U.S. military experts are training Iraqi Security Forces for heavier, mechanized combat against ISIS

via Scout Warrior

MacFarland said the U.S. Coalition has been shifting its training focus with the Iraqi Security Forces from a counterinsurgency emphasis to a combined arms approach as a way to ta++++ke on and destroy ISIS’ conventional forces.
Counterinsurgency training focuses on asymmetrical dynamics such as small raids, knocking down doors, looking for enemy fighters among civilian populations and attacking small groups of enemies on the move or in dug-in locations.
Combined Arms, by contrast, involves a more traditional type of combat approach designed to win more linear mechanized, force-on-force heavy combat. Combined Arms approaches, which often use tanks, artillery and armored vehicles, seek to bring numerous weapons to bear upon an enemy as part of a simultaneous integrated conventional attack.
ISIS in known to have armored vehicles and operate as both a terrorist insurgent force and conventional force in some respects. As a result, having ISF forces able to attack ISIS aggressively with both techniques could prove invaluable to future offensive efforts.
Given the success ISF forces recently had during the attack to retake Ramadi from ISIS, they did not request air support from Apaches. However, such assistance may be requested when the ISF gets ready to attack ISIS in Mosul, a northern Iraqi city which has been an ISIS stronghold for months.

Read the story here.

I FUCKING TOLD YA SO!  I've been screaming about this for months but the Light Fighter/SOCOM/Transformationalist Mafias have carried the day.

Hybrid/Quasi conventional force is what we're seeing with ISIS which means that SOCOM is becoming more and more vulnerable to them.  Quite honestly we're reaching a point where Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces will have to fall back and push Army Rangers and Marine Special Operations to the fore because they're able to carry out battalion sized raids.  Note that statement too.  Its my belief that even to carry out raids you're looking at a force that comprises at least a Company Reinforced and up to a Battalion now.

When they're dug in, even Battalion sized raids might not be enough and you will have to call in armor.

I'm just glad to finally hear leadership somewhere finally seeing the trees in the forest!