Doctrinal orphan or active partner? A brief history of modern U.S. Army mechanized infantry doctrine
Rod A. Coffey, Coffey, Rod A. (Creator)
This is an historical study of mechanized infantry doctrine. It focuses on issues encountered in the U.S. Army with the introduction in 1982 of an Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). Professional reaction to IFV fielding was mixed among both military and civilian observers. By 1985 several writers claimed Bradley equipped infantry was a specialized armored infantry--employment problems arose from a failure to use it correctly. This paper concludes that a close study of military history does not correspond with an armored infantry concept which limits mechanized infantry to narrow “tank support” roles. Further, the study examines several paradigms and concepts that have served to undermine the Army's ability to develop comprehensive combined arms tactical doctrine. By surveying mechanized infantry doctrine from its earliest days to the present, the study notes that failures to express an adequate role for mechanized infantry within combined arms doctrine stem from a neglect of historically based doctrinal research and inadequate descriptions of combined arms at the tactical level. The study makes a general recommendation about the criticality of historical study in force and doctrinal development, emphasizes the dangers of faulty paradigms, and calls for comprehensiveness and flexibility in defining the roles of mechanized infantry
Thesis, Dissertation, Undefined, 2000
Fort Leavenworth, KS : US Army Command and General Staff College, 2000