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A head-on close-up of an M1 Abrams tank, looking directly down the muzzle of its main gun cannon, with two crew members visible at their stations on the turret above against a partly cloudy blue sky.
Featured Article

Indispensable Iron: The Value Proposition of the ABCT in LSCO

By COL Bryan Bonnema, MAJ Aram M. Hatfield, and CSM Gregory M. Swayer

Read Time: < 20 mins

Making the case for the Armored Brigade Combat Team as the U.S. Army's decisive formation for large-scale combat operations against a peer adversary. Examines the ABCT's lethality, survivability, and combined arms maneuver, and rebuts arguments that lighter forces and standoff fires suffice.

A head-on close-up of an M1 Abrams tank, looking directly down the muzzle of its main gun cannon, with two crew members visible at their stations on the turret above against a partly cloudy blue sky.
Soldier in desert camouflage smokes a cigarette while sitting in a military vehicle, with a helmet
Read Time: < 23 mins

Cavalry as a Fighting Force...Not a Spineless Adjunct!

Dr. Robert Cameron traces U.S. cavalry from the Revolutionary War through Iraq, arguing that reconnaissance-only, tech-reliant units without organic combat power become a "spineless adjunct"—and that survivable combat power remains essential to caval...

By Robert Cameron, Ph.D.

Column of Sherman tanks advancing down a cobblestone street in a French town, WWII.
Read Time: < 10 mins

Economy of Force: The 2d Dragoons at Lunéville, September 1944

An analysis of the 2d Mechanized Cavalry Group's economy of force mission at the Battle of Lunéville in September 1944, and lessons for modern armor and cavalry leaders.

By CPT Connor McLeod

A U.S. Army soldier in an OCP camouflage uniform, seen from behind and to the side, sits at a table taking handwritten notes on a yellow legal pad. An open field manual, a pen, and a mug of coffee rest on the table in front of him.
Read Time: < 3 mins

From the Doctrine Corner: Shaping the Fight: A Preview of Emerging Doctrine

A preview of emerging U.S. Army Cavalry Branch doctrine: the FY2027 revision of ATP 3-20.98, Scout Platoon, and the upcoming major revision of FM 3-98, Reconnaissance and Security Operations. Covers scout-tank integration, UAS/CUAS, EW, and large-sca...

By MAJ Conlan Kastanias

Military artwork depicting General Creighton Abe Abrams commanding Sherman tanks at Bastogne, Belgium, December 1944.
Read Time: < 5 mins

From The Boresight Line Student Preparedness for Abrams Master Gunner School

An examination of how units can identify and develop candidates for the Abrams Master Gunner Course, focusing on operational experience, gunnery proficiency, foundational certifications, and cognitive aptitude.

By SFC Mark T. Backer

  • Historic black-and-white photo of a U.S. Army tank near a thatched-roof building.
    “Whoever Saw Cavalry?”: Recommendations for Post-ARSTRUC R&S Formations

    MAJ David Devine and CPT Zachary Newman (ARMOR, Summer 2026) revisit MG James Gavin's 1954 "Whoever saw cavalry?" critique, arguing post-ARSTRUC cavalry squadrons must fix tactical mobility, organizational agility, and mindset to restore relevant R&S...

    By MAJ David Devine and CPT Zachary Newman

  • Soldier piloting a drone
    The Illusion of Transparency

    Large-scale combat operations demand more than pervasive sensing and drone surveillance. Success in the first fight depends on cavalry scouts, counter-reconnaissance, masking, and creating temporary battlefield opacity to achieve surprise and seize t...

    By LTC Scott Dawe and LTC Alan Hastings

  • A massive billowing cloud of orange fire and pale smoke erupts across a desert landscape under a clear blue sky. In the lower right, a sand-colored military launcher vehicle sits on the scrubland, dwarfed by the towering blast. Sparse desert brush dots the foreground and distant mountains line the horizon.
    DINOCAVE: Train Forms of Contact to Build Combined Arms and Multi-Domain Warfighters

    LTC Gary Klein presents the nine forms of contact (DINOCAVE) as a practical framework for designing and assessing combined arms and multi-domain training at battalion level and below, helping commanders build warfighting readiness through deliberate ...

    By LTC Gary M. Klein

  • Illustrated cavalry soldier on horseback holding a rifle, set against a dramatic stormy sky with lightning.
    Inform, Protect, and Fight: A Cavalry Prospectus

    LTC Schardt examines U.S. cavalry formations' historical purposes, current limitations, and recommends rebalancing reconnaissance with security and combat roles to remain effective in an era of autonomous systems.

    By LTC Matthew B. Schardt

  • Historical cavalry reenactors in period uniforms charge on horseback across a field, firing pistols and carrying guidon flags, with smoke in the background.
    To Infinity and Beyond: A Future For The U.S. Army Cavalry

    MAJ R. Atticus Blair argues the U.S. Army should establish a new Cavalry Branch merging reconnaissance and unmanned systems—citing Ukraine's drone warfare success, ARSTRUC squadron cuts, and precedents from Aviation, Cyber, and Special Forces branch ...

    By MAJ R. Atticus Blair

  • Diagram showing 'Understanding of Battlefield Conditions' on a color-graded arrow from red (poor understanding, favoring reconnaissance and screening tasks to minimize risk) to green (good understanding, favoring attack and defend tasks to maximize battlefield effects)
    How to Fight the Cavalry Squadron and Win!

    Cavalry squadrons keep losing at NTC. LTC Albert draws on NTC Rotation 26-02 to argue that smarter mission selection, unmanned-first contact, narrower frontages, and massed armor at the probable line of contact can reverse the trend.

    By LTC John Albert

  • Three flags fly from tall poles against an overcast gray sky: the German flag on the left, the U.S. flag on the upper right, and the black POW/MIA flag below it. Two small helicopters are visible in the distance at the lower right
    U.S. Army Cavalry Leader’s Course: A Report on My Experience as a German Soldier

    A German Army officer candidate's firsthand account of attending the U.S. Army Cavalry Leader's Course at Fort Benning, comparing German Heeresaufklärungstruppe and U.S. cavalry reconnaissance doctrine, structure, MDMP planning, and the future of arm...

    By Mastersergeant (Officer Candidate) Jobst Hinrich Sielaff, German Army

  • Historical illustration of a cavalry soldier on horseback brandishing a saber, with a tank in the dusty background.
    The Cav Forever: Reconnaissance and Security for Emerging Formations

    Examines gaps created by cavalry squadron inactivation under the Army Transformation Initiative and proposes lines of effort for MBCTs and SBCTs to conduct effective reconnaissance and security operations with emerging formations.

    By CPT Christopher Jordan

  • Read the article Unleashing the Leviathan: Transforming the ABCT to Win in LSCO
    Unleashing the Leviathan: Transforming the ABCT to Win in LSCO

    Army officers propose restructuring the Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) with enhanced maneuver forces, organic indirect firepower, autonomous systems integration, and mesh network communications to dominate large-scale combat operations.

    By LTC Christopher Hanes, LTC Larry Kay

  • Read the article TC 3-20.31-120 Gunnery: Heavy Tank: Gunnery Branch – C92
    TC 3-20.31-120 Gunnery: Heavy Tank: Gunnery Branch – C92

    Overview of TC 3-20.31-120 Gunnery: Heavy Tank, detailing key 2025 updates to Abrams tank gunnery tables, LFAST procedures, boresighting standards, four-target engagements, and conduct-of-fire techniques for large-scale combat operations.

    By Weapons and Gunnery Branch

  • Read the article Book Reviews and SGT Fred Benning: Tank Gun Systems: The First Thirty Years, 1916-1945 and Blitzkrieg in the West: Then and Now
    Book Reviews and SGT Fred Benning: Tank Gun Systems: The First Thirty Years, 1916-1945 and Blitzkrieg in the West: Then and Now

    Two military book reviews: a technical examination of tank gun systems from 1916–1945, and a narrative and pictorial chronicle of the 1940 German campaign in the West.

    By Retired Col D. J. Judge; Stan Kaplan

  • Read the article Chief of Armor's Hatch: ATP 3-20.96, Cavalry Squadron, is Changing the Fight
    Chief of Armor's Hatch: ATP 3-20.96, Cavalry Squadron, is Changing the Fight

    BG Chalfont introduces the revised ATP 3-20.96 Cavalry Squadron doctrine, shifting focus from reconnaissance and security to informing, protecting, and fighting for the main body in modern near-peer operational environments.

    By BG Chad C. Chalfont 55th Chief of Armor

  • Read the article From The Gunner’s Seat: Taking Charge of Your Career
    From The Gunner’s Seat: Taking Charge of Your Career

    Command Sergeant Major Ryan W. Roush offers guidance for U.S. Army Armor NCOs on career development, highlighting key tools, resources, and the importance of leadership performance.

    By CSM Ryan W. Roush

  • Read the article Ukrainian Combat Employment of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle
    Ukrainian Combat Employment of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle

    Ukraine's AFU rewrote Bradley Fighting Vehicle doctrine out of necessity — dismounting farther, fighting dispersed, and ambushing with TOW missiles — offering NATO a combat-proven case for decentralized initiative over synchronized combined arms.

    By 1LT Jack Lynch

  • Read the article The Army’s New Maintenance Skills Test Program in the ABCT
    The Army’s New Maintenance Skills Test Program in the ABCT

    The Armor community has developed the Maintenance Skills Test (MST) program to establish standardized maintenance training for maneuver companies, enabling crews to operate more effectively and reducing reliance on dedicated maintainers in LSCO envir...

    By CPT Gabriel Liranzo

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