"Enabling Maneuver – Imagining the Next Chapter in ..." Topic

…Armored Warfare

"The recent essay by Amos Fox, Maneuvering to Obsolescence: The Death Ride of the Armor Branch, is the latest in a long line of writings on what is wrong with the US Army's Armored force and its associated fighting vehicles. The article goes so far as to assert that the branch will be dead by 2035. Despite outlining some nebulous goals for the branch and a futuristic capability wish list for a new tank, the piece fails to provide concrete march objectives to prevent the asserted demise. The essay is another misdiagnosis of the interwar period and the enduring fundamentals of warfare. An interwar period that has seen the battlefield become transparent as drones and missiles bring cheap parity to the battlefield. Given an aggressive China in the Pacific, the US Army does not have time to learn the wrong lessons. False alarms like "Death Ride" are dangerous distractions that fail to account for the current operating environment or provide novel insight into how the Army should operate in the future.

The future battlefield will arguably be the toughest the US Army has ever faced, with periods of very high-intensity combat. Drones and sensors will proliferate across the Air Ground Littoral (AGL), denying sanctuary up to 40 km behind the contact line. The entire US Army must learn how to operate, survive, and win in the new and ever-changing environment. Rather than signaling the demise of the Armored Corps, this article argues the opposite. Indeed, a modern battlefield, in terms of size, scope, and cognitive load, is where Armor leaders at echelon are uniquely positioned to excel as maneuver professionals. As a potential conflict with China over Taiwan looms on the horizon, there is no doubt that the one region the Armor branch could have an effect in the next 10 years is the Pacific. The timing and condition of the arrival of that force are up to professionals to decide today. The refinement of Armor formations, mission sets, and support to the joint force for this potential conflict is critical…"

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