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Old 01-24-2010, 08:08 PM
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chico20854 chico20854 is offline
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The US Army was still exploring these issues during the time between the end of the 9th ID (HTTB) and the formation of the Stryker Brigades. An example is the detailed discussion of how to organize a XM-8 battalion at https://www.knox.army.mil/center/oco...5stanton94.pdf (For convenience I've used the TOE detailed above for the assault gun battalions in the light divisions and 9th ID.)

One factor to keep in mind is the rivalry between the infantry branch and armor branch - the infantry wanted control of the infantry support assault gun, while the armor branch saw anything with tracks, a gun and no infantry inside as its responsibility, and it wasn't interested in an air-deployable vehicle with a gun that couldn't defeat a T-72/80 reliably. So the infantry guys wanted it but were forcing it on a community that didn't - similar to the A-10 in the USAF. With the post-Cold War budget cuts and the lack of any visible threat that required a XM-8/LAV-75 or similar, the project died.
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