GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — In a change to Army tactics, U.S. soldiers will stand and fight instead of shooting and pressing on when their convoys are attacked on Iraqi roads, according to Harvey Perritt, spokesman for the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, Va.
“In the first two years of Iraq, convoys (under attack) just fired and kept rolling,” said Maj. Roger Gaines, the battalion’s operations officer said Thursday. “That gave bad guys the perception that Americans run away. Now, convoys will stop and engage the enemy.”
Yes, this would be nice - the attacked force fights back to hold the asshats in place - while a quick reaction force - supported by attack helicopters and fast movers - closes in from all sides
The change is part of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter SchoomakerÂ’s underlying philosophy of a more rigorous response to attacks, Perritt said in a telephone interview Thursday.
The training is mandatory for all soldiers, regardless of their military occupational specialty. Members of the 1st Armored Division’s 141st Signal Battalion tried out the new policy while practicing live-fire convoys this week at the Grafenwöhr Training Area.
Ah, Graf - a true garden spot - second only to my old stomping grounds in "Beautiful Baumholder"
“We are training to take the fight to the enemy,” said Gaines, a 45-year-old Portland, Ore., native. “If you stop and fight, you can at least neutralize them or take it to the point that they disengage.”
How about something simpler,like: "Kill then where they stand"?
I like these sorts of initiatives.
RLTW!
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