Employment of Light Infantry in Contingency Operations: What Do We Do Without Light Armor.

摘要

Cancellation of the Armored Gun System (AGS) and the deactivation of the 3-73rd Armor Battalion has left the U.S. Army force structure without air droppable light armor to support contingency operations. Because of this, the contingency force commander and planner must address the question of 'what do we do now.' This monograph examines this question and attempts to fill the void left by light armor with technology and the efforts of a joint combined arms team. In understanding the extent of the void left by light armor this monograph addresses light infantry and light armor to analyze what, specifically, each brings to a contingency operation (strengths and limitations). Operation Just Cause and lessons learned from Combat Training Centers (CTCs) are examined to review how light armor has been used effectively, and to identify current trends in the employment of light infantry and armor as a combined arms team. The U.S. Army expects to fill the immediate void left by light armor through the fielding of the Javelin antiarmor weapon system, employment of the AH-64 Apache, and with the strategic airlift of the Immediate Ready Company (IRC) from the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized). Future contingency operations will be supported with the RAH-66 Comanche attack helicopter, the Enhanced Fiber Optic Guided Missile (EFOGM), and possibly the Line of Sight Anti Tank (LOSAT) weapon systems. Additionally examined in this monograph is the use of USMC LAV-25s to augment a U.S. Army contingency force. This monograph concludes that the U.S. Army's cancellation of the AGS and the deactivation of the 3-73rd Armor Battalion has not reduced our ability to conduct contingency operations. Employment of our technological advantage in antiarmor weapons, attack aviation, and strategic airlift can set the conditions for the use of light forces in any contingency scenario.