Compass Points is wondering, as are many students of warfare, would a future air campaign, with fixed wing, rotor, and UAV’s, somehow eliminate the threat of enemy armor? We posed the question to the former 2nd Marine Commanding General who led a tank heavy force into battle after an extensive air campaign.
During Operation Desert Storm, the 2d Marine Division’s combined arms capability included 2d Tank Battalion’s 58 M1A1 tanks, 8th Tank Battalion’s 36 M60A1 tanks, 4th Tank Battalion’s 28 M1A1 tanks, and the US Army’s Tiger Brigade with 120 M1A1 tanks and its 54 M2A2 and 5 M2A1 Bradley Fighting Vehicles. The Division’s effective employment of its imposing tank capability provided shock, mobility, speed, firepower, and armor protection against the Iraqi Army’s own sizeable tank forces.
In order to conduct successful offensive operations, select numbers of Division tanks were also outfitted with dozer blades, track-width mine plows, and mine rakes critical for breaching of the Iraqi obstacle belt minefields. Many Iraqi tanks were destroyed and captured by the 2d Marine Division — different historical reports differ as to the exact number. Without a doubt, there were plenty of Iraqi armor left on the battlefield after the air campaign that needed to be defeated by the unique tank-heavy organization of the 2d Marine Division.
— William M. Keys, LtGen USMC (ret)
Gen Keys comments are most germane to the issues facing us from the FD 2030 debacle. Col DougR's comments are on target as to "how things should be" w/re to USMC organizational structure and equipment. The current direction Our Corps is heading degrades the MAGTF concept that has held us in good stead for many years, leading o irrelevance w/in Our Nations' military structure.
Bravo to Gen Keys. In effect, the 2nd Marine Division was an infantry heavy Armored Div. I have long advocated that the Marine Division consist of three Infantry Regiments of three Bn’s each, one Artillery Regiment with a mix of towed and self propelled tube artillery and rockets, one Armored Regiment of three tank Bn’s of 6O tanks per Bn, two AMTRAC Bn’s and one LAV Bn. Then,task organize as the situation dictates…. Amphibious Assault Shipping and MPS make this possible.