The U.S. Army has released a white paper that plans to significantly enhance its air defense capabil

Mondo Technology Updated on 2024-03-01

Tongdao Think Tank 2024-03-01 10:47 Beijing.

The U.S. Army has developed plans to significantly expand its air and missile defense forces, with a special focus on anti-drone and anti-cruise missile capabilities, as part of a larger reorganization of its forces, according to Drive Network Feb. 28**.

The U.S. Army this week released a *** detailing the various changes in the structure of the force planned between now and the end of the decade. The restructuring of the force includes the completion of the formation of five Multi-Domain Task Forces (MDTFs). These task forces will include air defense and missile defense forces, as well as units equipped with new long-range missile systems, including hypersonic missiles. They will also have new electronic and cyber warfare systems, as well as other advanced capabilities, in addition to creating additional air defense and missile defense forces independent of the multi-domain task force.

** "Bringing these and other capabilities to the Army would require an additional approximately 7,500 authorizations for soldiers in high-priority units," the report said. Considering that 7,500 new authorizations would be required to bring new capabilities to the force, the Army would need to identify approximately 32,000 mandates in the remainder of the force that could be phased out. ”

As a result, special operations forces, cavalry and certain other units will be reduced as part of the new force structure plan. All in all, the U.S. Army expects its so-called "authorized" force size (the total number required to be 100% existing forces) to be reduced from 494,000 to 470,000. By law, the U.S. Army's current actual active-duty final strength is set at 445,000 troops, but in recent years the U.S. Army has encountered difficulties in meeting its recruitment goals. The total number of active duty also does not include additional units allocated to the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard.

The U.S. Army's Force Transformation Program explains, "For nearly two decades, the Army's force structure has reflected a focus on counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations that dominated the aftermath of 9/11. The Army will continue to need capabilities related to these missions, but given the changing security environment and the changing nature of warfare, the Army is refocusing on conducting large-scale combat operations against technologically advanced military powers. To meet these requirements, the Army must generate new capabilities and rebalance its force structure."

** Make it clear that the new air and missile defense system is absolutely at the heart of these plans. Each of the five multi-domain task forces will include what is currently known as the Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) battalion. In addition, the service wants to form four more separate IFPC battalions. The Army defines the force's core mission as "providing short- to medium-range capabilities to defend against unmanned aerial systems, cruise missiles, rockets, artillery, and mortars."

A general breakdown of the Army's new Multi-Domain Task Force organizational structure was previously released, including units referred to here simply as "air defense battalions." The unit is now known as the Indirect Fire Protection Capability Battalion (IFPC).

Although the US Army does not explicitly mention it in its overview of its plans for a new force structure, the main ** of the IFPC battalion is expected to be the "Enduring Shield". The service has said in the past that a typical Enduring Shield platoon (of which each IFPC battalion will be assigned several) consists of four launchers that are connected to at least one AN MPQ-64Sentinel family radar (IBCS) network using the Army's Integrated Combat Command System.

The Enduring Shield launcher is packaged in pallets and was designed from the outset to be capable of firing multiple types of surface-to-air munitions. The system will initially be deployed using the AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range heat-seeking missile as its main effector, but the Army is already seeking another interceptor missile. This interceptor missile is better suited to shoot down incoming subsonic and supersonic cruise missiles.

Since the AIM-9X is a short-range missile, it is unclear what the Army's stated IFPC battalion will have to provide medium-range capabilities. In the past, it has been discussed how to significantly extend the range performance of the AIM-9X. The second *** of the system also has a longer firing range compared to the "Sidewinder".

Since the decommissioning of the Hawk surface-to-air missile system in the 90s of the 20th century, the army has not had any medium-range air defense capabilities available for universal use. The service does have a small number of medium-range advanced surface-to-air missile systems (NASAMS), but these systems are specifically deployed to protect Washington, D.C., and the larger National Capital Region.

The U.S. Army's new force structure plan also calls for the creation of nine "anti-small unmanned aerial vehicle (C-SUAS) companies," which will be attached to the IFPC battalion and the existing divisional air defense battalion. It is not yet known how these missile battalions will be equipped. The service previously announced plans to significantly expand the inventory of Coyote anti-UAVs*** and their mobile and stationary launchers over the next five years.

The U.S. Army and other militaries are actively exploring a variety of other systems designed to help counter low-level UAVs, including portable and vehicle-mounted electronic warfare jammers as well as lasers and high-power microwave directed energy**.

Finally, the U.S. Army's force structure*** outlines plans for four additional mobile short-range air defense (M-Shorad) battalions to help "counter low-altitude air threats, including drones, rotary-wing aircraft, and fixed-wing aircraft." The army already has two M-shorad battalions and is building a third.

The main air defense system assigned to the existing M-Shorad battalion is a mobile platform based on 8x8 Stryker armored vehicles. The turret of the platform is equipped with a Stinger short-range heat-tracking surface-to-air missile. Each is also equipped with a 30mm automatic cannon capable of firing proximity fuse ammunition, making it ideal for shooting down drones. The units will also be equipped with Stryker-based vehicles equipped with laser directed energy**, as well as vehicles with possibly high-power microwaves.

The US Army is also looking for a replacement for the venerable Stinger missile. This replacement will be compatible with existing launchers of these missiles, such as those on the Stryker M-Shorad vehicle. It is possible that the service will use vehicles other than the Stryker to acquire M-Shorad systems, such as its new tracked armored multi-purpose vehicle (AMPV). A prototype of the AMPV armored car variant, which had the same turret as the Shorad vehicle.

The *** on the new Army Forces Transformation Program apparently does not talk about expanding the Army's long-range air defense and missile defense capabilities, including the Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems. It did say that the specific details contained in it "are only a representative sample of the Army's overall capability growth." The service said it is working to add at least one additional Patriot anti-aircraft missile battalion.

All in all, the focus on new air and missile defense capabilities in the US Army's plans for a new force structure has its own justification. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the crisis in and around the Red Sea have heightened the scale and scope of the threat posed by drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. The situation in the Red Sea, and the recent surge in land attacks on U.S. forces across the Middle East, further highlights the steady proliferation of increasingly capable drones and missiles, not only to smaller national armed forces, but also to non-military forces.

I've been in the Army for 38 years, and I've never had to look up the entire time I've been in the Army in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria," said then-Army General Richard Clarke, now a retired Army general. But now we will not always have this luxury, from quadcopters (they are very small) to very large UAVs [u**]. ”

The cost of getting into this area, especially for some small unmanned aerial systems, is very, very low," Clark added.

The fact that the U.S. Army has just announced new plans to significantly expand its air and missile defense capabilities over the next five years or so shows that the Army is still grappling with the threats that currently exist. It is also an indication of the challenges that the service continues to face in developing these forces and their associated capabilities.

Lt. Gen. Daniel Kabule, commander of the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command, said at the 2023 Space and Missile Defense Symposium: "Many times, the service of soldiers is six months, and even extended to nine months. "A lot of times, they deploy for nine months and then extend it to 12 months, and sometimes they think they're going to deploy for a year and then extend it to 15 months. "In addition, the entire line of the US military, not just specialized anti-drone units, will increasingly need to defend against drones.

It is obvious that the US Army needs more forces to defend against air threats, especially drones and cruise missiles.

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