via Haaretz.
The armored personnel carrier in which seven Golani Brigade soldiers were killed when it was attacked early Sunday morning in the Gaza Strip is the oldest model still in use by the Israel Defense Forces.First, lets talk IDF. I'm becoming a little concerned. Either the rules of engagement are so restrictive that they're taking unnecessary casualties or worse, this engagement is straining their military to a point that I did not think possible for an incursion that would seem standard fare for their forces.
The American M113 APC was manufactured in the 1960s, and senior IDF officers were critical of the decision to send it, with its below-standard protection, into battle in the heart of the Shujaiyeh neighborhood of Gaza City.
The IDF, and the Golani Brigade in particular, has two APC models that are far better armored – one called the Achzarit and the newer Merkava APC, known by its Hebrew acronym Namer. The army hasn’t used M113s in Gaza for a decade.
Now lets talk USMC.
We've seen it before and we'll see it again. Marines will be sent into combat ahead of schedule because some madman decides to act in a way that necessitates it.
Will we see 17 Marines killed in an ancient vehicle with video over head provided by F-35's because HQMC prioritized aviation over armored protection for its Infantrymen?
Today its the IDF, tomorrow it could well be the USMC.
Our neighbor is getting a crash course (hope not!) in driving the M113 while his unit gears up just outside the line. Looks they'll be using the old taxis plenty more.
ReplyDeleteAs for casualties, I'm inclined to blame it on restrictive ROEs and little experience with urban and tunnel warfare. I think (and pray!) that the IDF is overall plenty capable; but there are few experienced people that have dealt with the demands of this particular scenario.
I suspect the USMC of the future will be just about as well-protected by F-35s tomorrow as the IDF forces are today.
ReplyDeleteUnless some bright young lance corporal welds an F-35 on top of his vehicle for additional overhead cover, to get some actual use out of the thing.
The IDF is making the same mistake. In previous conflict with HAMAS, they sent an engineer team in to disarm a suspected roadside explosive. The team came into the scene on an M-113. When they were dismounting the APC (ramp down), one HAMAS operator popped out of the alley and fired an RPG into the back of the APC. The APC, filled with volatile material, exploded and wiping the entire engineering team out.
ReplyDeleteyou act like the F-35 will be flying at that time to actually see the AAV get hit Sol.
ReplyDeletegood point!
DeleteThere are 2 issues here.
ReplyDeleteFirst, from what I can gather reading reports of this incident, it was a case of an RPG being fired directly into the open crew compartment while the team was dismounting (as in the previous incident described by Mark). One of the constant dangers of urban warfare is the fact that any number of nooks and crannies are available for hostiles to hide in, you simply cannot cover all the corners.
Second, take another look at the picture you posted and think about it. Can a massive, heavy vehicle like the Namer operate is such an environment? There's a good reason you rarely see even the Merkava's rolling through streets. The roads in Gaza are simply too narrow and too weak to hold that kind of weight. Make no mistake the IDF is perhaps the most conscious of all forces when it comes to protecting its men and women, they would not be using M113's and jeeps if they had better alternatives.
and the crisis is self-inflicted as well:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/namer-israeli-leopard-coming-to-the-usa-06620/
The IDF halved their order for GDLS-built Namers this year. Originally, they were supposed to build 386, but that is supposed to be cut to 170.
Unless there are far more already in service from Israeli-built Namers, they are going to be relying on old M113s for quite some time. This is penny-wise, pound-foolish to me. Hopefully they get the message that M113s with their thin aluminum hulls are a lost cause and need to be reserved for high tempo operations, not crawling thru slums.