PPT Slide
Iraq 1, 1990-91: After victory in Panama, the U.S. leads coalition forces against Iraq. The M113 Gavins, M2/M3 Bradleys and M1 Abrams are the masters of the 2D battlefield. M1s destroy Iraqi armor on-the-move with laser aiming before the Russian made Iraqi stop-to-shoot optics can even acquire the U.S. tanks. Large tank battles are successful. Though the 82d Airborne has 56 M551 Sheridans and a few M113 Gavins, this is not considered a large enough 3D air-mech maneuver element to cut the enemy off; large parts of the Iraqi Republican Guard escape.
Yet, less than three years later, for the 4th time in the century, Army Soldiers are sent into battle with inferior equipment. Light forces go to Somalia in wheeled trucks without any armor support. A group of Rangers and Delta Force Soldiers are cut off and have to be rescued by Pakistanis with U.S. made M48 medium tanks and M113 Gavin light tracked armored fighting vehicles.