Defeating Soviet Artillery

In the past fifteen years Soviet ground forces have dramatically increased their conventional military power to the point where they have become the most heavily armed force in the world. The United States Army has responded to these increases in many respects, but significant gaps still remain. As in so many categories of conventional military power, the Soviet Army possesses a dramatic numerical superiority in artillery. This thesis examines the problems the United States Army artillery faces in defeating Soviet Army artillery in a non-nuclear environment. Examined in depth are each countries' artillery weapons, organizations, and tactics, from both an overall perspective and in a European scenario. The general conclusion of this study is that there are numerous solvable problems in the United States Army artillery system. These problems are identified and general recommendations are made in the areas of artillery weapons development, organization, and tactics.