In theory, I'm fine with this effort:
If the stars align for defense contractor SAIC, the US Army and Marine Corps will soon be buying hundreds of armored vehicles designed in Singapore.
Yesterday, six months after joining forces for the first time on the Marines’ Amphibious Combat Vehicle competition – and just four days before the massive Association of the US Army conference opens in DC – Virginia-based SAIC and Singapore Technologies Kinetics officially announced they are teaming up again for the Army’s Mobile Protected Firepower program, a light tank to support light infantry in places where the massive M1 Abrams cannot go.
That's fine. Light infantry needs help if it is to survive against conventional enemies rather than insurgents.
But how many places are there "where the M1 Abrams cannot go?"
Basically you need such light tanks to airlift them or possibly even to air drop them, in order to go into combat very quickly in support of the light infantry helicoptered, airlifted, or parachuted in.
But how many times have we used that capability?
And I include the condition of going into combat quickly. If light infantry deployed quickly doesn't actually go into combat quickly, we have time to ship heavy armor in to support them. I'd rather have Abrams tanks in support of light infantry if we have the time.
So why not practice attaching separate Abrams battalions (or combined arms battalions or even task forces with supporting units) to our light infantry forces (mountain, airmobile, airborne) and our Stryker units?
And we could maintain these separate battalions or task forces for this purpose, with the alternate role of replacing losses in our heavy brigades.
With added protection, the Abrams are still very good.
In World War II, the Army turned our motorized infantry divisions into more potent forces by routinely attaching a tank battalion and tank destroyer battalion. This works.
Face it, heavy is good. Without heavy armor in support, there are a lot of places light infantry cannot go.
UPDATE: My view hasn't changed over the last four years.
