56th US Army Artillery Command: Old Name and New Missions
Emblem of the 56th Command, introduced in 1971 and returned in 2021. In the center of the emblem, a Pershing rocket is schematically depicted - the main weapon command in the past.
In the foreseeable future, the US military plans to receive and put on alert its first ground-based hypersonic missile systems. In preparation for the adoption and development of such weapons, various measures are being taken, incl. organizational nature. So, the 56th artillery command of the ground forces has been restored - units under its control will operate promising complexes.
Rocket past
The newly created 56th Artillery Command is a completely new structure. At the same time, it inherits the name and symbolism of the formation that existed in the past. In this regard, the current events are presented as "reactivation" of the previously disbanded command.
History The old artillery command began in 1963, when a unit called the 56th Artillery Group was created on the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany. A few years later, it was expanded to a brigade, and in 1986 it acquired the final status of the field artillery command. By this time, the command was subordinate to four missile battalions (divisions), an infantry battalion, and auxiliary units.
Reactivation ceremony, November 8, 2021
The missile battalions were armed with Pershing ballistic missiles. Thanks to this, the 56th command was a key element in the system of countering the USSR and the Internal Affairs Directorate in the European direction. However, in 1988 the INF Treaty was signed, according to which all Pershing ships were disposed of. Shortly thereafter, in 1991, the no longer needed command was disbanded.
Second formation
In the recent past, the United States began developing a number of ground-based missile and artillery systems. In parallel with the design of weapons, organizational issues were being worked out. In particular, the issue of deploying new complexes in Europe and a corresponding change in the organizational and staff structure of troops has become urgent.
First news on real measures in this direction were received in April 2021. Then the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that an artillery command of a "new look" would be created in the East European direction. However, at that time the exact dates and features of the organization were not named.
Hypersonic complex LRHW Dark Eagle
In August, new information appeared. It became known that the new formation will be created in October, and it will be subordinate to the combined European and African command of the USAREUR-AF army. The structure will be called the 56th Artillery Command, its headquarters are deployed in Germany, in the Mainz-Kastel area of Wiesbaden. Major General Stephen J. Maranian was to be in command.
The ceremonial "reactivation" of the command took place in Wiesbaden on 8 November. During this event, General Maranian stated that the latest developments are of great importance to USAREUR-AF. The restoration of artillery command increases the potential of the army during multi-medium operations. So, it will be possible to combine the efforts of different fire weapons under the jurisdiction of the regional command.
Estimated potential
According to known data, the newly formed 56th Artillery Command is still only a headquarters and does not have attached units and subunits. At the same time, the necessary training has already been carried out, and the new command is included in the contours of command and control in Europe and Africa. Accordingly, it is ready to take certain forces and means under its control.
One of the first LRHWs in the army and its operators, October 2021
It can be expected that in the near future, the 56th Command will control the existing artillery battalions equipped with the current barrel and rocket systems. Such a reorganization will greatly simplify the management of artillery and increase the effectiveness of its use, both independently and together with other means.
In the recent past, it has been repeatedly said that the new command will in the future include promising missile systems that are still at the development stage. It is likely that new divisions of the optimal composition will be formed or "reactivated" to operate them. Accordingly, the 56th command will ensure the full integration of these units into the USAREUR-AF structure.
At the level of versions and assumptions, the most daring ideas are being expressed so far. So, in the foreign media, the possibility of turning the 56th command into the main control body for all US missile forces and artillery in Europe and Africa is being considered. However, such versions have not yet been confirmed or refuted.
Typhon complex
Waiting for weapons
Of all the weapons that may fall under the jurisdiction of the new 56th command, the most interesting, for obvious reasons, are promising hypersonic missile systems. Currently, several such models are being developed for the US missile forces and artillery, and in 2023 the first of them should be on alert. It is very likely that the deployment of such weapons will begin precisely from Europe - from units subordinate to the 56th Artillery Command.
First of all, an LRHW or Dark Eagle medium-range hypersonic missile system is expected. It will be a towed launcher system for two missiles. The ammunition for the LRHW is built on the basis of the AUR missile and receives a C-HGB hypersonic warhead. In flight, such a unit will develop a speed of at least 5M, and the firing range will reach 2775 km. LRHW is already being studied by the troops, and flight tests will begin in the near future.
Another promising project is known under the Typhon code. It will be a mobile complex with semi-trailer launchers, carrying four containers for vertical launch. The main ammunition will be the SM-6 anti-aircraft missile, converted into a ballistic missile. The performance characteristics of such a complex have not yet been reported.
PrSM missile tests
Also in 2023, the PrSM missile system may be on duty. Its basis is the ballistic missile of the same name with a flight range of more than 500 km, compatible with launchers of the M142 MLRS. It is not hypersonic, but it has its own advantages and will have to complement a new generation of weapons.
A growing threat
Thus, the United States continues to strengthen its army contingent in Europe to counter the "Russian threat". The next step in this direction is the restoration of the previously disbanded 56th artillery command. In the foreseeable future, we should expect new changes in the organizational and staff structure of the troops, as well as the supply of promising weapons, incl. fundamentally new classes.
The consequences of such measures for the military-political situation in Europe are obvious. The United States and NATO openly speak of their desire to oppose and contain Russia, which does not contribute to an improvement in the international situation. The emergence of new formations and formations with advanced weapons will become an additional negative factor.
In fact, the 56th command and its future materiel will become a new threat to our national security. Accordingly, the Russian army will be forced to take military retaliatory measures, and foreign politicians will again declare them aggression. However, it seems that Washington considers such negative processes admissible and acceptable - and launches the reorganization and rearmament of the European contingent.
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