It’s my distinct honor and privilege to serve as the 49th Chief of Armor. We are approaching our 75th year as an armored force, as our foundation was established July 10, 1940, at Fort Knox, KY. We are again at a pivotal time as we transition out of 13 years of conflict and are faced with ongoing situations in the Middle East, Europe and the Pacific. The need for our armored force is increasing and is placing a premium on formations highly capable in decisive-action environments. The great work being done at our combat training centers is helping us regain our core fundamentals, but we must increase our momentum. This edition of ARMOR contains many thought-provoking manuscripts discussing armored warfare, and I encourage our readers to reinvigorate their interest in our continued efforts to Forge the Thunderbolt!
Regardless of the mission or the challenges of the environment, Armor and Cavalry Soldiers and leaders must remain well-trained, -led and -equipped, and possess the skills and knowledge to close with and destroy the enemy using fire, maneuver and shock effect. It is important that we recognize this – not as a parochial statement, rather as a capability we bring as part of the combined-arms team. We only need to look at the Israeli experience in 2006 to see the effects of a force that allowed their mounted decisive offensive-maneuver skills to atrophy. They regained these skills by focusing on their fundamental tasks and getting as many repetitions through intensive training.
The cornerstone of armored-warfare fundamentals are set in our ability to shoot, move, communicate and sustain. These skills are manifested in our gunnery programs, knowledge of sustainment operations and what I call “fighting from the hatch.” The following descriptions are meant to stimulate thought on how to achieve mastery of armored force decisive-action fundamentals that many organizations have already embarked on.
The armored force is well postured to regain a mastery of decisive-action fundamentals because of our great leaders’ willingness to learn. Leadership is what will always decide the day, and your commitment to unit, Soldier and self-betterment will make the difference on the next battlefield. I’m very encouraged and confident in our way ahead because of the great young officers and NCOs I see leading our Soldiers every day.
There are ongoing discussions on how to posture formations to maintain overmatch with respect to organizational structures, equipping, manning and the vehicle platforms necessary to accomplish a dynamic mission set. In future Hatch articles, I will describe initiatives and force-design updates on the horizon. CSM Michael Clemens and I will be visiting units and combat training centers to ensure we hear from you and what we can do to continually improve our battle position!
Finally, I wish to pass on my sincerest condolences for the passing of great two Armor leaders: retired LTC Burt Boudinot and retired CSM Don Devine. Until we meet again on Fiddler’s Green...
Forge the Thunderbolt! Treat ‘Em Rough!
BG Scott McKean
Chief of Armor/Commandant
U.S. Army Armor School
1Wertz, Stephen A., “Joint Air Ground Integration Center,” Fires Journal, March 2012, http://www.readperiodicals.com/201203/2650589471.html.
2Field Manual 6-20-30, Tactics, Techniques and Procedures for Fires Support for the Corps and Division Operations, Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, U.S. Department of the Army, 1989.
3Sevalia, Roy, “Fighting Deep with Joint Fires,” Call Newsletters, 2003,.
4FORSCOM DIVARTY implementation order, FORSCOM headquarters, Fort Bragg, NC, April 9, 2014.
5Whitepaper, “Field Artillery Brigade/DIVARTY” (staffing version), U.S. Army Field Artillery School, Fort Sill, OK, 2014.