The US Army has a problem. Its on the outside looking in when it comes to Air-Sea Battle. Some journalist have tried to paint the Marine Corps with the same brush as the Army...that we're a land force, but that's to be short sighted, naive and foolish. Traditionally the Marine Corps has been part of the Navy and quite honestly it always will be.
The Army needs a dog in the fight and the way in is with its Air Defense Force...I like that name better than Air Defense Artillery because it better covers the functions that it will perform if the concept is followed to its logical conclusion.
The video above gives the best example of how Air Sea Battle is suppose to work when confronted with a missile raid. But whether its a missile raid, air raid or even a ballistic missile launched at an aircraft carrier or amphib, the Army can play a role if its willing to garrison a few islands with our allies...fully fund the ground based interceptor...and integrate the Patriot missile system into the network. Goure over at the Lexington Institute covered it well. A tidbit.
The Army could turn theater air and missile defense into a major future franchise. This means getting rid of the idea that air and missile defenses are a supporting capability for an Army that wants to focus on combined arms maneuver. As ballistic missiles, advanced fighters and long-range precision weapons proliferate, air and missile defense may be one of the most important military missions in the 21st century. To defend valuable territory and people at risk requires being there, forward deployed. In the Asia-Pacific region, air and missile defense could be the shield behind which U.S offensive power, resident largely in the Navy and Air Force, will organize and prepare to deliver a crushing counterattack.I contend that between participating in Air Sea Battle with their Air Defense Force and taking a leading role in Cyber Warfare, the Army will have a major role to play in any conflict in the Pacific. Additionally by de-mechanizing and establishing a few pure Light Infantry Divisions, then they'll also have forces that can deploy quickly by air to assist in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief missions. Think back to Haiti. The one thing that was needed besides food, water and medical assistance was man power.
The Army has its script. I wonder if they have the leader to read it to the force.
Heck, Army could start deploying Patriots and THAAD all over the Pacific.
ReplyDeleteAnd if they really wanted to mix things up, they could look into building GLCM Alert and Maintenance Area (GAMA)structures for a updated, conventional versions of BGM109 Gryphons Ground Launched Cruise Missiles.
The Phillipines, Okinawa, Senkaku, Korean Peninsula each with GLCM rolling around.
if the army was smart they'd be doing this today as in right now. oh and i love the idea of bringing back ground launched cruise missiles. or...how about a pershing III.
DeleteHey, if the Chinese are deploying ballistic missiles for "anti-carrier duties", then they open the door to all sorts of nasty responses.
DeleteGLCMs are deployed by Russia and China. It's a technology we've had for over 30 years.
Why not bring it back? It doesn't have the same connotation of the ballistic missiles so a reduced danger of it being seen as nuke strike.
Four missiles per trailer, four trailers per Flight. A Tactical missile squadron at each base we have in the region.
Perhaps start designing expeditionary capabilities so a Tactical Missile Squadron could be deployed via 20 C-17s so if the shit starts, we can reinforce where o when we want.
Protected by a bubble of Patriot PAC-3 and THAAD along with some light infantry for local protection and Army is back in the fight.
Plus, in the RAND "A Question of Balance" paper, the F-22s run out of AMRAAM before the Chinese run out of airplanes.
What if the Army were to acquire the Norwegian Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAM), which uses AMRAAMs in the surface-to-air role, to allow F-22s with their AESA to bird-dog NASAMs. The F-22s wouldn't run out of AMRAAMs.
It would be the ultimate Air Force/Army team. The only drawback would be the shorter range of NASAMs would require forward deployment, but that is exactly what Army is designed to do: deploy to hostile, forward areas.
Plus, maybe it is also time to look at different roles for ATACMs than just artillery. It now has GPS guidance. Why not an extended range version with anti-ship capabilities.
There's a ton of options for Army missileers.
Why do you military types always think a military service has to be involved in cyber warfare? Just because the word warfare is mentioned it doesn't mean only those with a history of committing violence on behalf of the state need to be involved. The US already has a body involved with cyberwarfare, it is called the NSA.
ReplyDeletewell in my way of thinking the NSA is involved in gathering strategic intelligence and focusing on protecting civilian infrastructure from outside attack. they also have responsibility for monitoring other nations communications etc. the military could focus only on enemy military activity. its a fuzzy line but one that i think is important. just like the cia does certain covert missions and the us army special forces does others it might look alike but the roles are different. thats how i see cyber warfare.
DeleteThe NSA has greater IT infrastructure than the Army will ever have. These days IT is communications, communications is IT. We have the same thing here in the UK when certain uniformed bods looking to shore up their parish forget GCHQ. The fact that they say such things show they don't know what they are talking about. The same bods who are quick to shoot down armchair generals and admirals.
DeleteMissile defense use to be all Army. Nike Hercules, Zeus, Sprint, and Spartan were all operated by the US Army. Bomarc was the only SAM operated by the USAF.
ReplyDeleteit really makes sense. but as usual you know i'm gonna have to google this now...never even heard of sprint or spartan!
DeleteExcellent viewing here:
Delete"A 20-year History of Antiballistic Missile Systems"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARx2-wRn9-Y
Spirit is a nuclear ABM
ReplyDeletehttp://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app4/sprint.html
Spartan is a part of the Nike Zeus Family
http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-49.html
So it sounds like it's time to abrogate the INF Treaty and build, as Sol suggested, a Pershing II follow-on; I wonder if the IRBM target that Orbital is developing for MDA could be weaponized...
ReplyDelete