FT Carson Armored Combat Brigade headed to Kuwait
The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that 4,000 Fort Carson soldiers who have been training for the past year are headed to Kuwait to replace the brigade that is there now.
The 3rd Brigade Combat Team bid farewell to the post in a ceremony and soon will serve as U.S. Central Command’s Reserve force in the Middle East – the first soldiers into battle if a major combat force is used to battle Islamic State fighters.
The unit is Fort Carson’s heaviest force, armed with tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles. Many of its soldiers are veterans of one or more of the brigade’s four combat tours in Iraq.
[…]
Sierra’s soldiers have trained for more than a year for the Kuwait mission. They practiced skills that atrophied over more than a decade of counterinsurgency fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, relearning the armored combat skills last used in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The article says that the Army has been rotating brigades in and out of Kuwait since 2011 when the last troops left Iraq…the last time. Shades of the Bush ’41/Clinton years when there was a brigade of pre-positioned equipment in Kuwait that had to be issued every time Hussein sneezed.
This unit from Carson is armor heavy, though, according to the article, so their mission is different than the unit that it is replacing. The brigade that is there now is supposed to be training regional forces while this new brigade appears to have a combat mission, should it be needed.
ISIS had better hope that no one decides to employ these studs in northern Iraq. No unit in that theater is more lethal than these folks. Ask the Iraqi Republican Guards.
Category: Terror War
But… but I thought we weren’t going to engage in combat any more.
A serious question: is a heavy BDE what is needed against ISIS animals in the gun pickup trucks etc? Would a “lighter” unit be more agile?
I’m a dinosaur, and Signal, and only DomRep and VN combat experience, so what do I know about tactics these days especially in that part of the world.
With proper air support, these guys would make ISIS have a bad day.
The Egyptian Air Force has sent a bunch of fighter jets to bomm an ISer location in Libya this morning. This is in response to the video of the mass excutions of 21 Egyptian citizens who went to Libya seeking work.
All the planes returned safely.
In other news, the Danish shooters (2 of them) seem to have some sort of ‘gang’ connection which is now suspected to be ISer-related. They were not ‘lone wolves’.
And finally, Netanyahu has issued a request for all Jewish people in Europe to come home to Israel.
What’s next? Central Asian countries like Tajikistan and Chechnya cranking up?
A heavy Armored BDE is really good at breaking stuff. You want that shock to punch them in the face and put them on their heels. They would not be alone, 82nd, 101st, or a striker unit would be working with to consolidate and exploit the gaines made.
SFC(R)Blizz: That’s what I was thinking about from my old day’s training. I was taught that Armor needs grunts to mop up after they have kicked a lot of ass and broke a lot of things and I didn’t see folks like that in the “TPFDL”.
And, yes, NBC Guy, CAS is key.
But, I was Signal and a Dinosaur.
SJ, that Brigade does have the 1/8 IN as part of it’s make-up.
1/8 IN’s nickname is the “Fighting Eagles”
When I was at Carson in 1/12 Infantry the “Red Warriors”, our nickname for them was “The Turd Birds”.
My Battalion was part of the 1st Brigade, while 1/8 was (IIRC) part of 2nd Brigade.
Ah so GI: I’m ignorant on how BDE’s are made up today. Now it makes sense. Thanks!
I also nowadays are fairly ignorant of the make-ups of the current Brigades/Battalions.
When I’ve done research on various outfits, I’ve seen Armor Branch Commanders assigned to “Infantry” and Infantry Branch Commanders assigned to “Armor”. It seems to be the command structure and cross branching/training/assigning is the way they are conducting warfighting these days.
But as we both know the only consistency in the Armed Forces are the constant changes. Regardless, we have the most powerful military in the world and if the politicians don’t stick their noses into our business, we can easily kick the shit out of any enemies that want a straight up fight.
I vaguely recall the term “Combined Arms Team” that would apply here, it seems. Tanks, Infantry, Artillery.
My experience has been solely on the light side, but I learned two things about heavy units in 2003. My battalion was attached to 3ID for the invasion; at the time I recall being told there was a lack of dismounts, but a few 3ID guys I’ve spoken to said that we were needed for the urban fighting since their dismounts lacked the training. I do know that 3ID didn’t leave us much to clean up…we cleared the Saddam Int’l terminal and a bunch of other places but the Republican Guard, Fedayeen, and Iraqi Army gave us only a handful of exciting times.
The second thing I learned also involves heavy units in MOUT environments. 3rd ACR was supposedly getting hit hard in Husaybah. We went in to lend some dismounted support and didn’t get hit at all. Seems they’d “patrol” in their tanks and Bradleys, leaving them vulnerable to RPGs fired from one of their many blind spots. The enemy didn’t mind taking on 70-ton tanks, but they disappeared when faced with a dismounted platoon.
With little to no ROE, heavy forces kick ass in almost any environment (think Thunder Run). When they are restricted and still operate solely out of armored vehicles, they can get their asses kicked by more flexible enemy forces (Husaybah).
And more news from Libya:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31483187
I hope they practiced walking in the desert bare footed. They are not allowed to put any Boots on the Ground, so they better have toughened up those feet. Perhaps they will be issued shower shoes or sandals.
Now, that’s funny! But, sadly, true.
To paraphrase Admiral Nimitz to Admiral Halsey. Where are the B52s. The world wonders.
Way back when, I did my Basic, AIT, BUT and AUT at Ft. Carson with the 12th ACR, 1966-1967. A beautiful place, indeed!
“The Peak” PX was the on-post place to go and Pueblo was “off-limits” – never figured out why.
I now have a son (#3) stationed there…..and as one would expect, when I said, “I hope you don’t have to fight for this POTUS,” he replied, “I won’t fight for him, but I will for my team!”
LI, I think the reason Pueblo was “off limits” during that time was because of the La Raza/Brown Beret movement during those years.
They were still discussions of all that going on as late as 1977 when I first reported for duty at Carson.
I smell Chi-poltics. Leaked classified info of WMDs. Now a heavy Bnde. Do you think that the stage is being set for a return enagement? Jarnett wouldn’t do that would she? Joe
Will the Rules of Engagement change to make more sense?
No boots on the ground my ass….It is not that I disagree with going back in there, it is that we never should have left to begin with. Then all the bullshit waffling by the Emporer With no Clothes…