Branch Paper
Department of Arts & Sciences, Army R.O.T.C.
AMS 301: Training Management and Warfighting Functions
CPT Wright
10/28/2021
United States Army Engineer Regiment
The Corp of Engineers has proceedings dating back to before 1776, however, it was not
until 1779 that the Continental Congress created a separate organization called the U.S. Army
Corp of Engineers. At the end of the Revolutionary War, the corps was disbanded, and Congress
organized the Corp of Engineers and Artillerists. Politicians have always wanted the Corps to
contribute and works of “civil nature”. Since the beginning of the Corps, they have helped map
much of the American West, constructed coastal fortifications, lighthouses, harbors, and
carefully mapped navigation channels. The Corps’ role in natural disasters has evolved since
they were first established. Engineers were called upon to respond to flooding mostly, but have
also assisted in civil disturbances, snow removal, and various natural disasters like earthquakes.
Today in today’s world, Engineers have many, many tools at their disposal. Counter
Mobility, Sappers, Route Clearance, Gap Crossing, Base Building, Road and Airfield
Construction, Firefighting, Mine Dogs, and Divers. There are also many professional
opportunities available to Engineers. Here is a small list of schools available to Army Engineer
Officers: Technical Engineering Developmental Program, Engineer Special Operation Forces
Program, Royal School of Military Survey, and Geotechnical Developmental Program. The U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers' mission is to provide vital public engineering services in peace and
war to strengthen our Nation's security, reduce risks from disasters and energize the economy.
Engineering is a great opportunity for anyone in the corps, especially officers. The corps
appeal to me because of the certifications you can acquire, the locations of duty stations, and
what other branch lets you blow things up, build stuff, and be the head of multi-million-dollar
construction projects? There are several states I would like to move to after I graduate, and each
state has multiple Engineer Unit locations. This branch is a perfect opportunity to get an
education whilst simultaneously gaining job experience. In my hometown, there is an Engineer
unit and I have been to a couple of their open house recruiting events and was very interested in
what they do.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers strives to sustain, protect, and improve the natural
and man-made environment of our Country and is committed to teaming and supporting with
applicable environmental and energy statutes, regulations, and Executive Orders. Sustainability
is not only a natural part of the Corps’ decision processes but also part of the history and
mission. During Engineer BOLC, leaders learn combat engineering, general engineering, and
geospatial engineering. On the civilian side, you can earn your, Professional Engineer
Certification, Project Management Professional Certification, Registered Architect Certification,
and many other opportunities. The Engineer Corp has a Domain-Specific Program, meaning with
your prior academic disciplines you will be placed in a certain part of the Corps. Leaders will be
able to choose between best practices and unorthodox approaches to reach a solution and
develop problem solving skills. Leaders will be precise, efficient, and compelling in both written
and spoken word. Engineers are also physically tough, gritty, and tenacious. Engineers have a
high physical threshold, meaning they will have to perform under extreme physiological duress
and are committed to a lifestyle of physical fitness. Engineer Officers are expected to have the
ability to understand and work with other people. Requires a capacity to perceive and be
responsive to
moods, temperaments, intentions, and desires of others. Can view the world from the perspective
of others, can “get in the skin” of others. Excellent networkers, negotiators, trainers, teachers
along with the abilities to perceive, transform, and recreate differing aspects of the visual-spatial
world. Acute sensitivity to visual details, capable of rapid visualization, ability to draw, sketch,
and orient to three dimensions with ease.
In regard to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers relating to Warfighting Functions,
Combat Engineers main goals are to provide mobility, counter-mobility, route-clearance and gap
crossing. General Engineers have the responsibility of horizontal and vertical construction, road,
base and camp construction, and terrain and soil analysis. The Firefighter, Mine Dog, and Diver
counterparts are special teams that assist in special circumstances.
Combat Engineers are a vital part of the Military’s fighting forces. They have proven
time and time again in theater that they are extremely crucial. In today’s wars, IEDs, Mines, and
shaping the battlefield are prevalent and need to have knowledgeable and tactile peoples. In more
recent wars like the War on Terror and the Gulf War, Engineers have been the tip of the spear.
Engineers have saved countless lives by destroying or defusing UXOs and IEDs, supporting the
infantry, and aiding in the mobility of troops.
United States Army Armor Branch
The Armor Branch originally started as cavalry units, dating back before the first World
War. The United States Tank Corps was established in 1918 but then split into the Cavalry and
Infantry in 1921. The Armored Command was headquartered at Fort Knox, Kentucky in 1943,
the changed its name to the “Armored Center” in 1944, then changed transferred from Fort Knox
to Fort Benning in 2010. The United States Army Armor School is located there today. In 1918,
Armor units were called upon to advance on the Europe’s Western Front during World War I. In
1941, in the Philippines, the United States fought the Japanese. In 1950, the Korean War came as
a surprise and the M4 Shermans again saw service defending the Pusan Perimeter. In the
Vietnam theater, the M48s, M113s, and Sheridan’s were deployed and used to defeat ambushes,
clear jungles, and make trails for infantry men. They also protected convoys, conducted cordon
and search missions, hunted enemy, and secured flanks, and pulled security. During the Cold
War, M60s were put into theater in 1959 and were used to stand guard along West Germany’s
borders to remind the Soviet horde that an invasion would meet formidable resistance. In 1991,
the M1 Abrams and Bradleys were tasked to liberate Kuwait and Iraqi occupation and secure the
Saudi Kingdom. In 1995, NATO needed the help of our tracks, and we were called upon to
reinforce the peace in Bosnia. In Kosovo, the armor units deployed there were to prevent a
bloody civil war in 1999. In more recent events, units were deployed to Iraq in 2003. Battles
were fought in Baghdad against Saddam’s regime. Militias, insurgents, and terrorists lurked in
the desert, but the new mechanized vehicles were equipped with long range and thermal sights
that could see the farthest and smallest enemies. In even more recent events, the Armor and
Cavalry Units were used to help train Afghan National Army, and together we fought the
Taliban in the mountains of Afghanistan. Together, they mounted up and scouted the region in
search of insurgents and threats to the local populace.
BALLS
United States Army Field Artillery
The United States Army’s Field Artillery branch dates all the way back to November
1775. Continental Congress elected Henry Knox to be the Colonel of the Regiment of Artillery.
Formally the regiment began service the first of January in 1776. The home of the artillery is at
Fort Sill Oklahoma. Field Artillery began as simple cannons used to combat infantry on the lines
of battle. Now today field artillery units can give effective fire from thousands of meters away
for friendly units in need of accurate and effective fire on the enemy. My unit for example uses
the howitzer on a tracked vehicle called the M109 Artillery System; or also known as the
Paladin. So, the branch has come a long way from being a cannon on wooden wheels to a mobile
long-range gun with emergency fire capabilities from anywhere, to even being able to shoot at
targets directly like tanks do. Field artillery will always be relevant when discussing war for its
ability to support friendly mounted or dismounted units calling for fire. As infantry tactics
evolved, so did field artillery. By means of tactics and technology. Starting out in the
Revolutionary War, we only possessed a 5.5-inch howitzer that we had a hard time maneuvering
across different landscapes to fight battles. In the Mexican American War, we used cannons
amphibiously to mount an assault against the Mexican Army. The cannons at this time can fire
two and a half miles away to engage targets in a direct fire scenario. In WWI America opted to
use the “French 75” instead of our own M1902 cannon because the French gun had a higher rate
of fire, greater accuracy and a better recoil system. Moving on to the WWII era of combat, we
began to develop armored artillery guns that could drive themselves. We also began mounting
other weapons like .50 caliber machineguns on the armored artillery vehicles to pull security
during movement. The Korean War was when we first started using 155mm howitzers, we could
launch 95-pound shells over six miles. In Vietnam since we could fire from a longer distance, we
began establishing temporary fire bases where artillerymen would conduct fire missions. In
Desert Storm we advanced technology for artillery by being able to equip trucks with long range
surface to surface rockets rather than just a shell. Time for artillery has completely shaped how
we utilize it today in the scope of battle. Field artillery would fall under the fire’s warfighting
function. The fires warfighting function is the related tasks and systems that provide collective
and coordinated use of Army indirect fires, air and missile defense and joint fires through the
targeting process. Army fires systems deliver fires in support of offensive and defensive tasks to
create specific lethal and nonlethal effects on a target. Field artillery rounds are capable of
detonating on point or detonating at a certain time either in the air or after it penetrates the
ground first. It’s also possible to use white phosphorous to burn through objects or enemies for a
desired outcome. Artillery could also potentially be used to destroy roads and resupply routes
between enemy operating bases followed by white phosphorous so vehicles cannot drive over the
ground without melting the rubber off their tires. Artillery can be used to “soften” up an
objective area before a decisive operation like an infantry platoon maneuvers onto the objective
to seize the area. Units in need of IDF can call on field artillery units to provide fire support to
regain superiority or provide a means of suppressive fire in a withdrawal plan. I believe I would
be a good fit for the branch because I am currently in a field artillery unit in Kentucky learning
the fundamentals of artillery from the officers and NCOs in the battery. Learning leadership
skills and skills to further my knowledge before FA BOLC. Listening to the branch orientation
for field artillery, I learned that there are skills that translate to the civilian world as well since I
want to stay in the National Guard, it wouldn’t leave me out of a job at home. I already have six
months of drill time with the Bravo Battery 2/138th Field Artillery unit in Carlisle, Kentucky. I
have had opportunities like being a 1 man in a Paladin, being part of the FDO and receiving
missions from Battalion. I have been able to call in fires from the “hill” with the Forward
Observers in the 101st Airborne. I also love the comradery and closeness of everyone in the Field
Artillery units. Instantly I was accepted and taken under the wings of all of the LTs, my
Commander and the Chiefs of the guns.