M9 Armored Combat Earthmover - Employment Concept

Employment Concept

The M9 is capable of performing mobility, countermobility and survivability tasks in support of light or heavy forces. Tasks to be performed are the excavation and preparation/reduction of obstacles, bridging operations, battle positions, strong points, and protective emplacements for command posts, air defense, communications equipment and critical supply/logistical bunkers. Other major tasks will be route clearing and maintenance in conjunction with both defensive and offensive operations.

In Operation Desert Storm the M9 Armored Combat Earthmover (ACE) performed exceptionally well in support of combat operations. The ACE proved to be a successful combination of armored vehicle and combat earthmover that was capable of keeping pace with the manoeuvre units, while providing crew survivability. While not as efficient as the D7 Dozer in earth moving, its ability to move with maneuver forces over several hundred kilometers of desert allowed it to successfully perform a wide variety of missions such as construction of combat roads and trails, survivability positions and berms. It is however, a fallacy that the ACE can move as fast as an M1 or M2. The vehicle is governed to prevent this.

But the training of ACE operators appeared to be inadequate. Operators were unfamiliar with the techniques associated with dozing, scraping, cut and fill ops, and grading. The ACE experienced trouble in reducing the berms associated with Iraqi tank ditches (berm on enemy side). Due to the location of the driver in relation to the vehicle blade, he cannot see the blade or determine when he is about to tip over. The ACE needs a front mounted telescope or a side mounted periscope to overcome this deficiency. The ACE led the way in breaching the border berm between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, and in reducing trench-lines during the assault breach. In both instances the ACE performed extremely well. Problems were encountered, however, due to the ACE's shortcomings. One commander referred to the ACE operator as "Alone, Unarmed, and Unafraid". This highlights the ACE's major shortcomings as a piece of mobility equipment used during direct fire engagements. ACE operators, usually 19 year old PFC's, led the 7th Corps breach into hostile country, alone, unarmed and unafraid. Fortunately, they met with very light resistance. Otherwise, mortality among ACE operators would have been very high. The ACE is a single operator vehicle, without the moral and physical advantages of a crew with an NCO in charge, and without the advantage of a weapon for local suppression. Habitually, maneuver task forces provided two Bradley Fighting Vehicles to protect the ACE during breaching ops. While this is a high price to pay for protection of one vehicle, commanders deemed it necessary for the success of their operations. Commanders felt that the ACE needs an additional crewman and a protective weapon such as a .50 caliber machine gun or the Mark 19 automatic grenade launcher.