Six Imperatives for the Armor Force

Introduction As we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the combat arm of decision, we can look back over the past half century with great pride at the contribution that the Armor Force has made to the defense of peace and freedom. Your unrelenting readiness to defend freedom has not been in vain. Simply put - we are winning, and the triumph of democratic ideals that we are witnessing in Europe is due in no small part to the selfless service of millions of American soldiers - soldiers who, supported by the other services, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our Allies, forming a bulwark against communist aggression and providing a beacon of hope for those oppressed. For it was the American soldier who bought time for the inherent weaknesses of communism and the gathering momentum of democracy to bring the Soviet satellite regimes to their knees. the haunting words of Neville Chamberlain when he announced in 1938 that the world had achieved "peace in our time." Less than a year later, that same world would be engulfed in the mightiest war in human history - a global conflict that would consume whole nations and leave 50 million dead. Nor can we forget the rush to demobilization after World War I1 that left us with a poorly trained, ill-equipped, and ill-prepared Army - an Army that could not stem the tide of North Korean aggression until thousands of Americans had shed their blood. These soldiers paid with their lives to rebuild an Army that only five years before had stood battle-tested and victorious. Today, once again, there are those who claim that the wolves of this world have been driven from the door, and that we can dispense with the military power that kept them at bay. Nothing could be further from the truth. While we rejoice in the awakening of democracy in Eastern Europe, we must recognize that the struggle is not over. Although the national euphoria over the events of the past year has led some to argue that we can decimate the military posture that has been the foundation of our success so that we can start spending the "peace dividend that we hear so much about, those of us charged with the responsibility for our nation's security cannot forget Role of Armor in a Changing World Although we have witnessed unprecedented changes in Europe over the past months, the Army's fundamental strategic mission has not changed. That mandate is simple - to deter aggression and to defeat attacks against our nation's interests wherever they occur. In order that you understand clearly how the Army will. execute its mission, I want to outline the Army's vision of the future and the place of the Armor Force in that vision. I also want to highlight our plans to shape the force for this decade and beyond. Finally, I want to challenge each of you to meet the high standards of professionalism that will be essential to a trained and ready Army in the years to come. For, the success of that Army will rest on the shoulders of the leaders and soldiers who serve our nation with pride and distinction. Just as the mission of the Army has not changed, there has been no alteration of the role of the Armor Force. Armor continues to provide the commander with the mobility and firepower needed to win quickly and decisively. Armored forces remain vital to dominating the modem battlefield, and their readiness gives pause to enemies who would threaten us. Although we can applaud the changes that are occurring in the Soviet Bloc, we must not forget that even as the Soviet empire is undergoing radical and sometimes violent changes, Soviet military capabilities remain massive. We must remember also that history is replete with examples in which the collapse of mighty empires ripped apart the established order, resulting in uncontrolled instability and untold human suffering. If recent events are an indication, there is no reason to believe that the disintegration of the Soviet empire would be any different. Even as our attentions and emotions are drawn to the events in Europe, we must retain a broader perspective. For, in this complex 12 ARMOR - world, there is one simple truth the United States is a global power with interests around the world. To remain a global power and to protect its interests in the face of powerful adversaries, it must have a powerful Army. And at the heart of that Army will be the Armor Force. The growing arsenals of tanks, artillery, and other sophisticated weapons in the possession of nations around the world that do not share our commitment to peace and freedom are persuasive arguments for retaining the devastating combat power of armor units. Ever since the days of the horse cavalry, mounted troopers have performed the vital missions of reconnaissance, security, and decisive maneuver to destroy the enemy. Although the weapons systems and organizations have evolved considerably since buffalo soldiers patrolled the plains of the American Midwest, these missions and the attributes required of the Combat Arm of Decision have not, and will not change. First, armor of the future must continue to be mobile - and armor units must be able to use their mobility to see, disrupt, deceive, and destroy the enemy. Second, the Armor Force must be agile - able to act faster than the enemy can react. Third, the mission to close with and destroy the enemy requires that armored forces be survivable in the blazing cauldron of modem combat. Armor - like the Army - must also be versatile to respond to crises, conflicts, and contingencies worldwide. Its soldiers, units, and leaders must be prepared for missions that span the spectrum of conflict, from contingency operations that require relatively small armored formations to high-intensity combat in which massive mechanized armies collide. Whatever the mission, the Armor Force must be lethal - lethal to crush enemy resistance, lethal to survive the brutal clash of armored combat, and lethal to dominate the battlefield against the best force any adversary can hope to field. To achieve this kind of lethality, we must combine technological leverage with unmatchcd tactical and technical competence. Then we must integrate mobility, firepower, and shock action - the essence of Armor - with the other elements of the combined arms team. Finally, we must be able to configure armored formations into powerful and deployable force packages. The superb mobility our armored systems enjoy today on the battlefield must be enhanced, and accompanied by the ability to deploy them from the continental United States to trouble spots around the world. Our objective is to ensure that sufficient strategic air and sea lift is available to allow us to project overwhelming land combat power to wherever it is needed, in a timely manner. But we in the Army must do our part to enhance strategic mobility by developing lethal, survivable, and mobile systems that facilitate rapid deployment by air and sea. Acquiring systems that combine the strategic and tactical mobility necessary to project power effectively, and with the survivability and lethality essential for victory on 21st century battlefields, will require us to apply innovative solutions that take full advantage of emerging technologies. We must aggressively pursue advances in areas such as comp-osites, active and passive countermeasures, and modular armor. In the near term, we will meet our needs by procuring an armored gun system that uses currently available technology to provide air-droppable armored firepower to our contingency forces. The characteristics I have outlined describe what the Armor Force of the 21st century must be - a force that is trained and ready when it is called on again to march to the sound of guns. As we work to this end, we are building on a solid foundation, for, the Army of 1990 is quite simply the finest peacetime force this nation has ever fielded. And in the forefront of that Army is our Armor Force - the best trained, best equipped, and best led in the world. Imperatives for Today and Tomorrow The Armor Force of the future will have the characteristics just described only if we adhere to the six enduring imperatives that have forged the Army and the Armor Force of today. In an era of great change, they provide continuity of purpose and assure continuity and adequacy of capabilities. The first imperative for Armor is to maintain a flexible, warfghting doctrine - the principles that guide our actions on the battlefield. The Armor Center, as the proponent for mounted, mobile combat, has been central to much of the progress we have made over the last decade in the development of maneuver doctrine and the embedding of that doctrine in all our preparations for war. The Armor Center will continue to play an important role as we develop the concept of AirLand Battle-Future, the doctrine that will carry us into the 21st century. ARMOR - 13

As our doctrine evolves to meet the challenges of the future battlefield, the challenge for Armor leaders is to ensure that the unique and timeless characteristics of the mountcd force are effectively incorporated in the way we fight the bat-tlcs of the next century. Then you must translate these doctrinal principles into weapons, organizations, training, and leader development programs that will generate powerful, fielded capabilites. The second imperative is to maintain an appropriate mix of forces. The Army of tomorrow must have an effective mix of heavy, light, and special operations forces, an appropriate blend of active and reserve elements, and a combination of forward deployed, contingency, and reinforcing forces. In view of the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, there are those who are anxious to write the obituary for the Armor Force, arguing that we only need light forces for contingencies such as Panama. Nothing could be further from the truth. Regardless of the fate of the Soviet empire, armor forces will remain the decisive element of land power and an indispensable component of our future force mix. Because potential enemies have extensive armored formations, the United States must retain formidable, ready armored forces capable of fighting and winning on the high-intensity battlefields of the future. For, only such forces will provide the credibility necessary to deter such conflicts. The b y of today and tomorrow will be an integrated combined arms team. The colors of the Armor patch say it all. The red, blue, and yellow symbolize the spirit of combined arms - a spirit that is firmly fmed in the hearts of mounted troopers and that must be the hallmark of the entire Army. For, only by integrating the unique capabilities all of our branches and components - heavy with light, active with reserve - will we be an Army that is capable of dominating any battlefield, against any enemy. Such an Army will be credible for deterrence and capable of defense. The next imperative is to continue to modernize our Army. The tealities of the budget have forced us to make some difficult decisions on modernization. The fact is that we cannot afford every system that we want or that we need. As a result, we have made some tough choices to ensure that the Army has the essential warfighting capabilities that our nation needs today and that will bring victory in the future. Some procurement of near-term improvements in capabilities has been sacrificed in order to fund research and development that will prevent our soldiers from being overmatched by forces hostile to our interests in the decades ahead. For example, we have virtually eliminated production of the M1A2 tank in order to pursue the Armored System Modernization Program. Although we are forced to accept some risk in the near future, the Army is irrevocably committed to the long-term modernization of our armored forces. Armored System Modernization and the light helicopter are the Army’s highest modernization priorities. For, we cannot and we will not ask young Americans of the next generation to battle armor forces of the 21st century mounted on 20th century technology. To this end we are putting resources into the development and acquisition of the armored vehicles that our soldiers will need in the years to come. Modem equipment in the hands of poorly trained soldiers is of little benefit. So, the fourth imperative shaping the Armor Force is to conduct tough, realistic training to high standards - the kind of training that has served as the hallmark of the Armor Force for a half-century, and that has been a model for the rest of the Army. The importance of training cannot be overstated, for training is the foundation of readiness and essential to maintaining a quality force. And the talented young men and women who fill our ranks today will stay if they continue to be challenged by tough, demanding training. As we shape the Army of the future, we must ensure that training remains our top priority. Accordingly, we will not cut back on our corn-mitment to training. For example, the pace of operations at the combat training centers is being sustained, for they are essential to maintaining the ability of units to operate as a combined arms team. Indeed, we are increasing our efforts to integrate heavy and light forces by expanding the number of combined rotations. Because the cost of such training is increasing, we must ensure that our soldiers receive the maximum benefit from every training dollar by taking full advantage of simulations and training devices. As you look at innovative ways to train, however, never lose sight of the overriding importance of mastering basic armor skills that serve as the foundation for trained and ready units. One of the most important lessons taught at the CTCs is that solid basic skills really make the difference between victory and defeat. To help squeeze the best training out of each dollar spent, we are continuing our campaign to improve training quality by publishing FM 25- 101, the companion manual to FM 25-100. This manual is aimed at battalions and companies and provides 14 ARMOR - clear guidance on implementing the training doctrine outlined in FM 25-

100. Distribution of FM 25-101 should be completed this year, and its use should assist leaders in developing a well planned and executed training program. Quality training requires quality leaders, and quality soldiers der-serve nothing less than the best. Therefore, the fifth imperative is to continue to develop the competent, confident armor leaders at all levels. Developing these leaders is one of our greatest responsibilities, and perhaps our greatest legacy. Initiative, imagination, and bold action have characterized the Sheridans, Mackenzies, Pattons, and Abramses throughout the history of cavalry and armor. Armor leaders of tomorrow, as today, will have to be decisive, even in the "fog" of war. Such bold imaginative leaders are not born, they are the result of careers spent dedicated to the study of the military profession. Armor has led the way in the development of such leaders and must continue to focus its efforts on developing officers and NCOs who reflect the traditional cavalry spirit of initiative, resourcefulness, courage, and tenacity. The final imperative, but the most important, is to maintain a quality force. Quality is the linchpin of the entire Army and, indeed, is essential to the very fabric of our national defense. For, in the final analysis, it is the quality of the combat soldier that determines the fate of nations. Vision of the Future Unrelenting adherence to these six imperatives has forged an Army that is the best in the world - an Army that stands as a mighty bastion for peace, and that serves as the ultimate guardian of our nation's security. With the imperatives as our guideposts, we must move forward aggressively to shape the Army and the Armor Force to respond to the challenges of the changing international environment and of increasingly austere budgets. We must apply the lessons of our past and take command of our future. For, if we do not, someone else surely will. Although we must adjust to declining resources, I want to make it clear that we will not compromise, equivocate, or yield on the six imperatives. We cannot allow the sweat we have expended, and the success we have achieved in building the trained and ready Army of today to be squandered away. Even under the most Draconian budgetary constraints, we must never accept an Army that is undermanned, poorly trained, or ill-equipped - for such an Army cannot protect our nation in an uncertain world. Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and to continue to forge the thunderbolt - responding to challenges to our vital interests with forces that can strike with devastating effectiveness. In short, let's use the talents that brought us victory in the Cold War to preserve our achievements. Accordingly, over the course of the next several years, we will carefully, deliberately, and gradually shape a smaller force. This is a difficult course of action, but essential if we are to maintain the readiness, training, and quality that stand as the bedrock of our nation's security in the years ahead. As a result of the reshaping of the Army, the Armor Force of the next decade - like the rest of the Army - will be smaller. Butt it will continue to be second to none. We will continue to have units forward deployed - although in smaller numbers - in Europe and the Far East. And we will have forces coiled in readiness within the United States - prepared to respond to contingencies around the globe, with active and reserve units poised to reinforce combat operations anywhere in the world. If we are to retain an Armor Force that has the characteristics essential to the Army we will need in the future, it must have leaders of dedication and vision - leaders who will ensure that Armor remains relevant to a changing battlefield and who are able to integrate its unique contributions with the rest of the combined arms team. In the 1930s, while some were wailing about the demise of the horse cavalry, General Chaffee and other farseeing professionals developed the doctrine and organization that formed the foundation for today's Armor Force. Although the horse no longer carries mounted warriors into battle, the mission, the attributes, and the spirit of the cavalry live on today - as relevant now as ever before. The Armor Force will remain a central element of our Army into the foreseeable future as long as in your ranks there are Pattons and Chaffees to lead it. Professionalism Although we face some challenging times ahead, and the Army will grow smaller, there will always be room for capable, dedicated young soldiers and leaders within our ranks. We will continue to be a highly competitive profession, because a trained and ready Army requires soldiers and leaders who are professionals in every sense of the word. It is professionalism that will guide all of us through the stormy seas ahead, and it is professionalism that serves as the ultimate antidote for uncertainty about the future. Profes-ARMOR - 15

I sionalism is neither easy nor free. It comes from an unrelenting dedication to the principles of competence, responsibility, and commitment, each essential to professional development and each vital to the Army of tomorrow. First, each of us must be competent in the profession of arms and expert in the art of war. Competence is not an inherited trait - it grows from study, discipline, and plain hard work. It comes from sharing ideas and innovative thinking. Contributions such as the Armor White Paper developed at the Armor Center are extremely useful to these efforts as they help stimulate informed discussion throughout the Army community about the role of armor. For our younger oEcers, competence grows from one of the greatest sources of practical knowledge - the corps of noncommissioned officers that forms the backbone of the Army. Through the ages, the most celebrated leaders in the profession of arms began their rise with the simple words, "Sergeant, show me how." But competence alone is not enough. To be a professional, we must willingly embrace responsibility - responsibility for the performance of our units and responsibility for every soldier entrusted to our care. We need leaders in the Army who personally practice every day of their lives the guidance of George Marshall: "When evening comes and all are exhausted, hungry, and dispirited, you must put aside personal fatigue, and look first after the needs of your soldiers." Finally, a professional must be committed to the profession of arms and to the nation. He must be willing to serve in the difficult assignments, in the isolated posts, in the tasks that drain every fiber from his being. And he must be willihg to risk his very life in the defense of his country. It is this commitment that lends meaning to sadice; it is this commitment that gives a vision to see beyond the next hill, it is this commitment that brings honor and humility to personal achievement. Those qualities of competence, responsibility, and commitment make up the professional of today - a leader of rare distinction and an asset to be carefully nurtured throughout an entire lifetime. Conclusion Our profession asks much of us, but that is not surprising, for ours in a special calling. We are entrusted with a vital responsibility - the protection of our great nation. As leaders, we are entrusted with America's most treasured asset - the young men and women who have volunteered to serve their country. Forty years ago, a young Californian named Robert Young enlisted in a peacetime Army - an Army in the midst of a world exhausted from the cataclysmic struggle of the greatest war in history. Assigned to the 8th Cavalry Regiment, he was unexpectedly and violently thrust into the crucible of combat in a country called Korea. In the lead tank of the lead company, he suddenly came under a devastating barrage of enemy mortar and automatic weapons fue that decimated his company and left him severely wounded. Ignoring his own pain, he held his position, directed advancing tanks against the enemy, and became the rallying point for his battalion. Finally, after his heroic and singlehanded defense had turned the tide of the battle, PFC Young died from his wounds. He was a cavalryman who understood that freedom isn't free - who "Competence is not an inherited trait - it grows from study, discipline, and plain hard work. If comes from sharing ideas and innovative thinking. understood what some fail to realize - it is bought with the sweat, the courage, the commitment, and sometimes the blood of the American soldier. To those who have freedom, and to those who hope for freedom, the American soldier - like Robert Young - is the embodiment of the ideals and principles of individual liberty for which this country stands. We - you and I - have a sacred duty to the men and women we lead, to the United States, and to freedom everywhere. We can never relax our efforts to maintain a trained and ready Army to support and advance the principles for which our nation stands. In this task we must not - and shall not - fail. Editor's Note: lliis atticle is an adaptation of GEN Viiono's address to the Amior Confmnce on 8 May 1990. General Carl E. Vuom, has been Army Chief of Staff since June 1987. He was commissioned in the Field Artillery upon graduating from USMA in 1957. He commanded 1-77 FA, 1st Cavalry DMslon in Vietnam;

82d Airborne Division; 8th infantry Division (M),

U. S. Army Combhed Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth; and the U. S. Army Training and Doctrine Corn mand.