Fires in operation Iraqi freedom - The Update Point

Field Artillery soldiers, once again, have demonstrated in combat their professionalism, the destructive capabilities of their equipment and the importance of the FA to the combined arms team and joint force. We all should be immensely proud of what Army and Marine Field Artillery units have contributed to achieving victory in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Field Artillerymen truly have performed magnificently. They have fielded and employed new systems; trained their units into cohesive lethal teams; demonstrated the flexibility of FA organizations; and, while adapting to changing situations, developed the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) that resulted in overwhelming firepower and ultimate success on the battlefield.

Combined Arms/Joint Fires. These Artillerymen have demonstrated conclusively that "the FA has not walked away from the close fight" and fires do enable maneuver. Further, Operation Iraqi Freedom has shown that the call-for-fire is something all soldiers should be able to do, cannons produce destructive effects, Artillery fires do protect the force, digital command and control is effective, sensor-fused munitions have a role, FA fires make an enormous difference in urban operations, suppression is essential and special purpose fires, such as obscuration, are significant enablers for maneuver forces.

Once again, our multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) combined with our Firefinder radars proved deadly in counterfire. The new high-mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) linked directly with Special Operations Forces formed a highly lethal sensor--shooter team, while the new M270A1 launcher improved responsiveness and reliability significantly. Operation Iraqi Freedom further demonstrated that the Army tactical missile system (ATACMS) is a critical operational capability, extended range is a decisive factor in preparing the battlefield and operational fires are essential to set the conditions for maneuver success and to support the joint force commander.

We also have seen that to achieve success in complex military operations, we need extensive training and complementary systems that enable true integration. We must train and develop the force during peacetime to synchronize fires with maneuver, coordinate the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) with rotary- and fixed-wing aviation, and fully integrate joint fires and effects in combat.

Capturing History. Units engaged in Operation Iraqi Freedom have begun capturing the history their great soldiers and subordinate units have made. They also have begun to compile lessons learned from the operation. We will draw from their experiences to improve our doctrine, share TTPs that proved effective and improve shortcomings in our equipment and capabilities.

Many observers have begun to document interpretations of the war and draw conclusions. We will see think-tank papers and journalistic observations; we will see a joint lessons-learned process; and the Army, likewise, is undertaking a formal lessons-learned process, including documenting what soldiers and units accomplished in a written history of the conflict.

Many participants and observers already are commenting on two very significant aspects of Operation Iraqi Freedom: the application of joint capabilities and the importance of combined arms teams. Success was achieved at the lower tactical level because of the competence and bravery of our soldiers and Marines and their leaders. The land force achieved success because it employed the complementary capabilities of the combined arms team. Success at the operational level can be attributed to improvements in the integration of joint capabilities.

Our ability to successfully integrate land-based and joint fires is clearly important today and will become increasingly more important to our armed forces' ability to conduct warfare in the future.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff addressed this point recently when he said, "Joint warfighting is the key to greater things on the battlefield. For the most part, the equipment used to conquer Iraq is equipment we've had for years. The difference is how well integrated all of the capabilities of the services are. All you have to do is look back at the Gulf War. There we were basically in a deconfliction mode between the various capabilities the services bring to the table. Here we're in the mode of integrating them and applying the effects on the battlefield."

Continuing to Improve. We certainly have progressed in fighting joint capabilities, but our processes for creating integrated warfighting concepts and joint capabilities that truly complement one another are still being developed. We must establish the programs and capabilities that will enable us to train individuals, commanders and staffs at the brigade level and above and train our formations to truly integrate fires and effects on the battlefield.

The Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) is now leading training, experimentation and doctrine development for the Armed Services of the United States, and our Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) will become the Army's service component to JFCOM for that purpose. Fort Sill, as the TRADOC proponent for fires, must become increasingly involved in the joint process, particularly in the application of firepower.

Field Artillerymen must be experts in the proper integration and application of fires. We must train our soldiers and junior leaders to apply joint fires at the lowest tactical level. Our fires and effects coordinators at the brigade, division and corps levels must be fully capable of coordinating and integrating joint fires. We also must provide officers assigned to joint staffs the skills and tools they need to achieve the seamless integration of joint fires and effects.

We all are incredibly proud of what Field Artillerymen have achieved in Operation Iraqi Freedom as a critical element of the joint and combined arms team. They were magnificent.

The joint nature of future warfare demands we learn from what they have done and continue to improve on our ability to fully integrate joint fires and effects.

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