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| U.S. Marines with 1st Marine Division, 1st Tank Battalion, Delta Company, navigates the terrain of Helmand province, Afghanistan in a M1A1 Abrams Tank while on a convoy escorted by 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) (1st MLG (FWD)), Combat Logistics Battalion 8 (CLB-8) (not shown)on February 1, 2011. 1st MLG (FWD), CLB-8, provided security and maintenance while in route to forward operating base Edinburgh. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Staff Sgt. Brian A. Lautenslager/Released) |
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| U.S. Marines with 1st Marine Division, 1st Tank Battalion, Delta Company, stop to give assistance to, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) (1st MLG (FWD)), Combat Logistics Battalion 8 (CLB-8) as they repair a AMK-970 tanker during a convoy through Helmand province, Afghanistan on January 31, 2011. 1st MLG (FWD), CLB-8, provided security and maintenance for the convoy while in route to forward operating base Edinburgh. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Brian A. Lautenslager/Released) |
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| Sgt Michael Fryman with 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) (1st MLG (FWD)), Combat Logistics Battalion 8 (CLB-8), prepares to change tires on an AMK-970 tanker while on a convoy through Helmand province, Afghanistan, on January 31, 2011. 1st MLG (FWD), CLB-8, provided security and maintenance for the convoy while in route to forward operating base Edinburgh. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Brian A. Lautenslager/Released) |
I attended a very interesting presentation at the DefenceIQ international armoured vehicles conference yesterday from a Danish major summarising the Danish experence of deploying MBTs in the Afghan conflict.
ReplyDeleteOn the whole it seems to have been an unequivocal tactical success, offering great armour protection and highly accurate direct-fire support capabilities. One of the key points raised was the importance of the immediacy of MBT fire support over CAS in terms of its combat effectiveness. This being with regards to effective fire, minimising collateral damage and the cost effectiveness of the MBT rather than CAS platform.
It will be interesting to see if the USMC experience with MBTs in Afghanistan is similarly positive. I would add a further commentary that the prescence of MBTs in Afghanistan seems to have attracted far more attention than is necessary, it is after all just another tool in the box.
The question thus really remains whether deployment of MBTs will be a strategic rather than tactical success. But that is a question which I'd suggest will be decided by overall strategic concerns not the strategic utility of MBTs themselves in COIN operations.