Eight is hard enough (the driver helpfully stows his away in the tunnel between him and the gunner although that is likely a death sentence if the wagon brews up or goes underwater). Division Artillery, Motorized, Infantry Division. 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This new structure eliminated the need to task-organize companies between battalions; each combined arms battalion was organically composed of the requisite companies. This is will mean better effect of weapons and better for load distribution. The platoon could divide into two three wagon sub-platoons each having a dismounted mass of 1+6+6? The Department of Defense provides the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security. It seems to be a way of thinking that stems form our past two operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and not from a perspective of a peer/near peer confrontation imo. Moving from the micro to the macro, the organization of the army overall is a little wacky, given the number of infantry battalions youd expect to see simple structures equivalent to ten brigade combat teams, but you dont; Id say this is a worry not just operationally but because it lends itself to questions and to cuts, the fighting and the support units should explain and justify each others existence. In armoured or mechanised formations the vehicle crew would be drawn mostly from Fire Support Section. Operating in pairs, the No.2 will have a L129A1 DMR. Canadian battalions are generally commanded by lieutenant-colonels, though smaller reserve battalions may be commanded by majors. In the late 1980s, there was a fourth "line" company added (DCompany) in most infantry and tank battalions. Just realized your modular multi-role battalion has 42 people less than the current Armoured Infantry battalion establishment who are these 42 peeps and what do they do? Officially, Warrior carries three on the left bench and four on the slightly longer right bench. [1] And yes, this is my ideal platoon properly-resourced as I see it based on recent indeed, current experience. Infantry platoons will typically be divided between four vehicles as they are at present. The Assault Pioneer Platoon is usually comprised of 19 other ranks. battalions To the other side you would then have more bataillons for one type of mission and if you go to another mission again more troops and as the author stated correctly this would lead to an overall more potent, more flexible force and you can also re-role the identical units much more easily. With the US Army planning to adopt a new 6.8 mm High Velocity Armoured Piercing Ammunition (HVAP), the rest of NATO may follow its lead. In this older structure, U.S. Army mechanized infantry battalions and tank battalions, for tactical purposes, task-organized companies to each other, forming a battalion-sized task force (TF). 300 BLK ). Unless you seek to change the structure of Reserve TACOS call-up liability then keeping reserve battalions paired to regular battalions is a good way of being able to generate an extra company of volunteers. All infantry ideally would then become mechanised infantry. 1 x Fire Support Sect: SC, two-man GPMG team, two-man CG/SPIKE SR/C90 anti-tank team and three-man 60mm mortar team. The T/O started out as a chart-like document published by the War Department during WWII, prescribing the organic structure and equipment of units from divisional strength on down to the smallest operational entities . Light Machine Gun Section and a Mortar Section. Teams with special functions may also include officers or warrant officers. The Army overall is about 5000 under authorised strength and an increase to about 7000 under strength does not seem a good change. I submit that its the job of the regular army to be equipped to fight small wars, and not to rely on civilians for what might prove an unpopular undertaking. Another question I have concerns the mention in one of UK Land Powers tweets (I do not use Twitter) that the BAE Rheinmetall Joint Venture could lead to the AS90 155mm self-propelled howitzer being upgraded to Braveheart standard. How would they operate together from a logistical view point? Item No. Also the logistics and training burden of all the various disposable rocket systems could be removed with CG. This would give the UK forces also more (and smaller and therefore faster, more agile, better deployable etc) units overall and would therefore increase their flexibility enormous. of US Divisions, Corps and independant units that served in Italy. A corps includes two to five divisions with anywhere between 20,000 and 45,000 soldiers. A battalion may also contain a combat support company. A heavily loaded German infantry unit marching into a new position on the Eastern Front in 1943. However, the usage of designated marksmen not too common. A British battalion in theatre during World War II had around 845 men; as of 2012, a British battalion had around 650 soldiers. 40mm MV is would be an excellent addition to the ammo mix in sections bit there will be some work for the SASCs to update Pams and traces so unlikely to happen. This creates a requirement for 1 officer + 44 other ranks. Both consisted of a battalion headquarters of 12 personnel and three motorised rifle companies of 110 personnel each, along with a number of combat support units: a mortar battery consisting of eight 120mm 120-PM-43 mortars or automatic 82mm 2B9 Vasileks, an air defense platoon with nine MANPADs, either the SA-7 Grail, SA-14 Gremlin or SA-16 Gimlet, and an automatic grenade launcher platoon with six 30mm AGS-17 launchers. A lieutenant general is in command. INFANTRY AND RIFLE DIVISIONS Infantry divisions remained the backbone of both armies. Ref Technical Quartermasters Department The commander's staff coordinates and plans operations. @MikeW This allows each platoon to have a total of four GPMGs and 4 DMRs. These are light infantry, including various light foot units, air assault, and airborne infantry. (d) 3 from auxiliary service. \ |sZ4U !{s<0 Company It allows Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) to be generated quickly. @UKLP The GPMG Light Role and GPMG Sustained Fire are very different weapons with very different roles and capabilities. An infantry platoon might include a weapons squad, which is divided into two M240 machine gun teams, and two close-combat missile teams armed with Javelin missiles. & Organizations of the Italian Campaign. An armor or air cavalry unit of equivalent size is known as a squadron. The U.S. Army's Infantry Rifle Platoon consists of a platoon headquarters, 3 rifle squads, and 1 weapons squads. This would imo truly increase flexibility, fighting power and would it make even more easier to re-role the units. Light Aid Detachment of troops assigned than an infantry company . HQ for direct fire support would also be nice (dont forget those 10 man BAOR sections in their FV432 had a lot more of them). This means wagons to have space for additional personnel and stores, are all properly crewed and that dismounted mass hits the desired 28 (plus crew 53=15 so 43 total). Given that kit is cheaper than people in the long run, do we need fire firepower to make up for lack of infantry mass ? With a smaller army limited to just 82,000 soldiers, the organisational structure and number of personnel within individual units starts to become very important. It just seems a bit of an own goal to me youve got a big powerful IFV that you cant exploit fully. Several battalions form a regiment or brigade. The ideal solution is to have a 30 mm cannon turret with twin ATGM boxes. I hope so. In the brochure it is seven. I dont mean to bash your idea but I do think that the current system, despite its flaws, is generally fit for purpose. endstream endobj 3745 0 obj <>stream One of the most readable and enjoyable articles on defence I have read recently. Certainly turret-mounted 30 mm or 40 mm cannons are preferred. This would give the heavy infantry battalions more fire power when dealing with more formidable foes. A battalion in the Indian Army is commanded by a colonel. Maybe if you feel they have to, actual Infantry roled Guards Battalions could have more establised posts for SNCOs and junior Officers, who could do rotations with these ceremonial Battalions. That gives a reduction of 1590 from current strength that could be used for the new bronegruppa. This would inevitable change their way of fighting and therefore hinder them to be an true general purpose infantry. Indeed, it is my opinion that four dismounts is all Warrior can really operate with for the dismounts to have any degree of comfort. Moreover, having an SF Pl means that you have more PIDs to play with too, which could be redistributed to REME or Anti-Tanks, both of which should be enlarged in Armd/Mech BGs (as well as the extra personnel in Coy HQs: Warrior Sergeant Major, CQMS(T) etc). The Artillery Gun Module (AGM) on tracks (Donar) or on Boxer has only 3 crew ? With the major reform of its armed forces in 2004, the Swiss Army abandoned the old regimental system and adopted a combat team approach centred on battalions as the building blocks of mission-oriented task forces. fire missions, instead the mortar team is at his immediate disposal. Bear in mind that you have to fit everybodys kit in thats not just kit to fight but to live from. Mechanised Transport Platoon Where does firepower fit into the manning equation ? It could be the primary weapon and role of squaddie per section to be the grenadier. This option maximises dismounted mass. With the 1 + 35 structure, platoons can change their configurations with relative ease. Three rifle companies with 190 men each. The understanding we always had with the TA was that they would fight the big one, the clue was in the name really, well until 2014 at least. I like your idea: dismounted mass needs to be maximised. By embedding these assets at the battalion and brigade levels these organisations get used to working autonomously and are supported by more CSG as each level moves up. You say this would enhance their professionalism. Cross Reference Table that lists the numbered regiments and artillery 2) Would it work for the role of the specialised infantry battalions? I appreciate, cause I found exactly what I was looking for. Two teams make up a squad, which has four to 10 soldiers. Ser. I dont understand why the commando (no bipod) version of the 60mm mortar would be less accurate or more difficult to get rounds on target than a 51mm ? This is in the interest of reducing the standing commitment to one Guards battalion instead of two. Combat medic is attached from the Infantry Battalion Medical Platoon. Increased range and lethality for less weight will kill off 7.62mm guns in the fire support/ mg section / mg plt role. The Quartermasters Platoon will be comprised of support staff whose job it is to manage and distribute material and other resources to each of the rifle companies. In 1944 an US Army infantry battalion roughly consisted of 900 men. The Netherlands have four battalions that are permanently reserved for the United Nations, for the purpose of peacekeeping duties. The infantry community has a problem. The figures given for the number of soldiers carried, number of dismounts etc. If push comes to shove, the gunner or commander can do both but it is such a struggle to guide the driver (who has very constricted situational awareness in Warrior), talk on the various nets, look out for anti-armour threats, identify, track and shoot targets and watch out for dismounts and all the other stuff going on from the cramped turret (which was not designed for blokes encumbered by todays mandated PPE). No one wants a similar video of their cap badge. Anti-drones? The wagons overall capability is diminished because youre tasking a soldier to do two soldiers jobs in an incredibly stressful situation the middle of a firefight! If you want to replace all kind of different types of specialised infantry with only one type of general purpose infantry, the latter will only be as good as the more specialised types today, if not only the structure and size of the bataillons is changed, but also the overall equipment and its underlying doctrine and you also must invest much more in the training of this infantry. However, guarding Buck House entails huge levels of scrutiny screw-ups will be recorded and shared online. The psychological impact of fighting against a platoon with immediate indirect fire capability should not be disregarded nor should the effect of hearing its noise and seeing its explosion. The four companies include three line companies and one H&S; the four battalions include three lines and one H&S. There are always variations to what is the standard breakdown of Marine Corps unit structure. They will win, or loose. For the rest of reserve infantry I would convert to home defence force non-deployable security force for the UK home base. How about a Corps of Infantry ? With eachJavelin vehicle requiring a driver and commander, this creates a headcount requirement of 1 officer + 31 other ranks. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. I know that the manning requirement is already verging on fantasy but maybe pushing it a bit further could give your battalion valuable additional potency? Significantly, you would reduce the Reserve Infantry from 16 battalions to just 33 rifle coys and so lost not just 15 rifle coys but lost all the support weapons specialists and G1/4/6 troops. For historical reasons, armor and Ranger units of brigade size are called regiments, and the equivalent Special Forces units are called groups. The battalion is usually part of a regiment, group, or brigade depending on the branch of service. Considering something like Mali or from our experience Afghan what would the heavy bring to the party? If you look only at the bataillon here one should realize that a bataillon because of its small size is very insufficient for any real infantry combat in terrain which is suited for infantry. Also, knowing that, whatever the role or the mission, you have 36 soldiers at your disposal is reassuring, because it the efficacy and potency of the platoon becomes a known quantity. Boxer and Bushmaster. on Bushmaster as their ride. iRO$[>_kw(y@tpKJd+D82;^*K|3sld\,xAZ|hskBA A platoon of 1 + 35 divides neatly into four sections of 9 soldiers, allowing 7 dismounts per section or your magic number of 28 dismounts total per section. We recommend you cite primary sources. First Army serves as a mobilization, readiness and training command; Third Army, or U.S. Army Central, commands all Army forces for U.S. Central Command; Fifth Army, or U.S. Army North, commands all Army forces for U.S. Northern Command; Sixth Army, or U.S. Army South, commands all Army forces for U.S. Southern Command; Seventh Army, or U.S. Army Europe, commands all Army forces for U.S. European Command; Eighth Army commands all U.S. Army forces in South Korea; and Ninth Army, or U.S. Army Africa, commands all Army forces for U.S. Africa Command. Also not every infantry unit would then need an kind of sister tank unit (because of rotation, because of terrain and so on) and so the number of vehicles for the protected mobility units which could at the same time act as independent fighting units seperate from the infantry could be smaller as if every infantry unit would have its own protected vehicles. equipped with heavy Machine Guns and 81mm Mortars(See chart for However I dont think any future peer to peer (or near peer) conflict will allow us to stand up reserve units as reinforcements, we will go with what we have, they will fight.