Latest Articles

Move Further, Mask Emissions, Make Explosions

Lt. Col. D. Max Ferguson

The essential experience of a rifleman is largely the same from 1775 to today. For 250 years, American Infantry Soldiers have fought to protect and defend the American people. For two and a half centuries, American Infantrymen have marched to battle in leather boots with rifles pressed against their shoulders. Every Infantry Soldier from 1775 to 2025 has shaken their canteen at the end of a long march, hoping there’s an extra swig of water left. In all these years, they’ve all slept in mud, waded through swamps, shivered, and bled in the pursuit of our enemies. This article examines how light infantry units like the 10th Mountain Division maximize the lethality of rifle platoons and squads conducting dismounted operations on the modern battlefield.

Latest Articles

Reconnaissance in the Light Brigade Combat Team

Capt. Sean Parrott

The Army’s Transformation in Contact (TiC) initiative leverages emerging technology and future-forward force design to transition existing brigade combat teams (BCTs) into agile, hyper-enabled fighting formations. As the character of war has shifted, the Army has begun to adapt its BCT structure to better suit a division-centric fight. In 2024, the 25th Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team transitioned from an infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) to a light brigade combat team (LBCT-prototype). This experimentation is currently ongoing, with a Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) rotation executed in October 2024. Initial returns are promising, but past and present training observations highlight challenges the LBCT has in fighting without a dedicated reconnaissance capability.

Latest Articles

Building Maneuver Live Fires for Company-Grade Officers: What I Learned from My Time in the Ranger Regiment

Capt. Patrick Kneram

The conflict in Ukraine has provided us many lessons on modern warfare to include the integration of technology and increasing imperative for survivability. However, many of these lessons come with stark reminders of the severe losses both sides suffer due to gaps in training and a lack of adherence to tactical fundamentals. As live-fire progressions remain our most effective training ground for combat, they must evolve to incorporate technology and innovation while reinforcing the foundational tactics and Soldier disciplines that are critical for success on the battlefield.

Latest Articles

Task Force Falcon: Rapid Response to Hurricane Helene Relief Aid in Western North Carolina

Lt. Col. Walter C. Gray II, Maj. Paul Bingham, and Capt. Matt Kenny

More than 1,000 Soldiers from the 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (MBCT), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) recently deployed to western North Carolina in support of Hurricane Helene response efforts. 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment “Strike Force” deployed over 500 Soldiers, forming Task Force (TF) Falcon. During the operation, TF Falcon leveraged lessons learned and best practices developed during multiple repetitions of large-scale, long-range air assault (L2A2) operations at home station and the Joint Rotational Training Center (JRTC). This article provides reflections about TF Falcon’s Hurricane Helene response, the capabilities of an MBCT in a civil support mission set, and lessons learned that may be applicable to future L2A2 operations.