Some of the repair parts for the older M88s are obsolete and there is not yet enough M88s to fill the light tank and heavier armor asset needs. Right now, the only platform suited for the job is the M88A1 recovery vehicle, which comes in three variants.
#Ornate light brigade armor how to#
The 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for instance, could train with light tanks stored at Fort Knox, Kentucky, which is a two-and-a-half-hour drive.Īnother item at issue is how to recover vehicles that go down. The Army would still want to keep the tanks within at least a six-hour drive of the unit using them. One solution would be staging equipment at locations other than where soldiers are based.įor example, Stone said, light tanks stored at Fort AP Hill, Virginia, or Fort Stewart, Georgia, could be accessed by soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. On top of those training, storage and maintenance concerns, the Army will be bound by local environmental questions, which will be demanding in places such as Hawaii, home of the 25th ID, and Alaska. But a tank company headed to a Guard unit in Wisconsin that’s never had such weapon systems is a different story, he added.
“Adding 14 tanks to Fort Benning - not that high of an impact,” Stone said. Leaders also have to find out where to place these light tanks to provide the best use of assets with ease of access for units that haven’t had to accommodate tanks in decades. Over the next six months, as events unfold, Stone’s team will work out plans for units such as 10th Mountain Division, 25th Infantry Division and other high-priority units, he said.īeyond personnel, Army leaders have other challenges to face, including a limited quantity and serviceability of 105mm ammunition stocks. Stone cautioned in his presentation that much of what he shared was still considered pre-decisional. They’ll also need at least 24 armor maintenance soldiers per brigade to keep the light tanks running.Īerial drone image of Bradley Fighting Vehicle crews from the 1st Armor Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, conducting Table XII gunnery at Fort Stewart, Ga. But that’s not the only demand on the armor field, which this concept creates. So the Army will need to add more armor crewmen to formations.Ĭurrent plans for the MPF concept require a company of 64 armor crewmen in each infantry brigade from the MPF battalion. But that worked primarily because the units weren’t called upon as often as they will be in a more intense, near-peer battle.įighting in that setup now would mean one company out of 40 companies being tasked with a quarter of the missions, which is not a sustainable model, Stone said. So direct fire assets and armor were consolidated at the brigade level. Humphrey, 3rd ABCT, 1st AD Public Affairs Office) This training allows crew-members the opportunity to improve gunnery skills and maintain readiness. Luis Munoz, a Fort Bliss native and tank commander with 1st Battalion 67th Armor "Death Dealers,” 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division (Rotational) prepares to qualify at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex, Republic of Korea, March 19. RODRIGUEZ LIVE FIRE COMPLEX, Republic of Korea - Sgt.
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