to their advantage.
accomplish their mission with minimal casualties...”1
This evolution in warfare is not a side note in history; it
Task Force (TF) Baghdad’s adaptation to fighting in the is a fore shadowing of operations to come. The mass mi-
urban canyons of Al Tharwa (Sadr City) and the cemeter- gration of humanity to cities and the inability of third-world
ies of An Najaf has been both remarkable and significant. nations to keep abreast of basic city services relative to
It has proven the reality of urban combat — we can win growth, breeds discontent. It is a harvesting ground for fun-
and we can win decisively. damentalist ideologues.
The new fight brings to light a cautionary message to the This article should serve as a note of concern to the force.
force — be wary of eliminating or reducing the option of Eliminating or reducing heavy armor systems from inven-
heavy armor; it has proven decisive and has been the criti- tory will remove valuable assets that prove decisive when
cal enabler that allowed TF Baghdad to win every fight, moving from a maneuver war to a street war.
everyday. The enemy we fight in streets and crypts is not
Al Tharwa: The Sadr City Box
connected by a vast suite of electronics packages; instead,
they use proven kinetic techniques, such as the rocket-pro- During the April-June and August-October 2004 Shia up-
pelled grenade (RPG), the command-detonated improvised rising of Muqtada Al Sadr’s militia in Al Tharwa (Sadr
6 — March-April 2006
“The commander’s independent sight
systems offset the protective measure
of vehicles moving through the city with
hatches fully closed. The second sight
afforded another field of view, allowing
the gunner to primarily observe enemy
alleys. Instead of the commander be-
ing relegated to what the gunner was
observing, or struggling to gain situa-
tional awareness through vision blocks,
he became an integral part of the vehi-
cle and patrol team by providing cover-
age of secondary enemy avenues of
approach, oriented forward of the vehi-
cle or toward the opposite flank vehi-
cle’s immediate rooftops, providing high-
angle coverage.”
City) and An Najaf, it became clear that
the ultimate task organization of choice
depended on the enemy threat. Patterns of
employment of the combined arms team
that both solidified and challenged existing doctrine were also driver, the armor package of the M1A2 and the latest generation
made clear. M2/3A3 and the dual sight capability afforded by the vehicle
upgrades.
The grid-like pattern of Al Tharwa presented an interesting tac-
tical challenge to the soldiers and leaders of 2d Battalion, 5th Moving buttoned up in a pure mechanized/armor formation, the
(2-5) Cavalry Regiment (TF Lancer), 1st Brigade Combat Team, combat patrol would reposition at the release point into a rect-
1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. As Muqtada’s militia angular formation of at least six armored vehicles. Moving ve-
began actively attacking coalition forces, TF Lancer worked rap- hicles parallel to each other created an artificial set of interior
idly to defeat the insurgent uprising while protecting its soldiers. lines to protect the exposed flank of the opposite vehicle and al-
low a full three-dimensional, 360-degree coverage of the con-
As its primary avenue of approach, the enemy chose side street
stantly shifting battlespace.
alleys, which Bradley Fighting Vehicles (BFVs) and M1A2
system enhancement package (SEP) tanks could not negotiate The commander’s independent sight systems offset the protec-
due to sheer width and obstacles such as disabled civilian vehi- tive measure of vehicles moving through the city with hatches
cles and air-conditioning units. As these vehicles progressed fully closed. The second sight afforded another field of view, al-
throughout the city, the militia would attack their flanks, seek-
ing to disable them with IEDs, RPGs, and AK47s.
U.S. Army Field Manual (FM) 3-06.11, Combined Arms Op-
erations In Urban Terrain, Appendix C, states: “If isolated or Direction of Attack
unsupported by infantry, armored vehicles are vulnerable to en- 3-5 mph
emy hunter/killer teams firing light and medium antiarmor weap-
ons. Because of the abundance of cover and concealment in ur-
ban terrain, armored vehicle gunners may not be able to easily
identify enemy targets unless the commander exposes himself
to fire by opening his hatch or by infantrymen directing the
gunner to the target.”2
Initially, following standard doctrine, the task force moved
Alley
throughout the city in column or staggered-column formations,
assigning typical 360-degree sectors of fire to cover all enemy
avenues of approach. However, with the vertical firing plat-
forms of rooftops and the coordinated attacks on both flanks
through use of alleys, the task force had to rapidly adapt to the
emerging enemy threat.
Vehicle Distance: METT-TC
Alley
(Alley to Alley)
The task force quickly learned to move throughout the city in
protected mode (buttoned up) and maximize the capability of the
dual sights provided by the M1A2SEP, equipped with the gun-
ner’s primary sight and the commander’s independent thermal
viewer (CITV), and the M2/3A3 improved Bradley acquisition Street
subsystem (IBAS) with the commander’s independent viewer
(CIV). As shown in Figure 1, their refined movement-to-contact
formation resulted in a rolling battleship of armored vehicles in
a “box” formation, moving in a deliberate, methodical progres- = M1A2SEP = M2A3
sion through the main streets of Al Tharwa, maximizing the pro- Figure 1
tection of the armor packages.3 Success relied on the skill of the
March-April 2006 — 7
Direct Fire Plan
12
force’s objectives during movement to contact due to asymmet-
Direction of Travel ric advantages the enemy retains by fighting on their turf.
12 O’clock
As always, the enemy has a vote and began adapting to the suc-
cessful employment of the Sadr City box. They began to move
IED IED increasingly toward using IEDs to disable vehicles and subse-
quently cause a catastrophic kill by using RPGs and mortars.
Alley
This prompted the task force to adopt a heavier stance in the
lead elements, stressing the use of the M1A2SEP to lead each
9 High 3 combat patrol. The tank, with its armor package, could take the
High brunt of the effect of IEDs laid throughout the route. In some
cases, crews could identify detonation wires running from hid-
den IEDs through global positioning systems (GPS) and CITV.
Alley Once identified, the crews could ‘disable’ the IED by destroy-
ing the detonation wires with direct fire or by directly firing at
the IED’s point of placement. Stripping all unnecessary equip-
ment from the bustle rack and moving buttoned up allowed fol-
low-on Bradleys to service targets that succeeded in climbing
Street on top of tanks or getting within their deadspace.
6 Because of the close range of engagements in the city, the pri-
mary weapons system on both the tank and Bradley became the
= M1A2SEP = M2A3 coax, normally zeroed at about 200 meters. Recon by fire of sus-
pected IED locations was authorized, but leaders always remained
Figure 2 = Main Gun
cognizant of collateral damage through positive identification
= CITV/CIV
of targets. Because of the desire to minimize collateral damage,
a check in the system for using 25mm and 120mm was devel-
oped by the task force, which forced company commanders to
clear fires for 25mm and battalion commanders to clear fires for
lowing the gunner to primarily observe enemy alleys. Instead of
120mm.
the commander being relegated to what the gunner was observ-
ing, or struggling to gain situational awareness through vision
blocks, he became an integral part of the vehicle and patrol team
“Armored vehicles can move mounted infantrymen rapidly to
by providing coverage of secondary enemy avenues of approach,
points where, together, they can dominate and isolate the cor-
oriented forward of the vehicle or toward the opposite flank ve-
doned area.” 5
hicle’s immediate rooftops, providing high-angle coverage. See
Figure 2.
In war, bad things happen. The enemy objective in both Al Thar-
Moving block by block, the patrol would travel at extremely
wa and An Najaf was to disable a vehicle and exploit it for an
slow speeds to allow for acquisition of targets in the alleyways
information operations success. Moving through the streets of
and proper handoff to subsequent vehicle gunners. Although not
Baghdad, it was inevitable that a vehicle would become dis-
quite a ‘steady platform’ for the Bradley, the standard engage-
abled, leading to specific battle drills within the task force. The
ment was less than 200 meters — the proximity to targets al-
remaining vehicles in the box would move to provide a wall of
lowed for successful coax engagements. The CIV and CITV were
steel around the disabled vehicle; infantrymen would dismount
used to scan opposite rooftops, or forward and to the flanks of
from the backs of the M2s to cover deadspace, either by tying
the gunner’s primary sector to allow immediate target handoff.
into the adjacent vehicles or occupying by force a strongpoint
Drivers keyed off the front left vehicle for rate of movement and position. M88s, escorted by a quick reaction force (QRF) pa-
worked as integral members of the team to identify targets, main- trol, would move rapidly to the disabled vehicle and begin ex-
tain proper dispersion, and move to predetermined locations. At traction. The screen established by the initial patrol would pro-
short halts, drivers would establish a point of domination by im- tect the M88 crew as they extracted the vehicle.
mediately moving to overwatch the closest alley, which was the
most likely enemy avenue of approach.
“Decentralized armor support greatly increases a small in-
fantry unit’s combat power. However, dispersed vehicles can-
not be easily and quickly concentrated.” 6
“Armored forces can deliver devastating fires, are fully pro-
tected against antipersonnel mines, fragments, and small
arms, and have excellent mobility along unblocked routes.” 4
An Najaf: The Combined Arms Patrol
In An Najaf, the terrain dictated different tactics while fighting
The success of the box in attriting enemy forces in Al Tharwa
the same enemy. What remained constant was the overwhelming
was causal to the armor packages of the M1-series tank and lat-
domination of the armor/mechanized combination as the enabler
est generation Bradley. This capability allowed absorption of
to support the decisiveness of the mission.
the enemy’s primary weapons system (IED), and protected in-
fantry dismounts that spent many hours traveling in the backs of In August, elements from the 2d Brigade Combat Team (Black-
Bradleys, enslaved to the squad leader display to maintain situ- jack) and the 3d Brigade Combat Team (Greywolf), 1st Cavalry
ational awareness. This same technique, used with lighter skinned Division, rapidly moved south of Baghdad to An Najaf and
vehicles, would not have been effective in achieving the task fought the Muqtada’s militia on different terrain. Task Force 1st
8 — March-April 2006