Redefining Operational Maneuver with the FCS

As the military continues transformation and focuses on capabilities-based organizations to meet guidance provided in the National Security Strategy and The Quadrennial Defense Review, the Army is in position to redefine operational maneuver. Army Field Manual 3-0 defines operational maneuver as "placing Army forces and resources at the critical place in time to achieve an operational advantage. It is complex, and often requires joint or multinational support. Deployments and intra-theater movements are operational maneuver if they achieve a positional advantage and influence the outcome of a campaign or battle. "" Currently, the Army does not conduct operational maneuver with mechanized forces using inter- or intra-theater lift because of the limitations of the current force. The weight of our heavy forces limits the ability to attack the enemy throughout the operational depth of the battlespace with ground maneuver forces. The weight prevents movement of large forces using intra-theater airlift, additionally the Army 's weight limits the options available to policymakers and requires a build-up of equipment and resources. As the Army transitions to a Future Combat System (FCS) equipped force, the possibilities for operational maneuver by armored forces can grow exponentially. A lighter force possessing the same lethality of the Army 's current heavy force can provide numerous options to support operational maneuver using intra-theater lift as well as providing strategic deployment from the United States to contingency areas. The purpose of this monograph is to prove the Army can redefine operational maneuver with the FCS and support of the Joint Force. As we look forward on the ability of the FCS to redefine operational maneuver there are examples throughout history which display how major changes in warfare where developed through new and innovative applications of the technology available. The primacy of maneuver over firepower was established at the beginning