• 307th Engineer Battalion: The 307th provides the 82nd with a variety of combat engineering services and capabilities. In addition to being able to construct revetments, berms, and defensive positions, the 307th can deploy and clear minefields, repair runways, build bridges and bunkers, and provide specialized combat demolitions services, such as clearing obstacles with bangalore torpedoes and other explosive devices.
• 313th Military Intelligence (MI) Battalion: The 313th is the division’s organic MI asset. It is equipped with links to all the major national intelligence services (Central Intelligence Agency, National Imagery and Mapping Agency, National Security Agency, etc.). This allows the 313th to act as an all-source supplier for the entire division, or the various brigade task forces. In addition to having access to national sources, the 313th contains significant signals and communications intelligence assets, including EH-60 Quick Fix helicopters, ground-based sensors, and other equipment. Within several years, the 313th will also be able to control the new family of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
• 3rd Battalion of the 4th Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Regiment: The 3/4th provides air defense and early warning services for the division. Based around the Stinger weapons system (with both Avenger and MANPAD fire units), the 3/4th is composed of three ADA companies. One ADA company is assigned to each brigade task force, as well as a pair of air-defense/surveillance radars.
• 82nd Military Police (MP) Company: To provide traffic control, prisoner of war (POW) handling, and security services for the brigades, the 82nd MP Company can split into four MP platoons.
• 82nd Chemical Company: With the threat of chemical and biological attack on our troops growing every day, the 82nd has been assigned an organic chemical warfare company. Equipped with chemical warfare vehicles, as well as laboratory and decontamination equipment, this company can also be broken into platoons for assignment to the brigade task forces.
Now some of you who might be familiar with the history of the 82nd Airborne are probably saying, “Clancy, you forgot the tanks!” Well, actually, I have not, and this leads us to one of the unpleasant developments in the structure of the division. The tanks that I am referring to are, of course, the three-decade-old M551 Sheridans that have equipped the 3rd Battalion of the 73rd Armored Regiment (3/73), the only airborne armored unit in the U.S. Army. Unfortunately, by the time you are reading this, the 3/73 will likely be no more. As of July 1st, 1997, the Army will disestablish the 3/73, and armored support for the troopers of the 82nd will be no more. Frankly, this decision is just downright stupid.
It had been planned that the 3/73 would be equipped with the new M8 Armored Gun System (AGS). Armed with a superb 105mm automatic cannon and clad with a new generation of composite armor, the AGS was to have become the backbone of the 3/73 Armored and the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (Light) (ACR [L]). The contractor, United Defense Systems, was on schedule and cost, and the 3/73 was due to stand up with the new systems on October 1st, 1997. Unfortunately, the need to support the expensive peacekeeping operations in places like Bosnia, Haiti, and Rwanda caused the top leadership of the Army to cancel the AGS program, and reprogram the funds. Frankly, given the small size of the AGS program, this was a bad decision. Unfortunately, without any replacement for the M551, the same Army leaders moved from bad decision-making to outright stupidity when they decided to stand down the 3/73 Armored, thus denying the 82nd even the services of 66 thirty-year-old obsolete light tanks.
Allegedly, there is an HMMWV-mounted version of the hypervelocity Line-Of-Sight Anti-Tank (LOSAT) antiarmor system. It will be years, though, until LOSAT becomes operational, and there are rumors that those same Army leaders may cancel this system as well. Right now, the only plan to get armor to the 82nd when it deploys is to fly it in with C-17 Globemaster IIIs. More on this later. Frankly, though, someone near the office of the Army’s Chief of Staff needs to take a hard look at how much is being spent on systems that don’t directly support infantry units, and think about being a bit more even-handed. It would take a minimal amount of money (by Department of Defense standards) to restart the AGS program. I will close this commentary by simply saying that the cost of not doing so may be a lot of dead paratroops. Enough said.
Getting There: Supporting Units
If you have been reading any of the earlier books of this series, you know that no U.S. military unit goes into action these days without a lot of help from supporting units. The 82nd is no exception to this rule, and actually requires a lot more help than an equivalent Marine amphibious or Air Force combat unit. Unfortunately, without the assistance of Air Force transport aircraft, the 82nd cannot even get off of the ramp at Pope AFB, much less sustain operations in the field. In addition, because of force structure changes like the deactivation of the 3/73 Armored, the 82nd sometimes requires some augmentation to give it the necessary combat muscle to survive in the field. We’re going to explore those supporting units, and show you how they make airborne warfare possible in these modern times.
Ground Muscle: The XVIII Airborne Corps
General Keane understands that even an elite infantry unit like the 82nd Airborne sometimes needs a little help from its friends, and is ready to use all of the resources of XVIII Airborne Corps to make General Crocker’s job a bit easier. To this end, XVIII Airborne Corps has a vast array of units to draw from when the 82nd needs a little help. Some of the more common attachments include:• 18th Aviation Brigade: One of the biggest needs that the 82nd may require will be additional antiarmor and transport helicopter capability. To supply this, the 18th Aviation Brigade can be tasked to provide units up to battalion size of AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, and CH-47D Chinook heavy-lift helicopters.
• XVIII Airborne Corps Field Artillery: It is a little known fact that the 82nd has a permanently assigned battalion of towed M 198 155mm howitzers from the XVIII Airborne Corps Field Artillery. This battalion, made up of three batteries of eight guns (with their 5-ton trucks as prime movers), gives the 82nd a usable counterbattery capability against enemy artillery. Normally, each brigade of the 82nd is assigned one eight-gun battery of M198s. In addition, should it be required, additional units of M198s could be assigned. Finally, the XVIII Corps Field Artillery is equipped with M270 armored carriers for the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and Army Tactical Missile System (A-TACMS). These systems can provide a virtual “steel rain” for the paratroopers, if the corps commanders decide it is necessary.
• 108th Air Defense Brigade: While the organic Stinger/Avenger SAM units give the 82nd a good air-defense capability, the local threat level may require even more firepower. For example, the enemy may have a large number of aircraft, or be equipped with ballistic missiles like the notorious SCUD that was used during Desert Storm. Should additional help be required, XVIII Airborne Corps can assign elements of the 108th Air Defense Brigade to assist the 82nd. These reinforcements can include additional Stinger/Avenger units, as well as extra air defense /control radar sets. However, for the really serious threats (ballistic/cruise missiles, etc.), the 108th can send batteries of the famous Patriot SAM system to defend the area. Recently, the advanced PAC-2 missiles that were the stars of Desert Storm have been augmented by a new missile, the Lockheed Martin Loral-built PAC-3 Extended Range Interceptor (ERINT). This new missile is designed to defeat ballistic and cruise missiles at longer ranges than the PAC-2, and will be mixed in the launcher units to provide full coverage of the battlefield.
• 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized): As I mentioned earlier, with the disestablishment of the 3/73 Armored, the 82nd will no longer have any sort of armored vehicles in its inventory. However, there are plans afoot to provide the 82nd with a limited amount of armored power, in the form of the Rapid Reaction Company (RRC) of the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized).
The RRC was created in the aftermath of the disastrous firefight in Mogadishu, Somalia, in late 1993. Prior to the fight which killed over a dozen American Rangers and aircrew, the Somali Tas
k Force commander had requested that he be supplied with armored vehicles (tanks and infantry fighting vehicles) and artillery. However, in one of the more idiotic decisions of a failed tenure as Secretary of Defense, Les Aspin denied the task force the armored muscle that might have allowed U.S. forces to save some of the men that died in the firefight. When word broke about the denial of weaponry, the press and public erupted at the decision, which was reminiscent of the same kinds of denials that had been made by Lyndon Johnson during the Vietnam War. Aspin resigned shortly thereafter, and the Army immediately moved to rectify the shortcomings.
Down at Fort Stewart, Georgia, the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized), now reflagged as the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), was ordered to form a small company-sized unit of four M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks and four M2A2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Along with a few other command and supply vehicles, the force, dubbed the RRC, was flown to Mogadishu by Air Force C-5 Galaxy heavy transports, where they served until the pullout. Today, the RRC has become a permanent part of the XVIII Airborne Corps plan for supporting the 82nd should they need armored muscle in the field. Today, the RRC stands on an alert status, ready to be flown into even unimproved airstrips by the new C-17 Globemaster IIIs being introduced by the Air Force.
However, the RRC concept has two weaknesses that will have to be dealt with. First, there is the question of whether the Air Force is willing to risk their C-17s, which cost about $300 million a copy, to the hazardous job of flying armored vehicles into a potentially “hot” airhead. This question is compounded when you consider that the 3/73 had over fifty M551 Sheridans, while the RRC has only four tanks and four Bradleys. This is a poor solution at best, but is currently the only option for the 82nd if it really needs armored firepower in the field.
These various attachments mean that an airborne task force from the 82nd can be tailored to meet most any kind of threat that it might encounter. While there are real concerns about getting the 82nd’s troopers some kind of armored support in the early stages of an airborne assault, the mix of weapons and personnel is fairly good against most kinds of threats. The big problem is getting them to the battle area, and that is the job of the U.S. Air Force (USAF).
Transportation: The Air Force
It goes without saying that without transport aircraft, the 82nd Airborne Division cannot even get off the ground. For this reason, the 82nd has formed a series of strong bonds with certain USAF units around the country. All of these units are assigned either to the Air Combat Command (ACC, headquartered at Langley AFB, Virginia) or the Air Mobility Command (AMC, based at Scott AFB, Illinois). These USAF elements provide a variety of support services for the 82nd Airborne Division as well as the other units of the XVIII Airborne Corps. Without them, the components of the corps would not even be able to leave the United States. While any number of USAF units are capable of supporting these operations, the following are the most commonly assigned to the task:• 23rd Wing (the “Flying Tigers”): The 23rd Wing is a composite unit, similar to the 366th Wing at Mountain Home AFB in Idaho.48 Unlike the 366th, which is optimized for strike and air superiority operations, the 23rd is composed of theater transport and close air support/forward air control (CAS/FAC) aircraft. The 23rd is specifically designed to act as a partner for the 82nd Airborne Division, which lies just over the fence at Fort Bragg. Composed of two fighter squadrons of A/OA- 10A Warthogs (the 74th with eighteen aircraft and the 75th with twenty-four) and two airlift squadrons of C-130Es (the 2nd and 41st each with eighteen aircraft), the 23rd can provide enough ready transport to get an airborne battalion task force into the air for a local mission (say, within 1,500 miles/2,400 kilometers of Fort Bragg), while additional airlift assets can be gathered to start moving other parts of the division. Along with helping get an airborne task force to their target and supplying them, the Warthogs of the 74th and 75th Fighter Squadrons can also deploy to the combat zone to provide CAS/FAC support.While all this sounds really neat, there are significant changes coming for the Flying Tigers (yes, these are the direct descendants of the old China hands from World War II) in 1997. There had originally been a squadron of F-16 Fighting
Falcons assigned to the 23rd to help provide fighter support. However, these were eliminated after a fatal midair collision /crash between a 23rd F-16 and C-130. The fatalities came when the flaming wreckage of the F-16 fell into a C-141 loaded with 82nd paratroops on the Pope AFB ramp, killing or injuring dozens. More recently, though, the USAF leadership decided to return control of all the C-130s from ACC to AMC. The idea is that this will put all of America’s airlift assets under one organization, simplifying the process of getting people and stuff overseas in an emergency. This will mean that the wing and Pope AFB will change ownership on April 1st, 1997, to AMC. Once this happens, the plans have the airlift squadrons becoming part of the new 43rd Airlift Wing, and the two A/OA-10 squadrons becoming the 23rd Fighter Group, which will be an ACC tenant unit at Pope AFB. Whatever happens, though, plan on seeing the relationship between the USAF units at Pope AFB and the 82nd continuing for the foreseeable future.
• 347th Wing: The 347th at Moody AFB, Georgia, is another composite unit, though with a slightly different flavor than the 23rd. The 347th is designed to work with the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Fort Stewart, Georgia. The 347th’s focus is on CAS and interdiction strikes, with only a minor emphasis on airlift. Thus, you find the 347th composed of two fighter squadrons of F-16C Fighting Falcons (the 68th and 69th with twenty-four aircraft each), a fighter squadron of A/OA-lOAs (the 70th with twenty-four aircraft), and an airlift squadron of C-130Es (the 52nd with eighteen birds). Like the 23rd, the 347th is designed to rapidly move into a theater of operations and set up support operations within a matter of hours.
• 314th Airlift Wing: While the 23rd Wing can get a battalion or two of troopers into the air, they lack the numbers of C-130s to move the entire division. For that trick (as was required during the planned Haitian drop), the 82nd normally calls the 314th Airlift Wing down at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas. The 314th has four full airlift squadrons of factory-fresh C-130Hs (the 50th, 53rd, 61st, and 62nd), enough to lift three entire brigades of troops (this is the entire division) in one lift if the 23rd helps out. This is an extremely well-run unit that has derived a lot of benefit by being based at the same location as the USAF’s Combat Aerial Delivery School, the C-130 post-graduate tactics school.
• 437th Airlift Wing: C-130s are nice, but to move really heavy stuff (like big trucks and 155mm M198 howitzers) or lots of people to the other side of the world, you need the heavy iron: C-17A Globemaster IIIs and C-141 B Starlifters. The 437th is just the unit for the job, being the first USAF unit to field the C-17. Located at Charleston AFB, South Carolina, the 437th is a wing in transition. Originally equipped as the primary East Coast C-141 unit, it is right now divided evenly with two airlift squadrons of C-17s (the 14th and 17th, with a total of 24 aircraft), and two of C-141 Bs (the 15th and 16th with some 35 birds). In the event that the 82nd needs the 3rd Division’s RRC, it will probably be the 437th that will draw the delivery duty. Current plans have the 15th converting over to C-17s in 1997 and 1998, with the 16th AS as the last in line to be converted. This is because the 16th is the only C-141 unit in the USAF that has special operations capabilities built into their aircraft. These specially configured Starlifters (there are just a handful with qualified crews) can be recognized by their FLIR sensors which are mounted in special mounts on the nose. Inside, these special -141 are equipped with armor plate, special navigation and communications gear, and room for an extra pilot and navigator. This gives the crews of the 16th AS the ability to fly low-level covert penetration missions at intercontinental ranges, and then deliver their cargo with extreme precision.
• 305th Air Mobility Wing: The 305th, which is based out of McGuire AFB in New Jersey, is something of a “swing” unit in AMC. This four-squadron wing is designed to support a major overseas deployment by providing both cargo-ca
rrying capacity and in-flight refueling services while deploying. As currently structured, the 305th has two airlift squadrons of C-141B Starlifters (the 6th and 13th, each with sixteen aircraft) as well as two air refueling squadrons of KC-10A Extender tankers (the 2nd and 32nd with ten birds each). This is a powerful combination, with enough refueling capacity, cargo stowage, and personnel space, when combined with the aircraft of the 437th, to do a full division drop on the other side of the world in a single lift. Once there, the KC-10s can offer a robust refueling force for the aircraft in the theater, whatever nation they may be from. This unit is a true national resource.
• Charter Aircraft/Civil Air Reserve Fleet (CRAF): Every now and again, life throws you a lucky break. Back in August of 1990, when the 82nd’s 2nd Brigade deployed as the first ground unit into Saudi Arabia during Desert Shield, they did not have to fight their way in. Instead, the 2nd Brigade troopers walked aboard a bunch of chartered jumbo jets, weapons and all, and flew to the Dhahran air base in air-conditioned luxury. This is, perhaps, the ultimate example of a “permissive” entry by airborne forces into a theater of operations. Today, commercial charter aircraft remain an important transport option for U.S. forces deploying overseas. The series of deployments to Kuwait over the past few years have all used commercial charters, because they are cheap for the taxpayers, comfortable for the troops, and wonderfully profitable for the airlines that sell the entire plane flight at full “pop” to the government.The flip side of the charter business is the CRAF, which was created to provide a fleet of airliners and cargo aircraft for times of national emergency. These aircraft are owned by airlines, but subsidized by the Department of Defense. This means that if a suitable crisis breaks out, the President can order a phased CRAF activation to provide extra airlift capacity when and where it is required. Thus far, the only time the CRAF has been activated was during the 1990/1991 Persian Gulf crisis. However, CRAF remains available to deploy units like the 82nd, should a permissive entry option, like Saudi Arabia in 1990, be available to U.S. forces.