Then-Brig. Gen. Richard Coffman (left), director of the next generation combat vehicle cross-functional team, engages with Sgt. Matthew Morris (middle right) and Spc. Gage Payne (right), both of 4-10 Cav, as U.S. Army Futures Command Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Crosby (middle left) drives a Robotic Combat Vehicle from inside a Mission Enabling Technologies – Demonstrator at a Fort Carson, Colorado training area on August 5, 2020. Photo by Liane Hatch/U.S. Army.
Read the original article on Military.com. Follow Military.com on Twitter.
One of the Army‘s top armored vehicle modernization generals said Wednesday that the service would be needed to face down China’s massive armored force in a Pacific land war.
China has 7,000 tanks and 3,000 infantry fighting vehicles, “so 10,000 vehicles that will be decisive if we are not there,” Maj. Gen. Richard Coffman, director of the Army’s Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross Functional Team, told an audience at a Center for Strategic & International Studies event.
“In order to be decisive, we have to be there with armor to prevent the Chinese from getting into a position of relative advantage,” he added.
Coffman is not the first general to defend the Army’s relevance in the Pacific, a theater that many experts say is more suited for the Navy and the Marine Corps.
But his comments come two days after China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Xu Qiliang made a provocative statement about the likelihood of war with the United States.
“The top uniformed soldier in China, chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, stated that war with the United States is inevitable,” Coffman said. “That is the first time China has made that statement publicly.”
Coffman, who oversees development of armored vehicles in the Army’s modernization effort, such as the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, warned that the Chinese are known for using armored forces and that they are likely to be the aggressor in a potential future conflict.
“If you are the head uniformed general in the Chinese military and you say ‘it’s inevitable,’ what does that mean?” Coffman said. “I think that means that you are willing to strike first because, if it’s inevitable, why would you wait for your adversary to strike first?”
The Marine Corps, which is preparing for island-hopping missions in the Pacific, began getting rid of its M1A1 tanks last year, a move that some experts say will put the burden on the Army to back them up with armored support.
Coffman argued that Chinese military forces “use armored vehicles every time.”
“The reason why you need the land component in [the Pacific] is because it’s the only component that will be decisive,” he said. “If you want to take land, if you want to hold land, if you want to clear land, you need the ground element.”
Nothing sends a message of a will to win like tanks and armored vehicles, Coffman added.
“When you send an armored brigade combat team anywhere in the world, you just voted; you voted that you have made a strategic decision to fight and win,” he said.
Part of the Army’s modernization plan is to field lighter armored vehicles that are easily deployable but still protect soldiers in battle.
“We want to go lighter; we want the lightest vehicle we can [get] while protecting our soldiers,” Coffman said.
The current version of the M1 tank weighs approximately 80 tons, making it more difficult to transport by air.
“But an M1 can be flown with the [C-17 Globemaster],” Coffman said. “Four C-17s for a platoon of M1s, in the right spot — decisive.”
Coffee or Die is Black Rifle Coffee Company’s online lifestyle magazine. Launched in June 2018, the magazine covers a variety of topics that generally focus on the people, places, or things that are interesting, entertaining, or informative to America’s coffee drinkers — often going to dangerous or austere locations to report those stories.
BRCC and Bad Moon Print Press team up for an exclusive, limited-edition T-shirt design!
BRCC partners with Team Room Design for an exclusive T-shirt release!
Thirty Seconds Out has partnered with BRCC for an exclusive shirt design invoking the God of Winter.
Lucas O'Hara of Grizzly Forge has teamed up with BRCC for a badass, exclusive Shirt Club T-shirt design featuring his most popular knife and tiomahawk.
Coffee or Die sits down with one of the graphic designers behind Black Rifle Coffee's signature look and vibe.
Biden will award the Medal of Honor to a Vietnam War Army helicopter pilot who risked his life to save a reconnaissance team from almost certain death.
Ever wonder how much Jack Mandaville would f*ck sh*t up if he went back in time? The American Revolution didn't even see him coming.
A nearly 200-year-old West Point time capsule that at first appeared to yield little more than dust contains hidden treasure, the US Military Academy said.