Field Artillery in Combined Arms Maneuver and Wide Area Security Operations

The recent publication of the Army Operating Concept 2016-2028 (AOC) and the Future Concept for Fires (FCF) conceptualizes doctrine for the Fires War Fighting Function (WFF). These documents introduced the concepts of Combined Arms Maneuver (CAM) and Wide Area Security (WAS) as the U.S. Army’s core competencies and delineated requirements for the Fires WFF in these operations. A review of these documents reveals the Fires WFF must inculcate the lessons learned from conducting various operations over the last ten years while regaining an expertise in delivering massed fires in support of CAM operations. This thesis explored the question: can the Field Artillery adapt to the AOC and remain relevant? To accomplish this, the thesis examined the current organization, training, and material and determined the current capabilities of the Fires WFF. Next, this thesis scrutinized the AOC, the FCF, and the potential future operational environment and determined capabilities the Fires WFF must possess in the future. Then this thesis compared the current capabilities of the Fires WFF and the future capabilities and determined that the Fires WFF can adapt its organization, training, and materiel to maintain relevant WAS operations skills while regaining an expertise in delivering fires in support of CAM.

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