Army Needs Armor For City Fights: Gen. McConville
The Army Chief of Staff defended the service’s ambitious modernization program, particularly new armored vehicles and long-range missiles.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. on April 13, 2021 at 8:27 AM
M2 Bradley crossing rubble in Babil, Iraq in 2005
WASHINGTON: The Army’s senior general offered a new argument for the service’s Next Generation Combat Vehicles: that the Army needs to upgrade its armored force for future city battles in an increasingly urbanized world.
“One thing, [when] we look into the armored force …is really the value of that in cities,†said. Gen. James McConville, the Army chief of staff. An aviator by training, McConville commanded the helicopter brigade of an armored unit, the 1st Cavalry Division, in Iraq, where he saw M1 tanks and M2 Bradleys in urban combat at first hand.
Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. photo
“When I was in the First Cav Division, I got a chance to see how we used armored forces in Sadr City, how we supported Marines in Fallujah with armored forces, how we fought in Najaf and some of these other cities,†the Iraq veteran told a Washington Post webcast. “You can go back and even look at some of the other battles that we’ve had over the years.â€
https://breakingdefense.com/2021/04/army-needs-armor-for-city-fights-gen-mcconville/
