U.S.

Big Wheels Set To Roll

November 16, 2000 / 8:38 AM EST / AP

The Army plans to equip its newest armored units with lighter vehicles that move on wheels in an effort to become more mobile more quickly.

The decision may be announced as early as Friday after final clearance by top Defense Department officials and notification of congressional leaders, according to senior military and civilian officials interviewed by the Washington Post.

The Army reportedly plans to purchase about 3,000 vehicles for about $2.5 million each, or about $7.5 billion total.

Supporters said the decision to go to a wheeled armored vehicle is a historic step comparable to the advent of the battleship and the machine gun. But critics, especially in tank units, said soldiers' lives will be in danger without the firepower and protection provided by heavy tanks, according to the Post.

The move will require changes in the way the Army trains, deploys and fights. Rather than preparing primarily for land war, the Army is reshaping to engage in smaller conflicts, peacekeeping missions and humanitarian relief efforts.

The Army adopted the tank between World War I and II, and since has bought even bigger and heavier armored vehicles. The M-1A2 Abrams tank is considered almost unbeatable in open terrain such as the plains of central Germany, for which it was designed. But at 70 tons it cannot be transported quickly to most parts of the world and cannot cross small bridges or maneuver on narrow roads in places such as Kosovo.

The Army set the maximum weight for the new vehicles at 19 tons to ensure that they can be carried by the Air Force's smallest and most common transport plane, the C-130. But the Army gave up some of the protection provided by heavy armor plating and the all-terrain capabilities of tank treads.

More than 300 of the wheeled armored vehicles will be bought for the new combat brigade that was created over the past year at Fort Lewis, Wash. That brigade is supposed be declared operational in a little over a year. Five more similarly equipped brigades are to follow.

The new units are designed to be able to move anywhere in the world in 96 hours.

The new vehicles will come in a dozen variations, including an infantry carrier, a tank-like mobile gun system, a reconnaissance vehicle and a computer-laden mobile headquarters.

The Army does not plan to retire its monster main battle tanks just yet, but will keep them ready for conflicts with a major adversary, such as Iraq, whose heavy tanks could outgun the medium-weight brigades, the Post reported.