Military Review English Edition November-December 2015 | Page 59

CAVALRY

(Photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Matson, 210th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

Sgt. James Small and Spc. Andreas Plaza, Company A, 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, scan the area from a mountaintop overlooking the Towr Gahr Pass 6 November 2010 in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. The soldiers climbed over a 4,000-foot mountain to visit
Gurem Village for the first time.

confident, only to be destroyed by English longbows—
of which they were aware before the battle but had
not deemed a pressing threat, warranting critical
reflection and reform of force employment. Similarly,
the cavalry branch must adapt—as opposed to just
revisiting old ideas. At the same time, the Army must
adapt by reconstituting the force, which should
include reforming employment of cavalry to face the
primarily urban, decentralized, flatly networked
threats of 2025 and beyond. To that end, the Army
must recognize that asymmetric warfare is not a niche
capability—it is the future. Therefore, it must improve

the force in accordance with two recommendations:
development of specialized, decentralized light
cavalry squadrons capable of detachment in reconnaissance, surveillance, and target-acquisition functions; and development of combined arms maneuver
heavy cavalry squadrons trained and structured to
conduct audacious offensive and defensive operations
and more conventional reconnaissance and security,
especially in forcible-entry situations. Above all, we
must remember to be tactically sound and not
doctrinally bound—in short, to innovate and not be
like those French knights at Agincourt.

1st Lt. Matthew J. McGoffin, U.S. Army, is the executive officer for the Headquarters and Support Company,
Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. He holds a BS in geography
from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. McGoffin is a graduate of the Armor Basic Officer Course and the
Army Reconnaissance Course, and he previously served as a tactical intelligence officer and a scout platoon leader.
He has deployed in support of the Multinational Force and Observers, Sinai, Egypt, and he has worked as a Middle
East and North Africa analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency.
MILITARY REVIEW  November-December 2015

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