Compass Points - Call for Fire
Artillery Needed Now
Compass Points - Call for Fire
Artillery Needed Now
March 28, 2024
Writing in The Telegraph, author David Axe says Ukraine military needs three things to turn the conflict around,
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. . . First and foremost, Ukraine needs artillery shells. For the first 18 months of Russia’s wider war on Ukraine, the United States was the main supplier of artillery ammo to Ukrainian batteries. In total, the Americans donated around two million shells. Half came straight from American magazine stockpiles. The other half, America quietly bought from South Korea.
These shells, along with additional ammo from other sources, kept Ukrainian guns blasting away at a rate of around 10,000 rounds a day for much of the war’s first year and a half. That was enough to match Russian batteries once the Russians burned through much of their ammo stockpile in the wider war’s first few weeks . . .
-- David Axe, The Telegraph
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In addition to artillery guns and ammunition, Axe reports that to continue the fight, Ukraine also needs more Patriot air defense batteries and American-made armored vehicles, primarily M-1 Abrams tanks and M-2 Bradley fighting vehicles.
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Axe goes into detail about how the shortage of artillery shells has hurt Ukraine and what can be done about it.
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In some of the darkest days of the war in February, as a pair of Russian field armies closed in on the Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern city of Avdiivka, Russian guns were firing five times as many rounds as Ukrainian guns were – and demolishing Ukrainian defences without fear of return fire.
The US Army has been building a new shell factory in Texas to complement its existing factory in Pennsylvania. Soon, the Army should be capable of producing around 70,000 shells a month – a sixfold increase over its 2022 production rate.
There’s no reason most of the shells can’t go to Ukraine, once there’s funding to pay for each $5,000 round. Combined with shells from the European Union as well as a separate Czech initiative, urgent shipments of shells from the United States could give Ukraine an enduring artillery advantage for the first time in the wider war.
-- David Axe, The Telegraph
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Strangely, on the very day that David Axe reported on the Ukraine's desperate need for artillery, Ashley Roque writing for Breaking Defense reported, "Towed artillery has reached ‘end of the effectiveness,’ Army four-star declares." The article quoted General James Rainey, the head of US Army Futures Command. Perhaps General Rainey is so focused on the future that he cannot see the battle ongoing in Ukraine right now. Or, perhaps General Rainey only meant that future cannon artillery will no longer be towed, it will be self-propelled like South Korea's powerful 155-millimeter self-propelled howitzer. The K9 has a five-man crew and can blast rocket assisted rounds more than 35 miles.
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In a recent update, Janes Defense reports "South Korea to mass produce extended-range projectiles for K9 howitzers."
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Development and trials of the extended-range 155 mm shells were completed in 2023 and the company received a combat suitability certificate from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) in July 2023, the official said.
The combat suitability certificate is required to initiate the mass production of any platform, equipment, or weapon in the South Korean defence procurement process.
DAPA ordered 2,000 extended-range 155 mm shells in 2023, which will be produced and delivered by the end of 2024, the official added.
“DAPA will also sign another contract with Poongsan later this year to procure additional shells and these additional shells will be manufactured in 2025,” the official said.
-- Janes Defense
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Why would DAPA contract for advanced cannon artillery rounds if there was no future for cannon artillery on the battlefield? The answer is, despite new rockets and missiles, no other weapon system can do what cannon artillery can do.
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The mission of artillery is to furnish close and continuous fire support by neutralizing, destroying or suppressing targets that threaten the success of the supported unit.
-- MCWP 3-16.1 Artillery Operations (p21)
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The Marine Corps over recent years has reduced its cannon artillery and increased its rockets and missiles. Is the current mix sufficient to meet the global needs of the Marine Corps? Authors Jerry McAbee, Stephen Baird and Michael Marletto have examined the question in-depth in their article, “The Dangers of Overselling Insufficient Fire Support in the Active Force.”
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The sole question is not if seven cannon batteries and seven HIMARS batteries are sufficient to support a single MEF “engaged in sustained operations ashore.” The more pressing question, and the one not being asked nor answered by advocates of Force Design 203(FD 2030), is if seven cannon batteries and seven HIMARS batteries in the active force are sufficient to support a Marine Corps of three divisions, three wings, and necessary logistics with global warfighting commitments. The answer to both questions is a resounding NO!
-- Jerry McAbee, Stephen Baird and Michael Marletto
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Missiles and rockets, no matter how advanced, can never provide the same continuous and cost-effective fire support, including suppressing targets, that cannon artillery does. Missiles and rockets are useful tools and should be added to the Marine toolbox, but not at the cost of proven cannon artillery. Military forces around the world, after seeing the importance of artillery in Ukraine, are increasing their tube artillery and tube artillery ammunition --except for the US Marine Corps.
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Sadly, the Marine Corps has lost not only artillery tubes but now is losing world class cannon-cockers because they see no future in the Marine Corps. It is time for the Marine Corps to take a second look at the continuing power of cannon artillery, before the next call for fire goes unanswered.
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The Telegraph (&YahooNews) - 03/27/2024
Just three weapons will turn the Ukraine war back around. And the USA is back in the fight
By David Axe
https://www.yahoo.com/news/american-aid-finally-coming-back-133057468.html
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Breaking Defense - 03/27/2024
Towed artillery has reached ‘end of the effectiveness,’ Army four-star declares
By Ashley Roque
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Janes Defense - 02/08/2024
South Korea to mass produce extended-range projectiles for K9 howitzers
By Kapil Kajal
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Marine Corps Gazette – October 2022
The Dangers of Overselling Insufficient Fire Support in the Active Force
By BGen Jerry C. McAbee (Ret), Col Stephen W. Baird (Ret) & Col Michael P. Marletto (Ret)
https://www.mca-marines.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Dangers-of-Overselling-McAbee-et-al.pdf
Reply to Richard M. Cavagnol's comment.
Dick, Compass Points has received a reply from General Zinni to your comment.
"Dick was a great artillery officer! He saved my butt with a 714 round TOT to stop an attack on the Vietnamese Marine company I was with." -- ACZ
I must repeat the Gray maxim stated when he ran the Development Center at Quantico: “you fight a war with what you have at hand, not what’s on the drawing board or somewhere in the acquisition pipeline.” Divesting the Weapons, Formations and Marines in advance was a huge error and no amount of “speed” in the development, testing and acquisition system will correct it. Get the funding and rebuild our war fighting ability NOW.