The Army has been working for years to create equipment and doctrine for “medium brigades.” Easier to transport by air than bloated armored or mechanized units, but better protected and with more firepower than light infantry.
Approval of the controversial Stryker LAV means the new medium brigades will finally have something better than HUMVEEs to move around in, but organic artillery support is still an issue. The Army has two main choices, outlined on StrategyPage.
The French are willing to sell their truck-mounted Caesar 155mm gun. It’s fast, lightweight, cheap, and we can be fully outfitted with them in less than three years.
Or, we can go with the homegrown XM177 howitzer. It isn’t as fast, needs to be towed, doesn’t cost much less, and won’t be ready until later.
I’ll leave as an exercise for the student to figure out which gun the Army prefers to buy.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member