Facing Uncertainty: The Role of the M1 Abrams Tank in the U.S. Army of 2015-2025

The future of the M1 Abrams tank is uncertain. With current fiscal constraints and the requirement for expeditionary maneuver, the U.S. Army is under pressure to demonstrate the need for its Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCT), and specifically for its main battle tank, the M1 Abrams. The questioning of the tank’s role in the U.S. Army of 2015-2025 stems from an underlying uncertainty regarding the future character of warfare. An extrapolation from the past thirteen years of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan could lead to the conclusion that future conflicts are likely to be unconventional and limited engagements; this supposition shifts the prioritization away from conventional platforms. The implications of this reading of recent history influence Army force structure, concepts, doctrine, and training, bringing into question the relevancy of combined arms warfare-and as a result, the role of the main battle tank.