I like your idea: dismounted mass needs to be maximised. Armored BCTs (ABCTs) include three armor/mechanized infantry battalions, an armed reconnaissance cavalry squadron, a field artillery battalion, a logistics support battalion, and a brigade engineer . @MikeW The battalion was a standard tactical organization throughout the 20th Century, and overseas deployments were usually done with formations . Mollo, Tranquillo and Joseph Georg Mansfield The Austrian Army in 1798: the Uniform Plates of Tranquillo Mollo and Joseph George Mansfield Contemporary prints of the Austrian Army in 1798. So back to my original question , can firepower and manoeuvre replace infantry mass, at least for armoured infantry units for the missions they will be used for, while maximizing boots on the ground for protected mobility Battalions which would have a different primary mission set ?? The LMG is a good belt-fed weapon up to 400m, perfect for D FT. Leave the general as a pl asset for depth targets and to join the suppressing section to give it big licks when needed. It has also been suggested that rifle companies should acquire 81 mm mortars. At present, infantry battalions have a fourth platoon that provides fire support via GPMGs. .?UF&-b4W[u&SgJ`/24$4jfbH@\t,#QG^*)W&HTSE|:=:pl9xp}u KNv If the light battalions have the current strength of 560 then 28, with the specialised infantry unchanged at 267, gives a total of 16748. The Company Headquarters is also allocated one senior company Combat Medic who provides second-line, company-level tactical casualty care. 1. 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. With this weapon now returned to individual sections, in lieu of the 5.56 mm L110A2 LMG, there is arguably no need for a separate machine gun platoon, especially as platoon vehicles will have a mix of 12.7 mm HMGs and 40 mm GMGs. And sometimes Recruiting Team. These included heavy anti-tank TOW missile platoons, ground surveillance radar sections and man-portable air-defense system sections. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Nominally, an extra GPMG and DMR are proposed, but a light mortar or multi-role 40 mm AGL could be carried instead. This is an excellent weapon. Current divisions include airborne, armored, infantry and mountain divisions. There was no JCompany: the letter J was traditionally not used because in 18th- and 19th-century old-style type, the capital letters I and J looked alike, and were therefore easily confused with one another. This said i think such an general purpose infantry would make much sense especially for the UK despite the higher costs but: i think also, that one of the main arguments with which the author started is a problem here: He said, that the now universal threat of IEDs leads inevitable to the logical result to equip all infantry units with protected (and therefore expensive, heavy, less mobile etc) mobility. 05 Weapon requirements They are also Emergency Care Sergeants and can maneuver with either the Company Commander or First Sergeant. I advocate that dressing up and waving the Colours to the sound of the drums enhances and instils pride and camaraderie tremendously. One suggestion might be to convert the light-role battalions GPMG SF Pl into a MANPADS Pl? Yn a|FKtpW"[I'nJpbR].VB`8~q}RBTw'#g( 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. Either way possibly improving retention and a quality of life issue for regulars who may need some acclimatization to civilian life. The different types of light infantry organizations were all consolidated into the one "Infantry" organization in 2007. Meanwhile the support echelon is led by the Executive Officer, a First Lieutenant who is second-in-command of the company with administrative duties. I have done a similar analysis and share your view that a companys optimal size is 36, after that we deviate for the following reasons: I have a company size of 180 that includes 4 combat combat platoons and a single combat support group (platoon), This replicates at the Battalion level so a battalion 4 combat companies and a single Combat Support Company. Encouraged by his children, Uchida began to write his memoirs when he was in his seventies . The reorganization of the infantry battalion is supported by a campaign of learning, to include wargaming, studies. It also gives Platoon HQ additional firepower that can be allocated to individual sections as required. A British battalion in theatre during World War II had around 845 men; as of 2012, a British battalion had around 650 soldiers. Following the mid-2010s, they typically ride in anOshkosh M-ATV mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle. Are your Pl Comd and Pl Sgt vehicle commanders or are they additional? A common structure with an identical headcore for each bataillon and protected mobility for each of it would therefore create an force which in the case of the UK forces would be to small to fight in closed terrain and would not achieve the necessery critical mass there and to the opposite would not have enough fighting power to achieve victory in open terrain against an more tank heavy but despite of its higher fighting power smaller and therefore more faster and agile enemy force. These are only used in times of large-scale war, such as World War II. While it cant do indirect fire into dead ground the CG is very acccurate and very lethal which I think more than makes up for the reduced number of rounds plts will be able to carry for them. Its important that they are volunteers as far as possible. The UK has a problem with air defence. They are accompanied by the company First Sergeant, a Supply Sergeant, and a Supply Clerk who ride in a M1083 Standard Cargo Truck that tows a 400- or 800-gallon water tank. Im not sure that he can wave farewell to Warrior so easily. Different structures are all very well, but if we needed to deploy a substantial size force in a hurry, there is a risk that we might fail to achieve critical mass. A company consists of three or four platoons and is generally commanded by a captain. Technical Quartermasters Department Is putting the GPMG back Into the section enough to ditch 12.7mm or 40mm GMG from a heavy machine gun platoon in the Support Company ? What I have a problem with is your suggestion to pull one guy out of the turret. 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). Rounds and weapon will be heavier for dubious long range body-armour piercing performance. Morale is low (not unique to Guards but across the Army) for a number of reasons, a big one being that Guardsmen feel they are stagging on without the return of getting a tour in. The centerpiece of the Army's operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the infantry brigade combat team, is in danger of becoming obsolete in the face of near-peer opponents. Also in such an modular overall force you can also much more easily deploy and re-role then only tank units or only infantry units and this would the increase the strategical mobility and the overall flexibility of the UK forces imo very much. 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! I would also go with an old suggestion from Think Defence to use reduced numbers of RM and Para as enablers for light infantry brigades which would provide the bulk of air assault / heliborne ops and amphibious ops. 6 Javelins for dismounts might be enough if we had them fitted to Warrior turrets or RWS, but we dont. 57mm of US Divisions, Corps and independant units that served in Italy. Steven Aftergood The 60mm Mortar is a tremendous asset we retire at our peril: not only does it have impressive reach and devastating impact (for a man-portable weapon) but the Boss doesnt have to arrse about queuing (should it be cueing?) Theyre generally run by a lieutenant, often with a noncommissioned officer as second in command. Administratively, battalions are subdivisions of regiments. That idea could be developed but I dont think it is right for all British infantry. In the 1980s, BAOR armoured infantry units mounted in the FV432 APC routinely had 10-soldier sections. Company, a support unit of a Regiment Could we not then consider having whole crews staying with the vehicle rather than depleting them when the section has to dismount? Its a tactical-sized unit that can perform a battlefield function on its own. I dont mean to bash your idea but I do think that the current system, despite its flaws, is generally fit for purpose. 2) Would it work for the role of the specialised infantry battalions? 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. Why some say Warrior can carry seven and why some say less: Required fields are marked *. A battalion comprises two or more primary mission companies which are often of a common type (e.g., infantry, tank, or maintenance), although there are exceptions such as combined arms battalions in the U.S. Army. Interesting thoughts and ideas covering a few topics. The 100th Infantry Battalion, initially made up almost entirely of Japanese Americans from Hawai'i already in the army prior to World War II, represented the first group of Japanese Americans to see combat during World War II. The size of a regiment could range from 1,000 to 5,000 troops. Increased use of the reserves suggests to me that government wants to underpin our foreign adventures on the cheap and at the expense of the regular army. The Fire Support Company HQ structure is the same as a rifle company, except that it will have1 officer + 15 other ranks. Tactically, battalions are grouped into brigades. So it looks as if the developments for the vehicle are at a pretty advanced stage, making a cancellation of the vehicle and its replacement by the Ajax IFV variant unlikely. Is it time to recognise that for platoons to have sufficient dismounted mass in lower-capacity IFVs we now require five or six vehicles per platoon? The mechanised brigade would have Boxer 120mm TD, Boxer IFV, Boxer SPH. If a rifleman receives the proper training and is skilled enough, they may be designated a squad designated marksman. It is a proposal discussed at length already by a host of military commentators including UKLP. Bye. This is in the interest of reducing the standing commitment to one Guards battalion instead of two. Life would be easier if we had nets so boys could just strap bergens to the outside of the wagon. United States Marine Corps infantry battalions are task organized into Battalion Landing Teams (BLTs) as the ground combat element (GCE) of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). Starting in 20052006, the U.S. Army's mechanized and tank battalions were reorganized into combined arms battalions (CABs). Price. Thanks for the idea. At that time, as it is now, the battalion was organized under the Tables of Organization (TOE) shown below. 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? iRO$[>_kw(y@tpKJd+D82;^*K|3sld\,xAZ|hskBA Canadian battalions are generally commanded by lieutenant-colonels, though smaller reserve battalions may be commanded by majors. 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. Co. - 9 man sections work very well, in effect the section commander is freed up to command 2 Lcpls who then command thier fire teams. This new structure eliminated the need to task-organize companies between battalions; each combined arms battalion was organically composed of the requisite companies. In the Canadian Army, the battalion is the standard unit organization for infantry and combat service support and each battalion is divided into one or more sub-units referred to as companies. Total battalion headcount can be determined by considering how many soldiers are needed within each component unit type. They are structured roughly analogous to an Army or Marine Corps battalion with staff and commanding officers of similar grade and experience. On the LMG, I am sooo old that the LMG imteained on the in the RN was the 7.62 version of the Bren ! While the UKs Warrior previously accommodated three crew plus seven dismounts, after has been upgraded, the need to stow 40mm cased-telescoped cannon ammunition is expected to reduce dismounted section carrying capacity to six. Those regiments consisting of more than one battalion are: Tactically, the Canadian battalion forms the core of the infantry battle group, which also includes various supporting elements such as armour, artillery, combat engineers and combat service support. Sometimes it appeared confusing so I am going to try to straighten it out. It may indeed prove a good idea if explored and developed further but I dont understand what problem you seek to solve nor what the advantages are: it will do nothing for quality of training, Reserve professionalism and competency, morale and retention or, crucially, deployability. An armor or air cavalry unit of equivalent size is known as a squadron. @Jed In my fantasy army its the best allocation of resources. Traditionally, most British regiments have had more than one battalion. Either way, this creates a requirement for 1 officer + 23 other ranks. Recon They may be armed with a M4A1 Carbine with a high power optic, Mk 14 Enhanced Battle Rifle (EBR), M110 SASS, or newer M110A1 CSASS (as of 2018-9). Fired from multi-shot launchers, these can reliably deliver HE at distance. Medical Centre A platoon consists of a few squads and up to a few dozen soldiers. The Combat Medic and Platoon Sergeant are generally paired as the Platoon Sergeant is responsible for coordinating CASEVAC. The HQ company contains signals, quartermaster, catering, intelligence, administration, pay, training, operations and medical elements. In the back of the Warrior 510 are two benches, not individual seats. To be true general purpose infantry they would be trained to act together with the tank units which can transport them and then assist them in the fight, but this tank units would be a world for them own and would even in the case of an unit of IFV be an complete seperate unit which could and should also fight for its own if the need arises. For all modern technology, gunning and commanding really require two people, else you have an ineffective platform. Whilst I absolutely do not think that that is the right way to go, perhaps a shake up of public duties manning is in order? is the close combat element of the Infantry Battalion, with this article specifically covering the Rifle Company as it exists in the Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT). 27 Sep 44. The company overall is led by a Captain infantry officer who travels with a Forward Signal Support NCO and two Radiotelephone Operators (RTOs) who operate and maintain the communications equipment in the company commander post. The battalion is "the smallest infantry organization that can arrange for a concentration of support weapons of different kinds" (War Office training manual, 15 January 1944), and is usually grouped with other units such as armoured regiments or other infantry battalions into higher formations: brigades, divisions, corps, armies and army groups. It just seems a bit of an own goal to me youve got a big powerful IFV that you cant exploit fully. NOTE: This summary of Army Tables of Organization and Equipment includes only combat and directly related major support units. Battalions are tactical and administrative organizations with a limited capability to plan and conduct independent operations and are normally organic components of brigades, groups, or regiments. Short answer: Ajax IFV has six seats (link at bottom). Intelligence Cell A colonel is generally in command. The Bushmaster I believe is a 2 crew, 10 pax vehicle with some room for stores and kit. Light Role Battalions are likely to need fewer mechanics, so there is room for downward adjustment. The fourth MG platoon in each rifle company is removed as GPMG is returned to other platoons. 25th INFANTRY DIVISION (Occupation) During the occupation of Japan from 1945-1950, the 25th Infantry Division retained its triangular WWII organization of three infantry regiments.
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