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Chief of Armor’s Hatch: Ready for Next Fight – Armor Force Training Standards
by Brig. Gen. Chad C. Chalfont

In the last Commandant’s Hatch article, I wrote about how the Armor Force’s current situation demands that we invest in our training standards. We face a challenging combination of conditions: high operational tempo, personnel turbulence, and a lethal future battlefield. I suggested that we should see this as an opportunity to reinforce and adapt our training standards. Today, we can report that the Armor Force is moving out quickly on our training standards, in part through the Army Training Standardization Initiative......read more

Features

Synchronizing Operations in Time, Space, Purpose: The Combined Arms Rehearsal and Commander’s Visualization
by Lt. Col. Darrell E. Fawley III

The Combined Arms Rehearsal (CAR) ensures synchronization of assets and units in time, space, and purpose to enable the commander’s intent. Additionally, it ensures all commanders and staff officers understand the details of the operation and their responsibility within it. 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment conducts in excess of 24 CARs per year and has found that the CAR is the most important aspect of the planning and preparation cycles for a given operation. Given a short planning horizon, the Regiment, represented by the Brigade Tactical Group (BTG), will focus on the CAR to mitigate effects of incomplete or rushed orders. Regardless of the timeline, the BTG never fails to conduct a CAR in person. While such a short amount of planning is not ideal, the demands of operations sometimes make it so and this shows that a detailed CAR can mitigate many issues with planning. This article lays out the methodology 11th ACR uses to synchronize actions in time, space, and purpose using the CAR. The first half of the article describes the CAR itself with the second half focused on the specifics of the commander’s visualization.....read more

Lead, Maintain, Train: A Framework For a Successful EUCOM Deployment
by Lt. Col. Kyle Trottier, Maj. Timothy Lee, and Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Lavender

From July 2023 to April 2024, the 1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment (1-37AR), 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team (2nd ABCT), 1st Armored Division supported Operation Assure, Deter, Reinforce as a rotational force to U.S. European Command’s (EUCOM) area of responsibility (AOR). The battalion task force used an operational framework of Lead, Maintain, Train to focus battalion efforts each quarter allowing the unit to leave EUCOM as a more ready combat formation.....read more

Production Control: Way to Prioritize Maintenance in Armor Battalions
by Lt. Col. Michael D. Hebert, Maj. Grant P. Roberts, Chief Warrant 4 Wes Leach, and Capt. Colleen Talbott

It is well known the National Training Center (NTC) can challenge and stress maintenance and sustainment systems. Following a rigorous training cycle 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment left Fort Irwin with three of 29 tanks operational and zero of 18 Bradely fighting vehicles operational. It was late November and 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) was scheduled to begin outload operations in January. In six working weeks, the battalion rebuilt the operational readiness (OR) rate to 79 percent and drove 37 of 47 combat platforms (under their own power) from the motor pool to the railhead.....read more

Employment of sUAS: Enhancing Maneuver Training Experience and Preparing Armor Officers for Future Capability, Threats
by Maj. Matthew L. Simon

It is well known the National Training Center (NTC) can challenge and stress maintenance and sustainment systems. Following a rigorous training cycle 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment left Fort Irwin with three of 29 tanks operational and zero of 18 Bradely fighting vehicles operational. It was late November and 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) was scheduled to begin outload operations in January. In six working weeks, the battalion rebuilt the operational readiness (OR) rate to 79 percent and drove 37 of 47 combat platforms (under their own power) from the motor pool to the railhead.....read more

ROK-US Combined Division: How Fighting Together Enables 2nd Infantry Division
by Lt. Col. Brennon Speakes, Lt. Col. Jared Furguson, Maj. Ian Murdoch, Maj. Seohyun Park, Maj. Bradley Rager, and Maj. Wesley Mooseman

The U.S. Army’s Mission Command Training Program “supports the collective training of Army units as directed by the Chief of Staff of the Army” through the execution of its Warfighter Exercise (WFX) scenario.1 As the premier training event for division and above formations, the WFX provides opportunities to stress and train units across the six warfighting functions. However, the 2nd Infantry Division must contend with another challenge in its operational environment that the Mission Command Training Program does not replicate but the nature of the Korean Theater of Operations (KTO) demands......read more

Tanks Designed for Urban Combat
by Michael McCabe

Traditionally, tanks are seen as being at an inherent disadvantage in urban combat. In the 21st Century, however, the U.S. military must be prepared for urban combat in large, densely populated cities. The Army would do well to introduce heavy infantry divisions for this task, and these divisions will need armored cavalry for scouting, escort duty, and fire support. Developing a tank specifically for urban terrain will therefore be necessary, both for practical and doctrinal reasons......read more

Planning: Preventing Preventable Problems in Military Decision Making Process
by Retired Col. Esli Pitts

There I was, an observer/coach/trainer (O/C/T) in Hohenfels, Germany. It was cold and wet as the airborne infantry battalion’s combined arms rehearsal ended. The mission was a night attack into an urban area, and the plan required four companies to follow the same route to the objective. Some companies set conditions for the attack while others acted on those conditions. The commander asked for any final questions......read more

Adapting to Multi-Domain Battlefield: Developing Emissions Control SOP
by Capt. Ryan McGovern

The current fighting in Ukraine has demonstrated how electronic warfare systems can be employed to enable the protection and targeting of ground forces, foreshadowing how U.S. forces must be prepared to operate amidst a contested electromagnetic spectrum (EMS). Managing emissions control (EMCON) can greatly reduce the vulnerability of U.S. forces to enemy detection, targeting, and electronic warfare, while improving communications resiliency. Recent Army, as well as armor and reconnaissance doctrine, has outlined considerations for operating in an environment characterized by persistent enemy electronic warfare, but many armor and cavalry units have yet to develop EMCON standing operating procedures (SOPs) or integrate emissions control techniques and procedures into tactical training. This article outlines emissions control techniques and considerations to support the development of EMCON SOPs within combined arms battalions and cavalry squadrons and offers recommendations for building readiness to conduct operations amidst a contested electromagnetic spectrum.... read more

How Innovation Helps Cavalry Formations Solve Age-Old C2 Challenges
by Maj. Mike Eads and Matt Coccia

Decades of reconnaissance efforts have focused on addressing communication and command and control (C2) challenges in contested environments over long distances. While cavalry units typically encounter no issues establishing contact with enemy forces, they often face difficulties providing rapid and accurate reports due to communication limitations. Moreover, the large size of squadron-level command posts sacrifices their speed and maneuverability, and their corresponding electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) signatures exposes them to risks of enemy contact......read more

Ukraine’s Wooden Ships
by Lt. Col. Mitchell A. Payne

In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine to prevent what Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed was the bullying and genocide of ethnic Russians and to act against Ukraine’s alleged growing aggression. 1 The U.S. Army and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies observed and supported the valiant efforts of the Ukrainian people to stand against the overwhelming tide of the Russian military. Observing patterns in the fog of war, however, can be difficult. While patterns repeat themselves, the continuously changing character of war can make it difficult for patterns to repeat themselves. It has been said, however, that while history may not repeat itself, it does rhyme.2 Applying this to Ukraine shows a powerful rhyme from the past that resonates today....read more

Lessons Learned from Warrior Fortitude 23
by Maj. Devin Osburn

The challenges experienced during the deployment readiness exercise (DRE) "Warrior Fortitude 23" highlighted the importance of routinely conducting DRE exercises from the continental United States to the Korean Theater of Operations (KTO). Given that service in Korea is generally a short tour, ranging between 9 to 12 months, there is a high-rate of personnel turnover, which impacts unit continuity. Thus, Warrior Fortitude 23 and similar exercises should be conducted annually to ensure resilient systems and processes exist to rapidly generate and integrate combat power persist. The execution of Warrior Fortitude 23 presented unforeseen challenges in several areas, most notably in communications, mobility, and training area requirements and limitations. This article will capture lessons learned and provide recommendations for future Korea Rotational Force (KRF) units... read more

From the Boresight Line: Who is your Master Gunner and What Do They Do For You?
by Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Greg Brobst

Commanders, if there is one person standing in your formation that you explicitly trust assisting you in decisions concerning lethality, maintenance, and training, who is it?.... read more