Marine Air Ground Task Force Expeditionary Family (MAGTF) of Fighting Vehicles (MEFFV) - Assault Variant Design: Recommendations for Urban Battle

摘要

This paper recommends design considerations in order to prepare the Assault Variant for urban warfare. The future battlefield will be the urban arena. Underdeveloped countries are producing vast urban slums at an alarming rate. Suspended in underprivileged conditions such as poverty, starvation, and disease, this class will seek change through radical means creating regional crisis. With the United States politically and economically engaged throughout the globe, such a crisis may threaten U.S. interests requiring a military response. Additionally, our adversaries realize the futility in challenging the U.S. military on open, unrestricted ground; therefore, they will seek to degrade U.S. abilities in the restrictive terrain of cities. Though designed for long range, direct fire engagements, history has shown that tanks have excellent utility in urban fighting. This has been proven again during recent experiments designed to create effective urban tactics. The MEEEV Program's Assault Variant will replace the premier capabilities of the M1A1 Main Battle Tank in the year 2020. The Assault Variant's design supports the concepts within Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare - Seabasing, Ship to Objective Maneuver, and Sustained Operations Ashore - creating a smaller, lighter, and more logistically efficient design. Of concern is that this design is not appropriate for fighting in urban areas. Conclusion: in order to prepare the Assault Variant for likely urban warfare, this paper offers sensible urban- minded recommendations to the Assault Variant's firepower, protection, mobility, and command and control systems, as well as its training regimen.