PPT Slide
The juxtapositioning of artillery and ground maneuver forces is going to be very different in the future. On occasion, our indirect fire forces will be closer to the enemy than our ground maneuver forces will be. (I don’t visualize a forward and rear in nonlinear operations.) We’ll position artillery so it can fire on the main enemy forces. If those positions are in danger of being attacked by smaller enemy ground elements, then ground maneuver forces will support indirect fires, the centerpiece of the future battlefield.
But when it comes time for the ground maneuver forces to move in, then they become the center of the battle and the artillery and other indirect fire assets support them.
As a unit commander through the division level and a combat veteran, what lessons have you learned that apply in warfare today?
In all wars, there are some basic requirements for success - enduring lessons of combat. First you must have knowledge superior to your adversary. You must know more about him - what he’s doing when and how - than he knows about you.
Superior knowledge is a tremendous advantage at any level of combat in any war. At the squad level, if you can see the enemy, his positions, and can count him while he can’t see or count you, you have superior knowledge.
At each level of command, the specifics of the information needed are different, but the descriptors are the same. You need to know where the enemy is, what he’s doing and in what strength, and you need to know that information faster and more accurately than he knows it about you.
Part of having superior knowledge is knowing that same information about your own forces. You might think perhaps that’s a trivial statement - knowing where your forces are. But that’s not true. Even a squad leader with, say, nine soldiers scattered out in positions can lose track of one and cause a disaster in the squad.
The Army is working to ensure we have superior knowledge. Our leaders understand that digitization, that information flow and the ability to integrate information, is key to any future endeavor. In terms of reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, situational awareness during battles, logistical resupply and command and control, digitization will greatly enhance the Army’s capabilities.
The next requirement for success in combat is having superior fire and movement. If you put superior firepower on the enemy and maintain freedom of movement to position your troops advantageously, you win. Your fire prevents the enemy from moving freely while you fire and move on the enemy freely. Of course, the development of these capabilities has led to the ascendancy of fires.
Now, that’s a very simple explanation of the key requirements for winning in combat, which, by the way, is very difficult to do.
What message would you like to send Field Artillerymen stationed worldwide?
A message I’ve been sending for the past 30 years - that is, in all of modern warfare, the biggest killer on the battlefield has always been the artillery. I only see the role of artillery ascending.
The artillery state of mind and development must reflect that - and I think it does. Your vision for Field Artillery in Force XXI adds yet another dimension in capabilities to ensure you can rain great volumes of long-range, precise fires on the enemy with devastating effects.
General Glenn K. Otis retired from the Army in 1988 after serving as Commanding General (CG) of the NATO Central Army Group and Commander-in-Chief of US Army Europe. He also served as CG of the Training and Doctrine command (TRADOC) with its headquarters at Fort Monroe, Virginia; Deputy Commander of the Army’s Combat Development Activity, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Deputy Commander of the Armor Center at Fort Knox, Kentucky; and the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans at the Pentagon. General Otis commanded the 1st Armored Division in Germany and the 3d Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment of the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam.