The Professional Development Bulletin of the Armor Branch PB 17-05-2 Editor in Chief Features LTC DAVID R. MANNING 7 Armor in Urban Terrain: The Critical Enabler by Major General Peter W. Chiarelli, Major Patrick Michaelis, Managing Editor and Major Geoffrey Norman CHRISTY BOURGEOIS 13 Preparing for the Realities of Killing the Enemy and Taking Ground Commandant by Captain Michael R. Nakonieczny MG TERRY L. TUCKER 18 Tactical Intelligence Shortcomings in Iraq by Major Bill Benson and Captain Sean Nowlan ARMOR (ISSN 0004-2420) is published bi- month ly by the U.S. Army Armor Center, 1109A 23 Israel’s Infl uence on Mounted Warfare Sixth Avenue, Fort Knox, KY 40121. by Major Jim Dunivan Disclaimer: The information contained in AR- MOR represents the professional opinions of 26 Death Before Dismount: Transforming An Armor Company the authors and does not necessarily refl ect by Captain Michael Taylor and First Sergeant Stephen Krivitsky the offi cial Army or TRADOC position, nor does it change or supersede any information presented in other offi cial Army publications. 35 Winning with the People in Iraq by Captain Jason Pape Offi cial distribution is limited to one copy for each armored brigade headquarters, ar mored 39 Sustainment Operations and the Forward Operating Base cavalry regiment headquarters, armor battal- ion headquarters, armored cavalry squadron by Captain Jay Blakley head quarters, reconnaissance squadron head- quar ters, armored cavalry troop, armor com- 43 Home Station Observer Controller Training pany, and motorized brigade headquarters of by Major Bob Molinari the United States Army. In addition, Army li- braries, Army and DOD schools, HQ DA and MACOM staff agencies with responsibility for 47 Leadership and Command Philosophy armored, direct fi re, ground combat systems, by Brigadier General Philip Hanrahan organizations, and the training of personnel for such organizations may request two cop ies 53 Survey Feedback from the Force Drives by sending a request to the editor in chief. the Evolution of Initial Entry Training in 1st ATB Authorized Content: ARMOR will print only those materials for which the U.S. Army Armor Departments Center has proponency. That proponen cy in- cludes: all armored, direct-fi re ground combat 2 Contacts systems that do not serve primarily as infantry 3 Letters carriers; all weapons used exclusively in these 4 Commander’s Hatch systems or by CMF 19-series enlisted soldiers; 5 Driver’s Seat any miscellaneous items of equipment which 6 From the Boresight Line armor and armored cavalry organizations use exclusively; training for all SC 12A, 12B, and 12C offi cers and for all CMF-19-series enlist- ed soldiers; and information concerning the training, logistics, history, and leadership of ar- mor and armored cavalry units at the brigade/ regiment level and below, to include Threat units at those levels. Material may be reprinted, provided credit is given to ARMOR and to the author, except where copyright is indicated. Periodicals Postage paid at Fort Knox, KY, and additional mailing offi ces. Postmaster: Send address changes to Editor, ARMOR, ATTN: ATZK-ARM, Fort Knox, KY 40121-5210. Distribution Restriction: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. March-April 2005, Vol. CXIV, No. 2 USPS 467-970 Once More Unto the Breach There continues to be an intense effort to reduce heavy armor and cav- on Mounted Warfare,” examines how this tiny country has provided the alry from our force despite the fact that the Future Combat System is greatest innovations in mounted warfare. years away from reality and many high-tech gadgets that are being Operation Iraqi Freedom has showcased the U.S. Army’s greatness. In- counted on are far from proven. Decisionmakers fail to realize that heavy stead of whining, hand wringing, and having a “poor me” attitude, our Ar- armor and cavalry win battles and we cannot solely rely on electronic my, specifically our great soldiers, have adapted to the war at hand. In packages to provide enemy information and thwart enemy attacks. His- their article, “Death Before Dismount: Transformation of an Armor Com- torical analysis proves that using tanks in urban operations in Western pany,” Captain Michael Taylor and First Sergeant Stephen Krivitsky, pro- Europe during World War II significantly reduced infantry casualties. vide a gripping analysis of how their unit successfully transformed and Tanks also played an important role in the U.S. Army recapturing Seoul adapted to the current operating environment. from the North Koreans in 1950, and in clearing North Vietnamese out of Hue in 1968. In his article, “Winning with the People in Iraq,” Captain Jason Pape dis- cusses how his armor company adapted to the role of providing stability More recently, U.S. tanks led in the capture of Baghdad. We witnessed and support operations in Iraq. So far in this war, sheer force and attri- heavy armor rattle the windows of three-story buildings and wreak havoc tion haven’t won over the Iraqis and stopped the insurgency. It will take a on the city streets of Sadr City, An Najaf, and Kufa to defeat al-Sadr’s mi- combination of force, goodwill, and professionalism on our part, and for litia. If that doesn’t seal the deal, talk to soldiers who were on the ground the Iraqis themselves to take control of their country before a return to during these battles. They will proudly tell you tanks and Bradleys pro- normalcy will occur. vided the decisive force in defeating insurgents. Preparing for war in the past meant deploying to one of the Army’s com- This issue’s lead article, “Armor in Urban Terrain: The Critical Enabler,” bat training centers to validate home station training; however, today, written by Major General Peter W. Chiarelli, Major Patrick Michaelis, and that might not be necessarily true. Major Bob Molinari’s article, “Home Major Geoffrey Norman, describes the importance of tanks to the 1st Station Observer Controller Training,” outlines how your unit can train at Cavalry Division’s combat operations in the cities of Najaf and Baghdad home station with properly trained and equipped observer controllers to in overwhelming and defeating enemy forces — another excellent ar- assist in objectively preparing training exercises, providing meaningful ticle from soldiers who have experienced combat firsthand and under- feedback to small unit leaders, and tailoring field exercises. stand the capabilities and power of tanks in an urban environment. Living and operating in Iraq is not easy. Captain Jay Blakley is sold on Captain Michael Nakonieczny provides an extremely insightful piece on the idea that soldiers will work long hours and days on end if they are “Preparing for the Realities of Killing the Enemy and Taking Ground.” Na- taken care of. In his article, “Sustainment Operations and the Forward konieczny, a U.S. Marine, is blunt and to the point in explaining our mis- Operating Base,” Captain Blakley asserts that making quality of life a pri- sion as Soldiers and Marines. He reminds us that war is real and reality ority lets soldiers know leaders care. It allows soldiers to stay focused is costly. while fighting in a dangerous environment, and when they return to the FOB, they can relax and decompress after a day on the streets. In their article, “Tactical Intelligence Shortcomings in Iraq,” Major William Benson and CPT Sean Nowlan land a direct hit with their assessment of In, “Leadership and Command Philosophy,” Brigadier General Philip Han- how military intelligence assets have failed in Iraq in performing their rahan reinforces the essential elements of excelling as a leader. He iden- mission of analyzing intelligence and information at the tactical level. tifies five basic, but important, leadership points he developed as a lead- They offer a plan to reorganize, retrain, and re-equip military intelligence er over the span of his career. assets to win in the contemporary operating environment. ARMOR continues to set the stage in promoting warfighting and tackling issues of great importance. We have received excellent articles from sol- Major Jim Dunivan and six of his Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets diers in the field who are doing the yeoman’s work for this nation. Con- had the unique experience of participating in the ultimate staff ride — tinue to support the Armor force by writing your thoughts and sharing traveling and exploring two of the most important battlefields in the Mid- your experience. dle East: the Golan Heights and Megiddo. His article, “Israel’s Influence – DRM By Order of the Secretary of the Army: Official: SANDRA R. RILEY PETER J. SCHOOMAKER Administrative Assistant to the General, United States Army Secretary of the Army Chief of Staff 0500501 DSN prefi x – 464- Points of Contact Commercial prefi x– (502) 624- ARMOR Editorial Offi ces U.S. Army Armor Center Editor in Chief Commanding General (ATZK-CG) LTC David R. Manning 4087 MG Terry L. Tucker 2121 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Managing Editor Deputy Commanding General (ATZK-DCG) Christy Bourgeois 4582 BG Albert Bryant Jr. 7555 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Editor Chief of Staff (ATZK-CS) Vivian Oertle 2610 COL Russell Gold 1101 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Art Director Command Sergeant Major (ATZK-CSM) Mr. Jody Harmon 3923 CSM George DeSario Jr. 4952 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Editorial Assistant Kathy A. Johnson 2249 Command Sergeant Major to DCG (ATZK-DCG-CSM) E-mail: [email protected] CSM Otis Smith 7091 E-mail: [email protected] Unit of Action Maneuver Battle Lab (ATZK-UA) ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS: To improve speed and accuracy in edit- Joe Hughes 5050 ing, manuscripts should be originals or clear copies, either typed or E-mail: [email protected] printed out double-spaced, with a 3½-inch disk in Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, WordStar, Rich Text Format, or ASCII (please indicate Experimentation and Analysis Directorate (ATZK-UAE) wordprocessing format on disk or cover letter).