"The impact of the M1 tank cannot be overstated; while applying lessons learned from mistakes of the past, this new tank defined tanks and armored warfare for the foreseeable future. It redefined how the U.S. Army thought, planned, trained, and fought. The M1 carried the army into an order-of-magnitude change that ran the gamut of ground warfare. The speed that the army moved across the battlefield was increased, the methods used to supply this faster-moving force were redefined and mastered, the methods used to provide supporting fire from artillery and close-air-support aircraft were redefined and mastered, and the decision-making process used by the leadership at virtually all levels was accelerated. For the first time in history, the U.S. Army had the best tank in the world. The M1 Abrams became the yardstick for foreign countries potential enemies, and friends alike, to measure the capabilities of their own tanks ... the M1 embodied what arguably may be the ultimate balance of the three classic tank design criteria - firepower, mobility, and protection"--Introduction.