Cavalry and the tight Division

Light wheeled vehicles like the HMMVW provide light cavalry mobility. Cavalry and the Light Division In a quick radio exchange, the platoon leader confirms the clear zone to the front with the air cav scout helicopter moving slowly through the sector. On command, his two HMMWV-mounted scout teams clear through the next series of checkpoints. Suddenly... contact - reported by the motorcycle scout on the ridge to his flank. This is cavalry, but with a twist. It is light. Although light cavalry has existed for years, only recently has it taken off with a focus of its own. Grenada, the Falklands, and actions in Lebanon all have driven home the lesson that not all significant military actions are fought by heavy forces in conventional arenas. With this in mind, General Wickham’s White Paper authorizing the development of light infantry divisions has opened the door for light cavalry to come of age.’ The light infantry division is designed to deter our adversaries (i.e., demonstrate US. resolve) and respond to combat threats in a low to mid-intensity conflict. For reconnaissance, surveillance, and security operations, the division has one reconnaissance squadron. The squadron is structured under the combat aviation brigade (CAB) and has two air cavalry troops, along-range surveillance detach-by Captain Mark B. Chakwin ment, a headquarters and headquarters troop, and one light cavalry troop. The squadron operates to the front, flanks, or rear of the division and conducts limited security and screening operations. With the publication of FC 17-102 (Reconnaissance Squadron) and FC 17-101 (Light Cavalry Troop) the squadron and troop have clear guidance for organization, employment, and support of the cavalry mission in the light environment. The light cavalry troop performs reconnaissance, security and related missions, normally in conjunction with the air troops. Independent and combined reconnaissance operations include zone, area, and route reconnaissance. With augmentation, the troop can also perform NBC reconnaissance. In the low to mid-intensity conflict scenario, the troop can screen for a moving or stationary force with patrols (mounted/dismounted) and OPs. The unit is ideally suited for high-mobility operations and the sustained security required for rear battle operations. In addition, the troop may perform passage of lines with other maneuver elements and execute link-up operations as part of the squadron. The troop is organized into four platoons and a headquarters section. Headquarters consists of the commander (and driver) in one High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) and the 1SG (and driver) in a second HMMWV. The 1SG is dedicated to the logistic and support missions. There are two scout platoons, each with six scout HMMWVs, and twoTOW platoons, each with four TOW HMMWVs. Additionally, there may be a motorcycle assigned to each of the scout platoons. The light cavalry troop internally task organizes according to the factors of METT-T. FC 17-101 offers five variants for platoon configurations and other less typical combinations have been practiced. With light, wheeled vehicles (HMMWV), motorcycles, and a conspicuous absence of a dedicated FSE, the troop is designed for reconnaissance with the capacity to conduct the covering force or guard-type missions. Typical employment may go as follows: Troop A (light cavalry troop) and Troop B (air cavalry) will execute a zone reconnaissance in sector with the light cavalry troop clearing the zone in detail “underneath” the air troop. If time is critical, the air troop may direct the light cavalry troop forward to- 36 ARMOR: The Magazine of Mobile Warfare wards specific features in the zone. Normally, coordination is completed between ground and air troops based upon the squadron commander’s intent. In squadron operations, air/ ground contacts are: preplanned (by timelplace); by chance (confirm visual identification); or as required (to develop contact, clear danger area). Close or impassable terrain will be cleared by air elements while thick, or jungle-like environments may call for dismounted or motorcycle scouting. Since the same aircraft cannot remain “on-station” for long periods of time, each changing of the guard requires a reestablishment or confirmation of positions and the present situation. For rear battle (RB) missions, air and ground sections or platoons are aligned in a reaction force. This force may be prepositioned at a central or convenient position. The RB mission may be a contingency of another mission. Although suited for.the RB role, the primary focus of the light cavalry troop is on reconnaissance. It is characteristic of so many low to mid-intensity scenarios that the roads are quite often the major, if not the only, avenues of mobility in close or impassable terrain. It is the wheeled vehicle that can take best advantage of these conditions. A sharp example of cavalry mobility was demonstrated by the Honduran cavalry which moved two platoons more than eighty kilometers, then deployed and conducted a successful security operation against a low-intensity threat at the Amatillo bridge of the Pan American highway. (See “Cavalry Action in Central America,” September-October 1984 ARMOR.) An important consideration there is that the cavalry went from notification to contact in less than an hour!2 Certainly, light vehicles are vulnerable to ambush. But scouts with suppressive capability of automatic weapons with a reasonable effective range (in this case, the M2 machine gun - 1,800+ meters), moving with aeroscout support, should fix probable threat positions without loss of vehicles or mo%ility. The present overwatch vehicle is the TOW HMMWV. Although not 8 8... More than ani other factor, the manning of the light cavalry will influence its success. With only 73 men... there is no redundancy at any position... 8, strictly oriented towards the low or mid-intensity conflict, it offers second generation thermal optics as well as the TOW antitank system that can be imaginatively employed. Troop mobility has also been enhanced by the military motorcycle. One motorcycle per platoon provides the ability to rapidly clear close or thickly vegetated areas. It enhances the platoon leader’s command and control and offers a flexibility which, once experienced, is difficult to do without. More than any other factor, the manning of the light cavalry will influence its success. With only 73 men (5 officers and 68 enlisted) there is no redundancy in any position. Everyone has to contribute 100 percent, or the troop will not achieve its goals. Leadership is stressed from the most junior squad leader right up through the commander. In the unconventional, low to mid-intensity situation, it is self-reliance, as practiced through innovation, imagination, and flexibility, that must be the 1101111.3 Training goes beyond task, condition, and standard to encourage the development of aggressive, disciplined soldiers who are not only proficient but who willingly seek greater responsibility. In this short introduction to the light cavalry troop, it bears noting that the search for the optimum mix of personnel and equipment is not over. But the cavalry’s mixture of new technology, streamlined organization, and high quality troopers meets the challenges of readiness, deployability, and mission envisioned in the White Paper, and that is now the standard for excellence in our modern army. Footnotes ‘General John Wickham: White Paper 1984, Light Infantry Division. 2Lieutenant Colonel S. Menzel and Colonel

W. Said: “Cavalry Action in Central America.” Armor, Sep-Oct 1984, pp. 10-12. 3Major Scott R. McMichael: “Proverbs of the Light Infantry,” Military Reuiew, September 1985, p. 24.

WIN was commissionedfrom OCS in March 1981 after having served four years as an enlisted man. He is a Ranger School graduate, has served as a tank platoon leader, motorcycle scout platoon leader, troopXO, squadron motor officer, assistant 53 and commanded Troop A, 2-10 Cav (RECON), the first light cavalry troop in the Army, based at Fort Ord, CA. ARMOR: The Magazine of Mobile Warfare 37