Is the U.S. Army Field Artillery Prepared to Support the Next Major Combat Operation

Abstract : In 2007, three former Brigade Combat Team Commanders authored a white paper and sent it to the Army Chief of Staff. The paper was entitled The King and I: The Impending Crisis in the Field Artillery's Ability to Provide Fire Support to Maneuver Commanders. The paper details the authors' concerns as Maneuver Commanders regarding the ability of field artillery to support maneuver operations. Field artillery operations in the European Theater during World War II represent one of the high points in indirect fire support to ground forces. One of the best examples of this artillery support was witnessed during Operation COBRA, in which extensive artillery assets allowed commanders to have flexible fire support plans, as well as redundant firing units available to make up identified shortfalls. This capability essentially enabled Allied units to develop and maintain the initiative throughout the war. This monograph examines Operation COBRA to determine how the Corps Commanders employed field artillery when conducting offensive operations, and identifies key concepts that were used to ensure success. The three areas that were seen as crucial to the success of offensive operations in Operation Cobra were the ability to mass artillery fires, integrate close air support into the ground maneuver plan, and provide logistics support to the artillery units. For the future of field artillery, these three areas must be maintained if the Army is to prevail in the next major combat operation.