A convoy of US Army 3rd Infantry M1A1 Abrams tanks cross the Euphrates river as black smoke rises after an explosion as hundreds of armored vehicles push towards the outskirts of Baghdad on April 6, 2003. (Reuters)
The End Of The Tank? The Army Says It Doesn’t Need It, But Industry Wants To Keep Building It. -- Washington Post
YORK, PA. — When an armored vehicle pulled down the statue of Saddam Hussein in an iconic moment of the Iraq War, it triggered a wave of pride here at the BAE Systems plant where that rig was built. The Marines who rolled to glory in it even showed up to pay their regards to the factory workers.
That bond between the machinists and tradesmen supporting the war effort at home and those fighting on the front lines has held tight for generations — as long as the tank has served as a symbol of military might.
Now that representation of U.S. power is rolling into another sort of morass: the emotional debates playing out as Congress, the military and the defense industry adapt to stark new realities in modern warfare and in the nation’s finances.
As its orders dwindle, the BAE Systems plant is shrinking, too. The company is slowly trimming workers and closing buildings.
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My Comment: Combined arms warfare is a given in most conflicts .... and in such a conflict there will always be a need for tanks.
Update: American Tanks Return to Europe After Brief Leave -- Military.com
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