ANALYSIS OF ARTILLERY SURVIVABILITY IN DISTRIBUTED OPERATIONS

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the capabilities of a defense system, the M777A2 Lightweight Towed 155mm Howitzer, through the lens of survivability in a near-peer adversarial conflict. M777A2 technological upgrades enhanced digital communications creating a disconnect between doctrinal employment methods and new-found capabilities of the weapon system. This thesis argues that fully exploiting the capabilities of the Digital Fire Control System (DFCS) through distributed operations will result in a higher chance of victory and survivability against a near-peer adversary. This research assesses two artillery employment tactics, battery and distributed, by designing combat scenarios in Map Aware Non-Uniform Automata (MANA). A Blue force represents the U.S. Marine Corps while the Red force models the Russian Army. The researcher uses five decision variables to represent tactical decisions faced by unit commanders to vary input values for the Blue artillery unit. An experiment uses the five decision variables to data farm the 12,900 simulation runs. JMP is used to analyze the results and assess the effectiveness of each employment tactic. Results show that distributed operations significantly increase the chance of victory and reduce the number of friendly casualties. The study concludes with a recommendation to re-evaluate current artillery doctrine and the Table of Organization and Equipment for an artillery battery.