July 2025
Issue brief Rethinking combined arms for modern warfare E. Aaron Brady To conduct all-domain operations, modern warfare requires a new approach to combined arms. The US military should reassess the future composition of its forces, integrating high-end manned platforms with low-end, attritable vehicles.
Bottom lines up front •
Combined arms operations integrate fire and maneuver to consistently place an enemy on the horns of a dilemma, forcing them to choose between two undesirable outcomes.
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Traditionally, combined arms involved coordinating infantry, armor, artillery, and aviation to achieve tactical advantage. However, today’s operational environment demands a different approach.
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The next National Defense Strategy should define the combined arms team of the future as an all-domain force composed of a high-low mix, where advanced manned platforms command swarms of low-cost, autonomous, and attritable or expendable vehicles to deliver firepower and maneuverability.
What is combined arms warfare? Combined arms refers to an approach that, when implemented well, creates a decisive tactical advantage for one’s military. For instance, Alexander the Great won many battles by combining heavy infantry with fast cavalry, creating tactical dilemmas that his enemies could not easily resolve. The modern notion of combined arms emerged in the early twentieth century, particularly during World War I, as militaries learned to synchronize infantry, artillery, armor, and aviation to overcome tactical challenges. The essence of combined arms lies in striking an adversary in multiple ways so that responding to one kind of attack exposes vulnerabilities to another. This is usually discussed in terms of fire and maneuver. For example, consider the basic combination
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of infantry, armor, and artillery. Artillery fire forces the enemy to disperse, but if this fire is combined with an infantry and armor advance, then the enemy must regroup to defend against all elements. This is one example of a dilemma that effective combined arms can produce: The enemy cannot opt for a low-risk tactical option but is instead forced to accept increased risk from either artillery or the infantry-armor combination. Today, combined arms remains essential to achieving tactical success on the battlefield.
Why discuss combined arms instead of JADO? In the last five years, the Department of Defense (DoD) has coalesced around an operational theory for future joint force employment: Joint All-Domain Operations (JADO), an evolution of more service-spe-