Have Gun, Will Travel

In 1997 the last separate divisional tank battalion was deactivated, leaving no habitually assigned tank battalion or company to any of the Army's light forces. The Army's interim fix has been to assign an Immediate Reaction Company from anyone of the heavy divisions based in the United States to support contingency operations. The focus of this research will be on tanks in support of the infantry brigades and regimental combat team as a habitual infantry and tank team in combat operations from World War I to Somalia and in simulated combat operations at the Joint Readiness Training Center.





Lessons learned from previous wars and subsequent contingency operations reveal that the over arching theme of field commanders was to have an organic tank company assigned to them in all combat situations. They recognized the need for combined arms training and execution along with the benefits of a cohesive team.





The results of this research indicate that the light infantry brigades need organic separate tank companies assigned to their MTOE in order to meet their operational requirements.