This "lessons learned" message came to me a couple of days ago, and while the team hasn't been able to validate it's origins, early feedback suggests that it's the real thing.
I would disagree with the thought that the Fedayeen are "smart." Ruthless and suicidally fanatical, yes. "Smart?" Never. Suicidal resistance to American firepower increases the body count for the resistor to no effect.
The points on the need for more thermal sights (PAS-13) on Bradley's rather than image intensification gear (PVS-7B) was noted before the war. This is what those of us in the military procurement community call a "money solvable issue." This is in the same class of problem as identification friend or foe (IFF) devices for American armored vehicles.
It also looks like those two Abrams knocked out in the 3-7th Cavalry were not the victims of either Russian Koronet missiles or rocket propelled grenades. Both were initially hit by Fedayeen "technical" mounted 23 mm autocannon through the rear engine grill in the middle of a sand storm. It is hard to protect any armored vehicle when visibility is at 5 meters.
Last, looks like it's back to the drawing board for US Army anti-missile countermeasures designs. The current device on the Bradley is a result of the 1991 Gulf War, and while it will work in testing, the man/machine interface is such that the crew cannot use the missile jammer and weapons at the same time. Counterfire against the missile launchers works better at the short ranges the Fedayeen are fighting.
CONTINUED...
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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Military jargon translations available at the bottom of the post. To save you scrolling back and forth, we've also added special HTML that can be seen in some browsers - if you see dotted underlines, just hold your mouse pointer over that word and its definition will pop up. Many thanks to Dan Hartung for adding this feature.)
From: Holden, Richard L LTC VDAS
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 9:27 AM
Subject: Lessons Learned from Iraq
To all, I'm sending this VFR Direct since it is not directly intel related, but this info needs to get out to folks currently prepping to head to the Mid-East.
This is from the V Corps CSM and the V Corp Master Gunner. To-the-point common sense info.
Per the authors, request widest distro. Regards, LTC Holden
>From SFC Cooper (V Corps MG)
ALCON, CSM Preston and I went out to visit with the soldiers of 3-7 CAV today. This unit has been fighting since day 1 as they moved from Kuwait to AS SAMAWAH to AN NAJAF. CSM Perhane took us to see two of his troops. I have encapsulated the comments made by the leadership and soldiers below.
PASS THIS ON TO ALL UNITS DEPLOYING TO THEATER!
Morale is high; soldiers have gotten their battle focus straight. Soldiers did not expect the well-trained para-military troops they have been facing. Weapons systems are performing well, especially the 25mm DU and 7.62. Gas plugs on the 7.62mm MG have been the biggest maintenance issue. Units have now taken the spare barrel gas plug; put it in a 7.62 ammo can with enough JP-8 to cover the plug. This self cleans the gas plug as the mission continues. The gunner can now change gas plugs in a manner of seconds and then drops the dirty one in the JP-8. This has worked very well for the units. Everyone I talked to said to bring extra gas plugs! There has been a few ammunition problems, mainly wrong ammunition being delivered to units. The CAV OH-58D's were delivered L model Hellfire's that are not compatible with the OH-58D's. Division was able to cross level ammunition within the division but it still took time.
Additionally, Division was short on its initial draw of UBL. Unit has had several combat losses. Enemy has developed the TTP of putting an AA Gun in the back of a pickup and shooting into the rear of a tank (Engine compartment) The CAV lost one tank initially to this tactic and then a second after the tank went into a ditch. NOTE: This happened during a sand/dust storm that reduced visibility to less th[an] 5 meters at times.
On the good news front, the tank that got hit second also took RPG rounds and a Mortar round to the blowout panels. Good news because the ammunition cooked off with the driver trapped in the engine compartment and the blast doors worked as advertised. Driver was later extricated with no injuries.
21 of 27 tanks are using fleet zero for SABOT and 17 of 27 for HEAT. Deviations for discrete zero have been in the .01 to .02 range (Mainly up and left).
The MCD for the Bradley has not been effective at all. Mainly due to the fact that it requires the gunner to track the incoming missile taking him away from the battle. It also makes the TOW launcher inop while tracking. They are not using it, period.
Call for Fire has become the norm. A reactive FSO has motivated all troops to utilize his systems and Call for Fire is now a norm and soldiers/leader's are getting really good at it. FSO's take note!
Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance...unit has had very minor maintenance issues mainly due to good maintenance. Focus changed across the board from "it's on order...to let's get it down" They wish they had not settled for the "it's on order" before they deployed across the LD. Civilian graphite is the key (Cooper or Liquid Wrench)...according to several PSG's. Weapons gum up bad with CLP. 15W/40 is the current lubricant of use. Fort Knox.... get this going now....
Boresight daily.... units have been boresighting normally in the morning and doing an MRS update at night. Some units actually do two a day but norm has been one.
Clean brass out of catchers and turret rings at every opportunity.
Several Brad turrets jammed during engagements due to brass. PAQ4's and PVS-7B's are not help. Would rather have one PAS-13 per vehicle. Much better view than PAQ4 or PVS7B's. Unit had to cross level M4's within the troop due to the close-in combat they have seen. They have taken to using captured AK-47's as crew protection weapons on tanks and Bradleys. Guys were literally shooting enemy with 9mm from turrets in the dust storm.
Bradleys need a bustle rack or storage box. With the amount of ammunition units are carrying they don't have enough room on their tracks. Some units have designed and locally purchased storage boxes. Recommended units take specs to the BATMOBILE Machine shop and have them built if able to.
COMMO for dismounts is a problem. Units do not have a means for Dismounts to communicate without taking a radio from the brad and carrying a manpack. This is a slow time consuming process that should not have to occur. A field phone, SABER Radio or squad radios would be a great asset.
Remain Vigilant!
Be Paranoid!
Learn to wear heavy flak jackets in the turret.
Chin defilade is now the norm.
JRTC Tactics most resembles the battlefield that we are currently facing. Dual radios in tracks are needed.
On the enemy: Smart, Flexible, Utilizing all means at their disposal. They have moved ammo in civilian trucks, held weapons to their own people's heads, and pretended to be doctors' with asthmatic children. Pretend to surrender then open fire. Units recommend that you err on the side of precaution. Put all civilians down before they get close to you. SEARCH EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING. Divorce the personnel from their vehicle, be prepared for a car bomb.
Please pass this on to all tank/Bradley companies and anyone else who you think could benefit from these lessons learned. These fine troopers have been down the road and want follow on forces to be prepared. Not once was I asked when they would be going home. They had just come out of 7 days of continuous combat ops, gotten a good night's sleep, pulled some maintenance and are rearing to get on with the job. I did not observe any loss of focus or shirking by the troops. As one 1SG put it "Even the meatball's seem to get their act together when the bullets fly!"
VICTORY!!!
VR SFC Cooper V Corps MG
EDITOR'S NOTE: We've run a similar feature before from Master Sgt. Romero in Afghanistan. Like Romero's email, this one comes with a decoding table for the military jargon courtesy of Trent Telenko & Joe Katzman:
1SG = 1st Sgt.
AA = Anti-Aircraft.
AK-47 = Russian automatic rifle, uses 7.62 mm ammunition.
BRADLEY = M2/M3 armored vehicles transport troops, and are also armed to have real firepower of their own via 25mm guns and missiles.
CAV = Cavalry.
CHIN DEFILADE = Having just your nose and eyes above the top of the
vehicle hatch.
CLP = Official brand/type of gun cleaner.
COMMO = Radio equipment.
COOKED OFF = Ammunition exploding due to heat.
CSM = Command Sergant Major.
DU = Depleted Uranium, not at all radioactive but very dense - so it can punch through steel more easily.
DISCRETE ZERO = Boresighting a vehicle's gun so it will be accurate.
FLEET ZERO = Average value used as the starting point when boresighting guns; most of the tanks will be acceptably accurate when using it. (Hat Tip: fmr. Armor Master Gunner J.S. Allison)
HEAT = High Explosive Anti-Tank shell, actually better against softer
targets like bunkers, buildings, etc.
HELLFIRE = Anti-tank missile that is guided by putting a laser beam on a target. Very popular for helicopters.
JP-8 = Military grade diesel fuel.
JRTC = Joint Readiness Training Center.
M4 = Compact version of the M-16 5.56mm rifle.
MCD = Missile Countermeasures Device.
MG = Machine gun.
MRS = Muzzle Reference Sensor, used to help adjust the targeting computer for small bends in the gun tube as it heats and cools (Hat Tip: Andrew Olmsted).
OH-58D = Kiowa scout helicopter.
PAQ4 = Laser pointer attached to a rifle, can be seen by PVS night
vision goggles but not the naked eye.
PSG = Platoon Sgt.
PAS-13 = Night vision thermal device, "sees" heat.
PVS-7B = Night vision goggles, uses light-intensification from surroundings.
RPG = Rocket Propelled Grenade, sort of like a Russian bazooka.
SABOT = Shell built like a dart to punch through other tanks.
TOW = A type of anti-tank missile, guided by optical sights and a wire.
TTP = Tactics, Techniques and Procedures.
UBL = Unit Basic Load.
Maybe the word "cunning" would be better.
Great stuff.
Fleet zero refers to an average value that is used as the starting point value when zeroing the tanks. Most of the tanks will be acceptably accurate with this average value. Those that aren't are fired to determine the necessary values for that particular vehicle (discrete zero). Most tanks that have a discrete value could probably be fixed to use the fleet values but the process can prove time consuming and expensive. Easier, cheaper and faster to use a discrete zero.
Moi is a recovering Armor Master Gunner, as well.
Thanks, J.S. - we'll fix that ASAP, with attribution!