As an extension of cyber-center warfare in the field of land warfare, in order to implement the concept of "distributed combat", the targeted construction of the US Army's equipment field is reflected in two aspects.

"Distributed" combat This focus is

As an extension of network center warfare in the field of land warfare, in order to implement the concept of "distributed combat", the targeted construction of the US Army's equipment field is reflected in two aspects. First, the popularization of the "capacity component" of cyber warfare and the development of "next generation network" (NaN). Another is the emphasis on the airdrop performance of MPF. Based on the active C4ISR system , the US military plans to build a global information grid (GIG, the military Internet of the US military, which was originally proposed in 1998) by 2020, so as to further integrate the information system equipment of various branches of the US military into a fully integrated "cohesive" large system with network control and full-unit military, realizing the seamless integration of the C4ISR system and the Kill system, so that the US military has fully mature C4KISR capabilities, that is, integrated joint combat capabilities.

Based on the global information grid, the US military proposed in December 2011 to build a "Joint Information Environment" (JIE) plan that will fully organically integrate all information resources such as information systems and network services at all levels and fields. The "land war network" built by the US Army in 2004 covers all the army's active and under-developed network systems, infrastructure, communication systems and application systems, making all army networks from military support bases to front-deployed units organically integrated. Not only can combat instructions be conveyed instantly to each combat unit, but each combat unit can also report the battlefield situation to superiors at any time and establish good cooperative relationships with brother forces, so that the overall combat force of the army can achieve a high global integration. The U.S. Army Tactical-level Combat Personnel Information Network (WIN-T) "Incremental" 1 Tactical-level Combat Personnel Information Network (WIN-T) is the key equipment for the U.S. Army to achieve integration. WINT "Increment" 1 was deployed in the entire army from 2004 to 2012; later, to improve network security, an upgraded version of "Increment" 1b was developed; "Increment" 2 with the initial "Drive Zoning" capability was approved for full-speed production and installation in June 2015. By mid-2017, it had a "capacity component" formed by the Network Integration Appraisal (NIE), and 8 divisions and 14 brigade combat teams were installed; "Increment" 3 with the comprehensive "Drive Zoning" capability is still under development, and "Increment" 3 was originally planned to be installed in the fiscal year 2014, and after repeated delays, it can only be postponed. WIN-T is a new generation of integrated communication network developed by the US Army. It uses commercial technology to transmit voice, data, video and other information through wired and wireless methods. It is a key component of the Army's battlefield network and can provide large-capacity and high-mobility communication capabilities for various troops on the battlefield. However, due to the problems of being too complex to operate under combat conditions, inconvenient transportation and difficult to meet actual needs, and a large number of loopholes in cybersecurity, Miller decided to conduct a 4-6-week strict review of WIN-T in June 2017, and the U.S. Senate Armed Forces Committee decided to reduce the acquisition, development, testing and identification of WIN-T by US$448 million in the " 018 National Defense Authorization Act" .

The US Army revealed in September 2017 that since the active network of the Army troops has not yet been standardized, resulting in problems such as interoperability, low security and inefficiency in maintenance. The Army plans to upgrade all the software and hardware of the mission command network of about 400 troops in the entire Army (Army Force and National Guard and Reserve Team) from 2018 to 2019, in order to streamline network settings, improve network maintenance , reduce training content, simplify logistics support, and reduce soldiers' burden. The specific strategy is to merge the software and hardware versions of more than a dozen mission command networks into a single standard, so that all troops use a general software and hardware collection with the same software version and the same appearance and feel, to standardize the software and hardware of grassroots troops networks. This means that soldiers can use the network freely without further training when they are mobilized or transferred to new work locations within different echelons.The systems covered by this streamlining plan include General Operational Command Services (BCCS) servers, Future Command Post (CPOF) software and user laptops, Army Global Command and Control System (GCCS-A), Joint Operational Command Platform (JBC-P), Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS) and other systems. They are currently mainly used in command posts or combat center environments to manage missions and operations, controlling general combat maps, firepower tasks, logistics tracking and perception, situational awareness data, etc. Soldiers from the 2nd Combat Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army are using the Knight Warriors to communicate. STARNet and NaN will use standardized maps, information and icons to bring a unified, familiar experience from smartphones to vehicles to command posts. According to the latest data reports, the US Army's construction goal in fiscal year 2016-2020 is to learn from the lessons learned from the latest network "capacity components" during the deployment and use, and to establish a seamless, integrated, highly reliable and easy-to-operate integrated network "Starnet" (i.e., the English abbreviation STARNet, the abbreviation of "Simplified Tactical Army Reliable Network", indicating that the "Land War Network" plan is moving forward with the times to "Starnet". The "Star Network" will use standardized maps, information formats and icons, which will also reduce the energy consumption burden of the network system and can use wireless technology to quickly build and disassemble the command post. In fiscal year 2020 and beyond, the U.S. Army plans to develop the "Next Generation Network" (NaN). NaN will use advanced technology to "enhance tactical combat capabilities, add various dynamic spectrum paths to increase bandwidth, and be equipped with digital assistant devices to provide the required information, analyze complex battlefields, and make suggestions." In order to simplify tactical networks, NaN will use less "personnel-to-person" communication methods and more "machine-to-machine" digital assistant communication methods... However, the popularity of the "capability components" of cyber warfare and the development of "Next Generation Network" (NaN) are only the nervous system of "distributed combat" capabilities on the land battlefield. It is only meaningful to connect these nerves to the matching killing system platform to "distributed combat" capabilities. This explains why the U.S. Army emphasized airdrop-free performance in the MPF project.

The dilemma of the 82nd Airborne Division and the SAICMPF solution that emphasizes cyber warfare capabilities

Due to the reasons that are not difficult to understand, the airborne troops based on cyber warfare capabilities will play an important role in "distributed operations", so the MPF project's intention to emphasize airdropable performance is not vague. In this regard, just a look at the current dilemma of the famous 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army. Recently, the US Army officially borrowed a batch of light armored vehicles from the Marine Corps (there are reports that the armored vehicle borrowed this time is a LAV-25A2 wheeled armored vehicle), and equipped the Fourth Battalion of the 68th Armored Regiment of the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division to enhance the armored firepower of the airborne troops. Why did the powerful US Army fall to borrow armored vehicles from the Marine Corps? The mystery of this. Until the U.S. Army announced its retirement of the M551 airborne tank in 1996, the Fourth Battalion of the 68th Armored Regiment, which belongs to the 82nd Airborne Division, was the only airborne tank unit of the U.S. Army. After the M551 was retired, the US airborne troops were no longer equipped with similar armored combat platforms. However, in the context of the possibility of returning from high-intensity ground combat, the 82nd Airborne Division, which completely lost its armored technical equipment capabilities, is actually just an "airborne infantry division" and is likely to be defeated by the Russian army equipped with BTR and BMP armored vehicles. It is also because of this that the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army chose to borrow the Marine Corps' LAV-25A2 this time, which was a helpless choice, just a stopgap solution. The US Army found through tests that they could load 4 LAV25s in the C-17 heavy transport aircraft and perform airdrops, which made it the only armored combat platform in the inventory of Pentagon weapons equipped with firepower greater than 12.7 mm and airdrop capabilities. After equipping the 82nd Airborne Division, it will greatly enhance its combat capabilities. LAV-25 has 3 crew members, and can only be loaded with 6 infantrymen.Equipped with a 25mm "Big Viper" machine gun, two 7.62mm machine guns, with a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour. These Marine Corps vehicles were improved to the A2 standard around 2000, adding thermal night vision instruments, laser rangefinder and improved armor protection, which can withstand the attacks of kinetic energy ammunition below 14.5 mm. But it was a stopgap measure after all. The LAV-25A2 only relatively improved the equipment status of the 82nd Airborne Division. The MPF with airdrop performance is what it means.

Create a group of armored vehicles that can provide strong and precise firepower support for infantry brigade-level combat teams (IBCTs), have sufficient protection performance, and can quickly maneuver under various terrains. It is obviously not the only purpose of the MPF project. As an important part of the US Army's "distributed combat" capabilities, the MPF required by the 82nd Airborne Division will of course not be a simple alternative to the M551 airborne tank, but a new generation of armored combat platform that can be integrated into the network central war system. So judging from the current bidding plan, does MPF reflect such characteristics? The answer is yes. The MPF solution of the United States SAIC ( International Science Application Company ) is very telling. At the 2018 Annual Meeting of the United States Army Association (AUSA 2018), held in October 2018, SAIC (International Corporation of Science Applied) demonstrated its prototype car plan for the MPF bidding for the first time. In November 2017, the U.S. Army formally proposed the Motor Protective Fire Support Vehicle (MPF) project. The main purpose of the project is to provide an armored fire unit for the IBCT (Infantry Brigade-class Combat Team) that accompany infantry and vehicle operations. In response to this demand, BAE Systems Company came up with the improved M8 MPF solution, while General Dynamics demonstrated the "Griffin" MPF solution based on the "Ajax" heavy infantry fighting vehicle chassis.

At this AUSA 2018 defense exhibition, SAIC, together with Singapore, also launched their MPF concept prototype. The MPF solution launched by SAIC Science Application International is made up of Singapore Xinke Power's "New Generation Armored Combat Vehicle" (NGAFV) body, integrating the Cockerill 3105 modular turret developed by CMI in Belgium. The NGAFV is 6.9 meters long, 3.28 meters wide, 3.2 meters high, and weighs 29 tons. Its power-to-weight ratio is 24.5 horsepower/ton, the maximum speed is 70 kilometers per hour, and the maximum stroke is 500 kilometers. The car can climb over a vertical wall of 0.6 meters high, 2.1 meters wide, and climb 60%. In fact, SAIC's MPF solution has two selling points: First, the Cockerill 3105 modular turret of CMI Belgium, which can quickly convert 25mm to 50mm caliber cannon , or 90mm or 105mm main gun according to task requirements. Its fire control system also has the ability to guide anti-tank missiles in one goal. CMI said that the modularity and versatility of the turret will reduce the operating life cycle cost and increase flexibility; the second is the emphasis on cyber warfare capabilities. WIN-T/STARNet cyber warfare components and NaN interfaces are all advocated by SAIC in its MPF solution... So will SAIC's MPF solution be the ideal choice for the 82nd Airborne Division? Let's wait and see.

Role in multi-domain combat

On December 6, 2018, the US Army Training and Doctrine Command released the new concept of "Multi-domain combat 2028", that is, multi-domain combat version 1.5, which is the intermediate version of the transition from 1.0 to 2.0. It mainly further elaborates on the related concepts in the previous "Multi-Domain Warfare: Synthetic Soldiers of the 21st Century" (i.e. Multi-Domain Warfare Version 1.0). The document elaborates on the central idea, main principles and strategic goals of multi-domain operations, analyzes the problems faced by multi-domain operations, proposes detailed solutions to solve the threats of major powers such as China and Russia, and points out the focus of the army's capacity building. So will MPF play an important role in multi-domain combat? Considering that "distributed operations" based on network-centered combat capabilities is also a tactical path to implementing "multi-domain combat", the answer to whether MPF will play an important role in multi-domain combat is obvious.

In fact, the so-called multi-domain combat is to resolve the problems brought about by China and Russia in competition and conflict. The US Army will mainly use the following three interrelated principles to carry out multi-domain combat: adjust the force situation, implement multi-domain formations, and carry out force fusion. Adjusting the force situation refers to the ability to integrate position deployment and strategic long-range maneuvering. Power fusion is to quickly integrate into five major fields such as land, sea, space, and the capabilities in the electromagnetic spectrum and information environment, and continuously, and defeat the enemy through cross-domain coordination and optimization of attack power. The U.S. Army forces will enter the battlefield through staging formations and conduct intelligence, maneuvering and strike activities in various domains of the land, sea, space and space network, as well as in the electromagnetic spectrum and information environment. Army formations on each echelon aggregate capabilities in a variety of ways and orders, giving joint force commanders more ways to deal with the enemy. The ladder deployment of the troops prevents the front-line pre-set troops from being isolated within the enemy's anti-access/regional denial system at the beginning of a conflict and enables troops from outside the strike range of the anti-access/regional denial system to perform strategic and combat maneuvers. The Army forces then conduct echelon maneuvers, allowing the joint forces to overwhelm China and Russia's military systems with multiple means and agglomeration effects, creating a "window of advantage" to achieve freedom of maneuver. Multi-domain formations can carry out operations across multiple areas in the competitive space to fight opponents of similar strength. From this perspective, as a new generation of armored combat platform that is highly integrated with the network central warfare system, with its natural advantages in strategic and tactical mobility, and its MPF with considerable precise strike direct aiming firepower and certain armor protection capabilities, it will naturally become an effective technical path to practice the concept of multi-domain combat in the US Army.

Conclusion

U.S. Army Chief of Staff Mark MillieGeneral publicly declared not long ago that the American way of war must learn to evolve and adapt. The U.S. Army and National Guard plan to equip 504 new MPF light tanks, and directly expressed his hope that the bidder would skip the R&D stage and directly "integrate new technologies into existing products." All of this indicates that the U.S. Army is rebuilding its high-intensity ground warfare capabilities at an unprecedented rate under the guidance of a defense strategy to return to the competition of great powers. (End)