Artillery in the future German Army structure.

The German Army is downsizing and restructuring and with it, its artillery. Although the German Artillery is downsizing this year, it also is restructuring in the process-increasing its deployable reaction forces and reorganizing to be more effective against the modem threat across the full spectrum of military operations.

The German Artillery is designing the force to decrease mobilization requirements for medium- to large-scaled contingencies by drawing on reaction forces throughout the artillery. This and the modular concept of force development are allowing the German artillery to tailor force packages to support military operations from stability and support operations (SASO) to very large-scaled conflicts. The artillery's organizational design increases force flexibility and the speed with which the German Army can react to military crises.

This article outlines the mission, organization and equipment plus the operational capabilities of the restructured German Artillery. It should be noted that the German Artillery does not have towed or "light" howitzers--only 155mm self-propelled howitzers: the PzH 2000 and M109A3G.

Artillery Mission. The German Artillery will continue to perform traditional missions in the future army structure, including conducting surveillance, target acquisition (TA) and reconnaissance (STAR) as well as providing fire support for the combined arms mechanized battle. It also will provide selected assets for SASO, as required.

To accomplish these missions, the German Artillery is using the integrated artillery system. This is an integrated, coordinated artillery system of command and control (C2), STAR and weapons assets interconnected by a central operational forces' C2 system. The artillery command, control, communications, computer and intelligence ([C.sup.4]I) system is Adler. It ensures synergistic effects, contributes to the maneuver commander's battlefield assessment and enhances operational effectiveness.

To accomplish its missions, the German artillery must have wide-ranging capabilities. (See Figure 1.) It must be able to conduct TA and destroy targets in real-time out to 40 kilometers. The artillery must be able to reconnoiter target areas of interest (TAIs) out to a range of 70 kilometers, in particular command posts (CPs), long-range artillery assets, reserves and follow-on forces; then in near real-time, it must be able to engage and attrite the enemy to achieve friendly force superiority in quantity and quality. It also must be able to reconnoiter high-value targets (HVTs), such as C2 facilities, reserves and logistical installations, out to 150 kilometers and engage them, disrupting the enemy's operations.

Reorganization. In restructuring the German Army, the artillery will be downsized from approximately 18,600 to about 10,700 soldiers. However, the size of the current 3,000-man deployable reaction artillery will rise to 4,400 soldiers. This increase orients the German Field Artillery branch toward modem operational realities.

The restructuring began in the summer of 2002. Seven artillery battalions and one drone battery will be deactivated by the end of this year. The majority of the restructuring efforts will occur in late 2003.

After the restructuring is completed, the German Army will have 17 active artillery battalions. They differ from each only in the number of reaction, augmentation and reserve forces assigned. The reaction forces (Reaktionskrafte) respond rapidly to crises; they are operationally deployable and are active duty professional artillerymen. The augmentation forces (Vertarkungskrafte) are conscript-heavy.

The reserve forces round out the formations. Each reserve battalion usually only has one active soldier and a few civilians for maintenance, supply and accountability and to support mobilization of the reservists who would fill the battalion's ranks in times of crisis. The reserve battalion uses its sister active battalion's equipment for training.

Artillery Brigade 100. The divisional artillery of the previous structure is concentrated in Artillery Brigade 100 under the command of the German Army Combat Support Arms Command (Heerestruppenkommando). (See the Artillery Brigade 100 in Figure 2.)

The Combat Support Arms Command is commanded by a two-star general and, in addition to the Artillery Brigade 100, includes a nuclear, biological and chemical brigade and an air defense brigade plus two logistical brigades. It provides modular slices for deploying German brigades and divisions to supplement their organic combat support/combat service support assets.

Artillery Brigade 100 began activating in July 2002. What Figure 2 does not show is that the brigade also includes nine reserve artillery battalions (two TA, two rocket and five self-propelled artillery battalions) in addition to the six active battalions shown.

Figure 2 shows the new TA battalions. Until now, STAR assets have been in independent batteries in the TA/self-propelled artillery battalions (or the TA towed artillery battalions, when the German Artillery had towed artillery).

During peacetime, the TA battalion will have a headquarters and supply battery; one TA battery with the Cobra counterbattery radar, sound ranging and a meteorological (Met) section; one or two CL 289 reconnaissance drone batteries; and two KZO target location drone batteries.

The primary German Artillery weapon system to lay minefields and provide deep fires is in the rocket battalion: the medium artillery rocket system (MARS), which is the same multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) used in the US artillery. In addition to the headquarters and supply battery, each rocket battalion will have three augmentation force firing batteries and one reaction force firing battery.

When the reaction force is task organized for a contingency, each rocket battalion will have three reaction force firing batteries for a total of 24 MARS launchers. In the near future, two of the three reaction force rocket battalions will receive one attack drone battery.

The future German Army will have five mechanized divisions. In peacetime, each division will have two or three active mechanized brigades with an organic self-propelled artillery battalion, much as it has today. When deploying, a division will include a division artillery regiment formed from the Artillery Brigade 100 structure to consolidate the division's FA assets and provide command and control over them.

Self-Propelled Artillery Battalions. These eleven active self-propelled artillery battalions generally will be organized the same as they are today. The difference will be in the number of reaction and augmentation batteries assigned. Each battalion will have three firing batteries with a total of 24 M109 or PzH 2000 howitzers. (See Figures 3 and 4.)

A new element in the brigade-level self-propelled artillery battalion will be the fire support battery, which includes the fire support teams, battlefield surveillance radar teams and artillery observer. The goal of this new unit is to improve the training of the brigade's artillery fire support elements and optimize cooperation with maneuver units, both during training exercises and in military operations.

Force Tailoring. With this battery organization, the German Artillery will have force tailoring options. Nearly all the artillery battalions will consist of a mixture of deployable reaction and augmentation forces. Using the modular principle, the German Artillery will be able to provide the force structure required for the different operations without mobilization: small-, medium- and large-scaled operations. Forces only would be required to mobilize for very large-scaled military operations.

For small-scaled military operations, artillery units would not be dedicated to the task force or higher headquarters executing the mission. If required, the artillery will provide elements with specific capabilities for evacuation operations, force protection against terrorist threats or humanitarian assistance operations--perhaps in the form of surveillance and reconnaissance assets.

For medium-scaled operations, artillery formations would be tailored for the mission. (See Figure 5.) Each artillery task force would have the appropriate STAR and weapons systems connected by Adler to form the integrated artillery system. A good example of artillery forces tailored for a medium-scaled operation is the current German Kosovo Force (KFOR).

For large-scaled operations, an artillery regiment would be formed from reaction forces. (See Figure 6.) The regiment would include one TA battalion, one rocket battalion with 24 MARS and a self-propelled artillery battalion with 24 howitzers from the Artillery Brigade 100 plus the three artillery battalions with 24 self-propelled howitzers in each of the three mechanized brigades. Thus a reinforced mechanized division can be activated in support of a large-scaled operation without mobilization. It would have an integrated artillery system and be well balanced to accomplish the mission.

For a very large-scaled military operation, the mechanized divisions would form after mobilization. In each division, all the reserve TA, rocket and self-propelled artillery battalions of Artillery Brigade 100 as well as the three self-propelled artillery battalions of the three reserve mechanized brigades would be augmented with personnel.

Eventually each mechanized division would have an artillery regiment with a headquarters and headquarters battery, a TA battalion, a rocket battalion and a self-propelled artillery battalion. Each of the divisional mechanized brigades would have its artillery battalion. Thus after mobilization, the integrated artillery system would be available in all divisions.

Restructured Force Capabilities. With the enhancement or addition of selected equipment in the artillery system-of-systems, the German Artillery will upgrade its overall capabilities.

Command and Control. The artillery is one of the few German Army branches to have the digital capabilities found in the Adler system. Adler connects C2 elements, STAR assets and weapons platforms digitally, ensuring the flow of situation and target data, fire missions, fire orders and target effects is reliable and expeditious.

Adler will connect the artillery to the army integrated system, the future German Army command, control and intelligence system. This will ensure a rapid information exchange with the maneuver commanders' headquarters and other branches as well as allied units.

Because future operations will be multinational, interoperability with other nations' [C.sup.4] systems is essential. The US, France, United Kingdom, Italy and Germany are in the Artillery Systems Cooperation Activities (ASCA) program to establish and improve the interface between their national artillery [C.sup.4] systems. By adjusting Adler developments over the next few years, the German Artillery will be able to interoperate effectively with its partners.

Development of the second Adler will begin in mid-2003. The new Adler upgrade software program will interconnect with the German Army [C.sup.2]I System.

STAR. The artillery must be able to provide targeting data around the clock and under all weather conditions rapidly enough to engage targets responsively.

Artillery observers with the Ml 13 armored forward observation vehicles closely cooperate with the maneuver units. They receive the calls-for-fire (CFF), forward them to higher level and coordinate the artillery fires in the immediate surroundings of the maneuver forces.

An armored artillery observer vehicle and a lightly armored vehicle will replace the M113s in the near future. This will improve the flexibility and rapid deployment of artillery observers, enhancing artillery support for maneuver.

The Abra battlefield surveillance radar acquires moving targets beyond the range of the artillery observer--out to a range of 38 kilometers. This provides the mechanized commander situational awareness and helps protect the force by preventing surprise attacks. The radar covers open flanks and locates moving targets, both on the ground and in the low-level airspace, day and night, and under all weather conditions.

The Bur ground surveillance radar is being developed with France and will replace Abra, starting in 2008.

As a passive TA system, the German Artillery uses the 064 PC sound-ranging system that can locate artillery and mortars firing out to a range of 15 kilometers. The system's performance is being enhanced by an automated data analysis capability and its integration into Adler. This year, four systems are being retrofitted; another two will follow at a later date.

The development of the Cobra counterbattery radar is a trilateral project: France, the United Kingdom and Germany. It will be able to locate and classify cannons, mortars and, for the first time, rocket artillery out to a range of 40 kilometers. From mid-2003 until 2006, a total of 12 systems will be fielded.

The pre-programmed flight of the CL 289 reconnaissance drone provides precise situational awareness, targeting data and battlefield damage assessment (BDA) out to a range of 170 kilometers. The drone is being upgraded: extending the flight path, which will allow for an increased number of sensor legs as well as the use of radar sensors. These upgrades will be implemented from 2007 to 2011 and will significantly improve the drone's reconnaissance performance.

The new KZO drone for target location will expand German Army TA capabilities. This system will enable situational awareness, targeting and BDA out to a range of 65 kilometers, day and night. The operator will have the option of diverting the pre-programmed flight path of the airborne system to track an acquired target of opportunity until the target is successful engaged. The German Artillery will buy six systems between 2004 and 2007.

Luna, the unmanned airborne close-range reconnaissance system, will be integrated into a platoon of the KZO battery. As an experimental system, the Luna X2000 has been included in the family of reconnaissance assets. After the system is tested and adjusted, it will be used at the brigade level for close-range reconnaissance.

In the initial procurement, the German Army will buy a total of three Luna systems in 2003 and 2004, one of them for the German Special Operations Division. The future German Army structure will require 13 more systems.

The artillery meteorological platoons are integrated into the artillery brigade. They are fully mobile and equipped with the Atmas atmospherical ranging and evaluation system and an upperwind radar system. They provide the integrated artillery system and other users Met messages.

In order to provide accurate Met data with improved time and space validity and to optimize the Met data's use, a global positioning system (GPS)-based radio sensor system will replace Atmas, starting in 2005. This will give the artillery Met section a passive ranging capability and eliminate the need for an upperwind radar, which is an active emitter.

Additionally, the German Artillery will introduce a Met model that will be able to extrapolate weather data differing horizontally and vertically in a defined area in the force's area of responsibility (AOR). This model will be able to provide Met data for not only target and reconnaissance areas, but the entire AOR as well.

Current STAR assets can cover only part of the brigade and divisional AORs. Only after new or upgraded systems are fielded will it be possible to meet all the STAR requirements of the German Army artillery. Most urgent is the improvement of the artillery observer equipment. It plays a key role in fire support in cooperation with maneuver units.

Artillery Weapons and Munitions. Even after 35 years of service, the Ml09A3G howitzer will continue in four active and eight reserve battalions. The M109s underwent a service life extension program (SLEP), upgrading their vehicle power packs and installing an improved shell magazine and additional aids for shell handling inside the howitzer to relieve the crew.

With the introduction of the PzH 2000 howitzer, the German Artillery has made a decisive step toward modernizing its cannon artillery. The German Army already has fielded 185 PzH 2000s. Seven artillery battalions have this new system.

The PzH 2000 has a range of 30 kilometers or out to 38 kilometers using extended-range ammunition. It has fire direction equipment on board and includes a semi-automatic loading process with a 60-round magazine on board. Within 30 seconds of occupation, it can fire three rounds in less than 10 seconds and has a sustained rate-of-fire of 10 rounds per minute.

MARS has ballistic bomblet and mineemplacement projectiles available. Bomblet rockets can engage soft and semi-hard area targets Out to a range of approximately 30 kilometers.

Mine rockets emplace antitank mines with variable-time fuzes that cause the mines to self destruct in three to 96 hours (basically the same as the German Engineer minelayers emplace and similar to the US family of scatterable mines). Emplacing these mines, the Germany Artillery can interdict approaching enemy armored formations Out to 38 kilometers.

There are plans for 84 MARS, as an initial lot, to receive an improved fire control system and azimuth and elevation drives. This will improve MARS' responsiveness, flexibility of operations and logistical supportability.

The German Army has plans for two attack drone batteries to engage hard and semi-hard targets out to 150 kilometers--such as armored vehicles, logistical facilities, helicopters in assembly areas or operational reserves.

Germany, France and Italy are developing the tri-national fiber optical guided missile (TRIFOM). TRIFOM is characterized by pinpoint accuracy, visual target identification with the ability to shift to another target and air transportability. With a range of at least 60 kilometers, it will be suitable for offensive fire in support of medium-scaled conflicts as well as provide intelligence for peace support missions. The experimental program will conclude with a 30-kilometer flight test this year. The fielding date has not yet been decided.

Artillery influences battle mainly through the effects of its munitions. The effects of the entire German Artillery suite of munitions need improving. Starting in 2003, the artillery is buying infrared (IR) smoke shells to blind enemy JR and thermal imaging devices. A new fragmentation shell, the HE Mod 2000, will provide significantly improved fragmentation effects and deeper penetration into infrastructure targets.

An important step is the current procurement of the precision sensor-fuzed munition for the artillery (SMArt). SMArt will be able to destroy semi-hard and hard targets responsively and precisely under all weather and operational conditions. Because SMArt is so effective, it will reduce the logistical burden as compared to conventional munitions. With its ability to attack targets precisely, SMArt also will minimize collateral damage.

In the area of rocket artillery munitions, the guided MLRS rocket (GMLRS) is being developed in cooperation with the US, United Kingdom, France and Italy. Using GMLRS, launchers will be able to engage targets to a range of 60 kilometers precisely, requiring fewer rockets. It will have improved accuracy and a modular design, the latter to incorporate upgrades as technology allows. The German Artillery will begin fielding the GMLRS in 2007. (For more information on the GMLRS, see the article "Transformation-Bringing Precision to MLRS Rockets" by Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey L. Froysland in the March-April edition.)

The German Artillery's current weapons platforms meet minimum range requirements, especially in terms of offensive fires. The M109, for instance, can range only 60 percent of the brigade AOR depth. With the fielding of the PzH 2000, this coverage rises to 80 percent.

With MARS, the divisional AOR only is 50-percent covered. With the upgrade of the MARS launcher, the fielding of GMLRS and the introduction of an attack drone, the German Artillery will be able to provide offensive fires across the entire divisional AOR.

The German Artillery systems achieve enough indirect fire effects against soft and semi-hard targets using the improved high-explosive and bomblet munitions fielded for cannon and rocket artillery. But with the fielding of SMArt, it will be possible to engage semi-hard and hard point targets with minimal collateral damage.

However, these platforms and munitions do not meet all the precision and range requirements for mechanized operations-especially those operations at the lower end of the spectrum of conflict. On the one hand, the artillery must maintain its ability to engage area targets. On the other, it must have the long-range, precision to engage HVTs without causing collateral damage. Both an attack drone and TRIFOM will fill this capability gap.

Conclusion. In its new structure, the German Artillery will have the strength, organization and sustain-ability to support the future German Army in the full spectrum of military operations. By concentrating STAR assets at the battalion level in peacetime, the German Artillery can tailor mission-oriented "recce packages" of efficient systems and qualified teams. Particularly in peacekeeping operations, these essential intelligence and reconnaissance instruments can provide maneuver and national commanders the right information for military decision making.

We in the German Artillery have identified our capability gaps in forward observers, weapons range and standoff, individual target engagement and precision as well as weapon systems for light and medium forces. These gaps will be closed in the medium to long term. Results from experimental projects are emerging and beginning to shape solutions.

But the quality of a branch is not determined only by its organization and equipment. It relies most notably upon well trained, highly motivated and professional leaders and soldiers. We Gunners meet these challenges daily.

With leaders and soldiers, STAR and weapons assets all interconnected via Adler to form the integrated artillery system, the German Artillery today is comparable to any allied artillery and will continue to be so in the future.

Colonel (Promotable) Heinrich Fischer is the Chief of the German Artillery and Commandant of the German Army Artillery Center and School at Idar Oberstein. Among his other assignments, he was the G3 Operations for the II German-US Bi-National Corps in Ulm; Branch Chief of the Federal Ministry of Defense of the German Army Staff in Bonn; Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the German Army Contingent Stabilization Forces (SFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina; and Executive Officer to the Assistant Chief of Staff for Resources in the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium. He commanded Artillery Regiment 7 in Dulmen and Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion 45 at Gottingen. He also is a graduate of the German and Canadian Armed Forces Staff Colleges in Hamburg and Toronto, respectively. Colonel Fischer began his career as a conscript and then attended Reserve Officer Candidate School.