By Brig. Gen. (Ret.), Keith Klemmer U.S Army National Guard
Whether it’s the snow banks of the Arctic, the volcanic islands of the Pacific, or even flood zones at home, Soldiers need the ability to go where the mission calls them.
Today, global tensions and changing environments require military leaders to prepare for conflict in some of the most remote areas of the world. With rapidly changing climate conditions in the Arctic, a once impassible part of the world has turned into a contested environment. This has increased the need for the Army to be able to project forces to the most remote locations – including terrain that will be snowy or thick with mud depending on the time of year and weather. They must be able to maneuver across the vast distances of land, interspersed with inland waterways, all prone to natural disasters. And at home, extreme weather is forcing National Guard units into frequent disaster response missions.
As Soldiers begin to fight in more remote and unpredictable areas of the globe, under more extreme conditions and through rugged terrain, Soldiers need these all-terrain vehicles to have armored ballistic protection and armaments. With armored all-terrain mobility, Soldiers gain mission flexibility and commanders have more options at their disposal in the toughest areas.
Argument for armor
One of the most complex and hazardous military operations to carry out is a deliberate river crossing. A force must establish a position along a near-shore objective, assaulting across the river to establish a far-shore objective, attack to secure exit-bank and intermediate objectives and then secure the bridgehead as bridging companies construct bridges. Today’s unmanned aircraft systems and electronic warfare threats add a whole new level of risk to the river crossing operation, greatly reducing the amount of time to execute unopposed.
How much safer could this operation be if a force had armored vehicles that could just swim across the river? With an armored, amphibious all-terrain vehicle, the assaulting force can easily establish river crossing positions, reducing risk and allowing for increased flexibility, with the armored nature of the vehicle protecting Soldiers.
This is just one example of what armored all-terrain mobility can bring to the Army. Overall, a fleet of armored all-terrain vehicles would allow Soldiers to take on dangerous missions in terrain where the Army’s current fleet of vehicles cannot reach today. The unarmored Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicles that the Army is procuring for Soldiers in Alaska are part of the BvS10 family of vehicles. The BvS10 family of vehicles also have an armored variant currently in production for a host of European customers and can be easily configured into new variants. If the program were to add ballistic armored protection to the requirements, these air-transportable vehicles quickly become combat-ready all-terrain platforms: delivering that mission flexibility Soldiers and commanders will need in the future.
What this ultimately means is that Soldiers would have a huge mobility advantage in extreme terrain, while also being protected. In today’s complex world and changing climate, it’s hard to know where Soldiers will need to be deployed to fight. Providing them with armored all-terrain mobility is important to accomplish the mission.
This flexibility also has vast benefits for the National Guard. Based on my experience in the Arkansas National Guard, I know firsthand the benefits armored all-terrain mobility would provide Guardsmen. These Soldiers must be equipped to respond to natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies in their home states, while maintaining combat ready equipment. Whether it’s severe winter storms, wide-scale flooding or mudslides, an all-terrain vehicle is ready to help on a range of civil response missions, including search and rescue. Add in armor to the equation, and these same National Guard vehicles are prepared for intense military operations – true dual use.
Logistics advantages of armor
There’s an old military cliché that still rings true: amateurs talk tactics, but professionals study logistics. When the military discusses today’s broad threat environment from the Arctic to the Pacific, long distance logistics is the key. So if your Soldiers are fighting in the most remote areas of the planet, in extreme terrain, how do you plan to deliver what they need to survive? The hard truth is wheeled vehicles will not be universally reliable in tough terrain.
This is another area where armored all-terrain mobility can play a critical role. In the new age of warfare, military leaders are preparing for “contested logistics,” completing logistics missions in high intensity battlefield conditions. When Soldiers are fighting in extreme climate conditions or far forward on extreme terrain, only the most resilient platforms will be able to reach them - including vehicles. Add in extreme conditions, and only all-terrain vehicles protected with armor will be capable of supplying them, while protecting troops on-board.
Some may ask, doesn’t the Army have a fleet of armored wheeled vehicles that can carry out these logistics missions? While the Army does have robust wheeled vehicle fleets, wheeled vehicles can be extremely limited by terrain. They may sink in deep snow, be rendered inoperable in wet conditions, or struggle across rugged terrain. In times of need, Soldiers will be able to rely on armored, tracked all-terrain vehicles to reach them – on the most extreme terrain and in the most extreme conditions.
As Army leaders prepare for operations across the expanding global battlefield, Soldiers must be prepared and equipped for the range of combat operations in some of the most inhospitable climates and on the most difficult terrain. Anywhere Soldiers are called, they must have vehicles that can take them there, while providing advanced protection. What Soldiers need is armored all-terrain mobility.
Keith Klemmer is a business development director at BAE Systems and previously served as a Brigadier General in the Arkansas National Guard.