Military Review English Edition November-December 2014 | Page 21

M1 ABRAMS

menu would allow them to explore their own what ifs.
However, it should not be assumed that these enhancements are worthwhile. Players should be given
the option instead to select additional unupgraded
vehicles, essentially opting for more vehicles over
better vehicles.
To properly explore the benefits of the enhancements and how they trade off with existing Abrams
capabilities, some specific details would need to be
included in the models. For example, if a new diesel
engine required more space, to what extent would
that necessitate a reduction in fuel capacity? How
would a diesel engine vary from the turbine in acceleration, noise, and smoke generation? How would an
Abrams crew be supplied with additional data to aid
NLOS targeting? Including such information, even
if derived from estimates, would enable some key
tactical questions to be at least partially answered.
Good enough should be the mantra, and the pursuit of fidelity should be balanced with constraining
the number of what ifs that can be explored. Key
to this will be defining topics that are not being
explored (such as the effects of sleep deprivation).
Keeping the modeling and simulation hardware,
software, and bandwidth requirements modest
might allow a greatly expanded and distributed pool
of participants.

Conclusion
The Abrams has served well over the last three
decades, but the argument for its continued role

could use some bolstering. With the future focus
of the U.S. military on the Pacific, there may be less
need for the employment of large concentrations of
armored vehicles, but this does not end the utility of
armor. A smaller number of more capable Abrams
would mitigate some of the associated strategic mobility and operational logistics challenges while still
presenting adversaries with a highly lethal, mobile,
and survivable threat. Moreover, recent events in
the Ukraine have renewed interest in the Abrams.
In September 2014, the Army announced that U.S.
Army units employing Bradleys and Abrams would
b R'F