Armor Magazine Counterinsurgency Selected Works - US Army

City) and An Najaf, it became clear that the ultimate task organization
of choice depended on the enemy threat. Patterns of employment
of the combined arms team that both solidified and
challenged existing doctrine were also made clear.
The grid-like pattern of Al Tharwa presented an interesting tactical
challenge to the soldiers and leaders of 2d Battalion, 5th
(2-5) Cavalry Regiment (TF Lancer), 1st Brigade Combat Team,
1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. As Muqtada’s militia
began actively attacking coalition forces, TF Lancer worked rapidly
to defeat the insurgent uprising while protecting its soldiers.
As its primary avenue of approach, the enemy chose side street
alleys, which Bradley Fighting Vehicles (BFVs) and M1A2 sys-
Alley
Alley
Figure 1
Street
Direction of Attack
3-5 mph
Vehicle Distance: METT-TC
(Alley to Alley)
= M1A2SEP = M2A3
“The commander’s independent sight
systems offset the protective measure
of vehicles moving through the city with
hatches fully closed. The second sight
afforded another field of view, allowing
the gunner to primarily observe enemy
alleys. Instead of the commander being
relegated to what the gunner was
observing, or struggling to gain situational
awareness through vision blocks,
he became an integral part of the vehicle
and patrol team by providing coverage
of secondary enemy avenues of
approach, oriented forward of the vehicle
or toward the opposite flank vehicle’s
immediate rooftops, providing highangle
coverage.”
tem enhancement package (SEP) tanks
could not negotiate due to sheer width and
obstacles such as disabled civilian vehicles
and air-conditioning units. As these
vehicles progressed throughout the city,
the militia would attack their flanks, seeking
to disable them with IEDs, RPGs, and AK47s.
U.S. Army Field Manual (FM) 3-06.11, Combined Arms Operations
In Urban Terrain, Appendix C, states: “If isolated or
unsupported by infantry, armored vehicles are vulnerable to enemy
hunter/killer teams firing light and medium antiarmor weapons.
Because of the abundance of cover and concealment in urban
terrain, armored vehicle gunners may not be able to easily
identify enemy targets unless the commander exposes himself
to fire by opening his hatch or by infantrymen directing the
gunner to the target.” 2
Initially, following standard doctrine, the task force moved
throughout the city in column or staggered-column formations,
assigning typical 360-degree sectors of fire to cover all enemy
avenues of approach. However, with the vertical firing platforms
of rooftops and the coordinated attacks on both flanks
through use of alleys, the task force had to rapidly adapt to the
emerging enemy threat.
The task force quickly learned to move throughout the city in
protected mode (buttoned up) and maximize the capability of the
dual sights provided by the M1A2SEP, equipped with the gunner’s
primary sight and the commander’s independent thermal
viewer (CITV), and the M2/3A3 improved Bradley acquisition
subsystem (IBAS) with the commander’s independent viewer
(CIV). As shown in Figure 1, their refined movement-to-contact
formation resulted in a rolling battleship of armored vehicles in
a “box” formation, moving in a deliberate, methodical progression
through the main streets of Al Tharwa, maximizing the protection
of the armor packages. 3 Success relied on the skill of the
driver, the armor package of the M1A2 and the latest generation
M2/3A3, and the dual-sight capability afforded by the vehicle
upgrades.
Moving buttoned up in a pure mechanized/armor formation, the
combat patrol would reposition at the release point into a rectangular
formation of at least six armored vehicles. Moving vehicles
parallel to each other created an artificial set of interior
lines to protect the exposed flank of the opposite vehicle and allow
a full three-dimensional, 360-degree coverage of the constantly
shifting battlespace.
The commander’s independent sight systems offset the protective
measure of vehicles moving through the city with hatches
fully closed. The second sight afforded another field of view, al-
48 — September-October 2008