US SecDef and their "SDSR"

[alfred_the_great]

Interestingly, the US SecDef is indicating a very different future for his Country, reducing the "heavy metal" part of the Army, focusing on early intervention and stabilisation and recognising that the "high tech" part of warfare will predominately be focused on the Maritime and Air arenas.

Are we moving the wrong way?!


Full Speech: Defense.gov Speech:

KCL War Studies opinion: Gates on COIN: what was really said? | Kings of War

 

[sunoficarus]

Are we moving the wrong way?!

Does the Pope wear a pointy hat?

 

[Goldbricker]

Strangely just reading about a Pentagon plan to make infantry carriers using Abrams hulls which seems to belie Gates move away from the heavy force

 

[John Civie]

Dont the Isralis make heavy APC's out of captured tank hulls and older tanks of their own because they provide better protection than traditional APC's and IFV's?

 

[chocolate_frog]

Still firmly in the 'Heavy Metal' territory though.

 

[alfred_the_great]

Still firmly in the 'Heavy Metal' territory though.

The strategic rationale for swift-moving expeditionary forces, be they Army or Marines, airborne infantry or special operations, is self-evident

He's not getting rid of them entirely, just that they can't justify their current strength.

 

[John Civie]

how much heavy metal do the USA have at the moment between the army, national guard and the USMC i'd bet they have to times as many MBTs than we do ? as a force built around the cold war, which i thought they were already moving away from with the concept of stryker brigades for expeditionary warfare.

as well as that isnt the M1 about 30 years old now so this would be a good oppertunity to ditch the old and knackered ones and those they cant afford to upgrade. leaving a still considerable force of uptodate tanks for big wars.

 

[Gassing_Badgers]

Strangely just reading about a Pentagon plan to make infantry carriers using Abrams hulls which seems to belie Gates move away from the heavy force

GCV is touted to be in the 60-70 tonne range, and is a result of decision to kill the previous FCS program on the basis that the weight budget was too restictive for payload and survivability.

 

[sunoficarus]

how much heavy metal do the USA have at the moment between the army, national guard and the USMC i'd bet they have to times as many MBTs than we do ? as a force built around the cold war, which i thought they were already moving away from with the concept of stryker brigades for expeditionary warfare.

as well as that isnt the M1 about 30 years old now so this would be a good oppertunity to ditch the old and knackered ones and those they cant afford to upgrade. leaving a still considerable force of uptodate tanks for big wars.

The USMC alone has more AFV's than the entire British Army did at the height of the Cold War.

Tanks, wiki shows US Armed Forces have:

Army: 1,174 M1A2 and M1A2SEP
Army: 4,393 M1A1
USMC: 403 M1A1

Plus whatever M60's they have in the reserve.

 

[John Civie]

didnt realise it would be that high, puts our 400 chalenger 2s into perspective and i suppose a reserve of what chieftans havent been turned into tin cans since 1995 or are having a hollywood career as any tank from a T72 to an M1 and whatever still runs in bovington