Dark Horse of the Infantry

Reinvesting in the U.S. Army Mortarman

By 1Sg Ryan D. Shaw

Article published on: March 1, 2026 in the Infantry Spring 2026 Issue

Read Time: < 4 mins

A mortarman with 2nd Squadron, 107th Cavalry Regiment holds a 120mm high-explosive round during a live-fire exercise in Syria on 20 February 2023. (Photo by SFC Nicholas J. De La Pena)

For over a century, mortarmen have been the Infantry’s quiet advantage — an organic, lethal, accurate, and responsive indirect-fire capability unmatched at the tactical level. They are the Infantry’s “dark horse:” a force with tremendous potential that — when properly managed, trained, and resourced — can shape the battlefield decisively. Yet today, I believe many formations underutilize and under develop this capability.

This article seeks not to criticize units but highlight an opportunity. Mortars are a core component of decisive maneuver, and renewed investment in their training and education will ensure the Infantry maintains its edge in future large-scale combat operations. A more informed Army — one that empowers its 11Cs and understands the value they bring — will significantly enhance readiness and lethality across formations.

A Critical Capability Under Strain

Mortarmen bring unique strengths to the fight: high-angle fires, rapid response, tactical autonomy, and flexible employment. Whether supporting a dismounted platoon in restrictive terrain or enabling the battalion to shape the deep fight, the U.S. Army mortar platoon is often the most lethal asset available in the first minutes of contact.

But today’s mortarmen can operate in a paradox. They are increasingly essential yet often overlooked in training prioritization. Their weapon system is complex, requiring proficiency in technical gunnery, fire direction, tactical employment, and maneuver. Without consistent training, these skills can degrade rapidly.

The Education Gap

Today’s 11Cs must be more than mortar gunners — they must be tacticians, communicators, and subject matter experts on fires. Yet military occupational specialty (MOS)- specific training opportunities are limited. The Infantry Mortar Leader Course (IMLC), while excellent, has a limited number of seats per year. Access can be inconsistent across brigades, and many sections struggle to send Soldiers.

Even when seats are available, units may prioritize other schools, or operating tempo (OPTEMPO) may prevent attendance. The result: a force with uneven expertise.

This problem can be compounded by a lack of doctrinal familiarity. The training circular governing mortar qualification is readily available, yet many Soldiers have not been taught how to interpret or apply it. Some do not realize they can initiate their own mortar training plan — and without senior mentorship, they don’t know where to begin.

The Knowledge Gap Outside MOS

Mortar employment is not solely the responsibility of 11Cs. Leaders outside the MOS must understand how to employ indirect fires effectively. A battalion or company that does not understand mortars cannot fully leverage them. This creates two problems: Mortarmen may be misemployed or sidelined because leaders do not understand their capabilities, and complacent or undertrained mortarmen may go unchallenged, rarely tested by leaders who cannot differentiate expert practice from mediocre execution.

Without widespread understanding, good decisions are delayed, and bad ones go uncorrected. Experience shows that when company-level leaders know how to employ mortars, training increases, employment improves, and readiness rises.

Investment in Mortars: What Right Looks Like

A mortar platoon becomes lethal only when given the time and resources to train. Organizations that treat mortars as a combat multiplier — rather than an administrative task pool — see immediate gains. The formula is simple: You get out of mortars what you put into them.

Investment means prioritizing mortar-specific training, protecting white space from garrison tasking, funding appropriate ammunition and training resources, allowing mortarmen to train repeatedly (not once-a-year certification), integrating mortars into maneuver exercises, and leveraging doctrinal guidance from all training circulars and field manuals governing all things mortars.

High-performing units use mortars constantly during dry fires, blank fires, live fires, practical exercises, fire direction drills, terrain walks, and integration rehearsals. They ensure their mortar leaders are technically proficient and empowered to train their Soldiers.

Bridging the Gap

The Army is already modernizing across all domains, fires included. To continue this trajectory, several initiatives would transform mortar proficiency across the force.

First is a mortar master trainer course. This course is already in the works and will be discussed in a subsequent article in this issue. Modeled after other master-level programs, the Infantry Master Mortar Trainer Course will develop experts in gunnery, fire direction, integrated planning, qualification standards, training program development, and external evaluation.

Second, establish brigade-level mortar master gunner (MSG/E8-prior 11C) billets. A designated senior mortar expert at brigade level would oversee mortar training, conduct external evaluations, standardize qualification, ensure doctrinal compliance, advise battalion commanders, and assist with fire planning.

Third, expand MOS-specific training at the 11C Advanced Leader Course (ALC). Intermediate-level education should deepen tactical employment, fire planning, fire direction and gunnery, sensor integration, target refinement, communications architecture, and mortar roles in LSCO. This is also discussed further in the subsequent article.

Fourth, increase IMLC capacity. More seats mean more trained leaders. Expanding throughput ensures battalions maintain qualified mortar leadership — especially in high-OPTEMPO units.

Culture: The Most Important Variable

No program, course, or structure will succeed without culture. Leaders must believe in mortars — not as a niche specialty but as a central combat capability. This requires employing mortars routinely during field exercises, including mortars in maneuver planning, holding mortarmen to high standards, encouraging MOS-specific development, and listening to subject matter experts.

Mortarmen themselves must meet that expectation. They must be proactive learners, aggressive trainers, and stewards of the craft. The mortar community must take pride in competence and professionalism.

Conclusion: A Call to Invest

The mortar platoon has always been a decisive asset — in the mountains of Korea, the jungles of Vietnam, the deserts of Iraq, and the valleys of Afghanistan. Today’s mortarman continues that legacy, carrying out one of the most responsive and lethal tools in the modern fight.

But legacy is not enough. We must invest in time, training, education, funding, and structure. Mortarmen are the Infantry’s dark horse, and their value grows exponentially when empowered. Because indirect fires win fights — and mortarmen are the Soldiers who deliver them.

Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division fire a 60mm mortar at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, LA, on 15 August 2025. (Photo by SPC Mariah Aguilar)