Armor missions

Armor units fight normally as a combined arms force of two or more arms, each complementing the other and aiding the forward movement of the force by employing its own special capa­bilities.

Armor includes tank units, armored cavalry units, and mechanized infantry units, their primary missions being as follows:

1. tank units close with and destroy enemy forces, using fire, maneuver, and shock effect in coordination with other arms;

2. armored cavalry units perform reconnaissance and provide security for the unit to which organic, assigned, or attached, and engage in offensive, defensive, and delaying action as an economy of force unit;

3. mechanized infantry units close with the enemy by means of fire and maneuver to destroy or capture him or to repel his assault by fire, close to combat, and counterattack.

Armor capabilities

Armor is capable of operating throughout the spectrum of warfare, from cold war to general war. Armored vehicles are particularly suited to a nuclear environment because their armor protection reduces significantly the effects on personnel of blast and radiation from a nuclear burst and, even at close ranges to such burst, shields personnel from thermal effects.

Armor's inherent characteristics of mobile firepower, mobility, armor protection, shock effect, and responsiveness to command endow it with an optimum capability for accomplishing the following actions: deep penetration and wide envelopment; exploitation; mobile defense; destruction of enemy armor formations; reconnaissance and security; counter-guerrilla operations; close support of infantry; economy of force; counterinsurgency operations.

Objectives appropriate for the armor units are those that are beyond reach of other forces and that will insure success of the corps or field army missions. In the enemy rear areas armor forces attain great freedom of action as they maneuver to seize terrain; disrupt communication; destroy CPs; missile sites, artillery, and troops reserve; and capture or destroy supplies.

1.	Answer the questions.

1. What are the characteristics of armor?

2. What is the designation of modern armor?

3. Within what force structure does the armor operate?

4. What type of units does the modern armor include?

5. What are the primary missions of armored cavalry units?

2.	Translate words and word combinations into English

Війна, бойові дії, мобільний, система зв’яку, броньована машина, захист, ударна хвиля, радіація, ядерний вибух, бронетанкові війська, ядерна зброя, дії проти партизан, тиловий район.

TEXT 8

Us artillery general characteristics

The artillery is a supporting arm. It acts by fire alone and is not capable of independent action. The artillery is prepared to fire under either nuclear or nonnuclear conditions. The primary mission of artillery is to support the ground-gaining arms by fire, give depth to combat by counter battery fires, attack hostile reserve, restrict movement, and disrupt communication systems and other installations. Antiaircraft (AA) protection is another primary mission of artillery.

The two general types of artillery are field artillery (FA) and air defense artillery (ADA) previously antiaircraft artillery (AAA).