Meanwhile the support echelon is led by the Executive Officer, a First Lieutenant who is second-in-command of the company with administrative duties. 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. As we begin to look towards autonomous vehicles, REME support across all battalion types will become more important. One company (b) In principal belongs to the auxiliary service. So Rifle Sections of 9 soldiers would work well. These included heavy anti-tank TOW missile platoons, ground surveillance radar sections and man-portable air-defense system sections. In the 1980s, BAOR armoured infantry units mounted in the FV432 APC routinely had 10-soldier sections. We recommend you cite primary sources. This is in the interest of reducing the standing commitment to one Guards battalion instead of two. none: 6-10-1 . The commander's staff coordinates and plans operations. Theyre generally headed by a four- or five-star general. The word battalion came into the English language in the 16th century from the French language (French: bataillon meaning "battle squadron"; Italian: battaglione meaning the same thing; derived from the Vulgar Latin word battalia meaning "battle" and from the Latin word bauttere meaning "to beat" or "to strike"). Option B creates three sections of 10 soldiers plus a smaller Platoon HQ of 6 soldiers. 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 ?? Each infantry brigade is equipped and capable of air assault operations. corporal. Or what is not getting done in the modular battalion ? If not six wagons as I suggested previously, maybe four section vehicles plus a Pl HQ wagon? endstream endobj 3745 0 obj <>stream Is that a firmed-up concept or is it still at the level of general discussion and possibilities? Indeed, I can see Warrior being used for the next ten, fifteen, even twenty years. This set up allows the squad to fire and maneuver at the same time, with one team able to act as a "support" element and the other as an "assault" element. Did your article mention or show pictures of the benches being kept or are they being replaced by seats? ~T,=y-2ZxKx FrV{^=bB&T* u \' UUplpD_&e\ Arty - Artillery I suppose they might have a home defence role or be trained as medics or something, but they would be on a specific contract and would not be deployable. In between are the intermediate elements of Army organization, including the squad, platoon, company, battalion, brigade and division. This would prevent your rifle sections from becoming overburdened and also allow greater autonomy at company level, perhaps creating miniature battlegroups akin to French SGTIAs. This essentially gives us a diamond structure with a centralised support function for each unit and is creates a fully contained self supporting unit at battalion level that has everything it needs, crucially this structure allows for every battalion in the force to have 1 company at high readiness, 1 training up, 1 coming off and 1 at rest and this can revolve in 3 or 6 month cycles. They are normally identified by ordinal numbers (1st Battalion, 2nd Squadron, etc.) The discussion has been first -rate too. Theyre commanded by a general and are considered self-sufficient for indefinite periods. Officially, Warrior carries three on the left bench and four on the slightly longer right bench. Forgive me if Ive misunderstood, but I dont see how counting drivers makes for a bigger platoon, surely we should be counting dismounts, which given the ever shrinking number of seats and the ever increasing size of our soldiers should be 28. a crew of three (driver, gunner and commander) plus six dismounts. Why some say Warrior can carry seven and why some say less: You might be interested to know that my battalion reflects this by rarely having more than five dismounts as a matter of routine! With all these components, a battalion is the smallest military unit capable of "limited independent operations".[1]. The division had also an antitank and . [27][28], A Soviet artillery battalion in the late 1980s consisted of a battalion headquarters, a headquarters platoon, a maintenance and supply platoon and three firing batteries, each with six artillery pieces, whether the self-propelled 2S1 Gvozdikas or the towed D-30 howitzers, and numbering 260 personnel or 240 personnel respectively. Ref 27 Sep 44. For historical reasons, armor and Ranger units of brigade size are called regiments, and the equivalent Special Forces units are called groups. confronting an adversary such as the Russians in eastern Europe would require heavy and medium armour with the ability to mount a mobile defence via mobility and counter mobility along with long range fires etc what would the light brigade bring to this party? For purposes of . The infantry brigade combat team, as of 2014, contains 4,413 soldiers and is organized around three battalions of infantry. Regimental pride is at stake. However, forces in Eastern Europe began to standardize to a smaller formation with 135 personnel and 31 tanks total, with each tank company consisting of 10 tanks total. The basic platoon structure of the Universal Battalion assumes that individual riflemen within sections will be equipped with the 5.56 mm L85A3 assault rifle (SA80) including two soldiers with 40 mm UGLs. A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). The proposed universal battalion of 690 gives a total of 22080 for 32 battalions, an increase of 3742. This would inevitable change their way of fighting and therefore hinder them to be an true general purpose infantry. At present, infantry battalions have a fourth platoon that provides fire support via GPMGs. A battalion in the Indian Army is commanded by a colonel. Your email address will not be published. All infantry ideally would then become mechanised infantry. With successive rounds of cutbacks after the war, many infantry regiments were reduced to a single battalion (others were amalgamated to form large regiments that maintained multiple battalions, e.g., the Royal Anglian Regiment). [24] Normally a battalion is attached to a regiment of infantry, which is organized, as a general rule, of a number of battalions and the regimental centre battalion. They are numbered and assigned missions based on their structures. It is important to include drivers and vehicle gunners in section ORBATs, because so often they are not specifically catered for in organisational structures. In Platoon HQs that have 9 soldiers, the same structure would be adopted, providing an additional machine gun and designated marksman rifle. fire missions, instead the mortar team is at his immediate disposal. This is followed at the brigade level at which point the support scale starts to really kick in. Such a doctrine would also change the very nature and character of many infantry units which would then become mech-inf and therefore their thinking, their self-understanding, their military culture and so on will change. 3) What about the Royal Marines and the RAF Regiment, which tend to work at company group size? Do we have to acknowledge the British Army lacks mass on any scale and that includes the dismounted close combat platoon ? Generally, the RTO sticks with the Platoon Leader to keep them in constant communication with their squads and company headquarters. These are: The Mortar Platoon typically operates 8 or 9 mortars each with a crew of 4 plus a Mortar Fire Controller for each detachment of 2 mortars. The U.S. Army also created independent tank battalions to attach to infantry divisions during World War II in order to give them fire support. Without the institutional Army, the operational side cant function. These include leading the quartering partya forward echelon that prepares an assembly area for the company's arrivalcoordinating sustainment and CASEVAC, and aiding in coordination with different echelons of command. Considering something like Mali or from our experience Afghan what would the heavy bring to the party? While this underwent amendments, most particularly in terms of antitank weapons, its overall structure influenced all subsequent Tables of Organization issued for the Battalion. In the UK. The other support company would have the assault pioneers and the 2-3 anti tank platoons. The article gives the numbers and personnel strengths of each type of battalion. With common ORBATs, marine battalions can quickly be prepared for the allocated mission. 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. Section commanders can step back without having to control 3 privates whilst planning his sections manouver. "[3] The standard NATO symbol for a battalion consists of a pair of vertical lines placed above a framed unit icon. 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. 6 Battalions of Foot Guards (armoured infantry), 6 battalions of The Light Infantry 6 Battalions of The Fusilliers (Mech infantry in Boxer) and 18 Battalions of The Rifles ? I appreciate Ive written a lot but have a few more broad questions on future infantry structures and would be curious to hear others views. Whereas In a peer conflict youre going to lose and need a lot of people very quickly and youre probably going to find the army reserve faster than youre going to find the regular reserve. Either way, this creates a requirement for 1 officer + 23 other ranks. NOTE: This summary of Army Tables of Organization and Equipment includes only combat and directly related major support units. 6.5 grendel or creedmore) for DMR type weapons. @Captain Nemo Division Artillery, Motorized, Infantry Division. The nomenclature varies by nationality and by branch of arms, for instance, some armies organize their infantry into battalions, but call battalion-sized cavalry, reconnaissance, or . Fireteam A fireteam is a small military unit of infantry. Instead, why cant be we be open to moving beyond the status quo of four vehicles per platoon? The Infantry Battalion was the basic tactical unit of the ground forces of the Canadian military throughout the 20th Century. If so, the Army Reserve has undergone an immeasurable transformation over the past ten years. Mortar platoons with 8 or 9 x 81 mm tubes has been proven on many occasions to be sufficient. 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? Currently, infantry companies have a fourth fire support platoon equipped with 7.62 mm L7A2 GPMGs. A field army consists of two or more corps and is run by a general or lieutenant general. There are pouches hanging off the turret cage. The HQ company contains signals, quartermaster, catering, intelligence, administration, pay, training, operations and medical elements. While we. That idea could be developed but I dont think it is right for all British infantry. This creates a requirement for 1 officer + 44 other ranks. Born on the island of Kauai, he moved to Honolulu to go to high school but left before he graduated to take a job at the Halekulani Hotel where he was working when he was drafted in 1941. If Warrior was to go, is there a reason for not looking at the KF41 Lynx rather than Ajax? But different battalions of the same regiment have seldom fought together. Of course it is doable but cramming seven blokes in the back is a right palava not only for the troops but for all their kit! I like your idea: dismounted mass needs to be maximised. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/mhvThis video gives an overview on the structure and organization of an US Army Infantry Battalion in 1944. The basic platoon structure of the Universal Battalion assumes that individual riflemen within sections will be equipped with the 5.56 mm L85A3 assault rifle (SA80) including two soldiers with 40 mm UGLs. 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. As far as anti-tank weapons are concerned, these tend to be issued according to the threat faced. The battalion was a standard tactical organization throughout the 20th Century, and overseas deployments were usually done with formations . 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. You say this would enhance their professionalism. Great conversation going here, I am squished onto public transit in 30 c temps in Ontario, so please excuse typos ! On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Getting rid of minimi/ LMG was a mistake based on the assumption that medium to long range contacts will dominate future conflicts. By having so many different existing battalion structures, it is more difficult to asses overall manning levels. The Sniper platoon usually consists of eight sniper pairs or 16 other ranks. Are ~1,200 troops really needed?? consists of a platoon headquarters, 3 rifle squads, and 1 weapons squads. The Civil War led to the establishment of the first American staff school in order to train officers in the art of order transmission and execution. Does it belong to WW1 and before ? With this in mind, the objective of this discussion is to consider what a universal battalion size ought to be. Item No. However unlikely it is, I think it is desirable though: replacing CVRT, Warrior and Bulldog with a common base platform would be hugely beneficial. Theyre generally run by a lieutenant, often with a noncommissioned officer as second in command. No, I hesitated on the TA bit because it sounded derogatory, but note that I said enhance their professionalism, not that they were unprofessional. @UKLP The GPMG Light Role and GPMG Sustained Fire are very different weapons with very different roles and capabilities. Infantry Headquarter Companys have the following elements: 04 Battalion HQ and HQ Company structure Strike battalion Remember this guy? Weapons like the 12.7 mm HMG and 40 mm high velocity grenade machine gun are primarily vehicle-mounted systems. A United States Marine Corps battalion includes the battalion headquarters, consisting of the commanding officer (usually a lieutenant colonel, sometimes a colonel), an executive officer (the second-in-command, usually a major), the sergeant major, and the executive staff (S-1 through S-4 and S-6). I agree fully that each section should have its own vehicle for so many reasons. In the United States Army, a battalion is a unit composed of a headquarters and two to six batteries, companies, or troops. C FT with SC and three riflemen, D FT with 2IC, UGL, SS, LMG (ASM/NLAWs if appropriate). The fourth MG platoon in each rifle company is removed as GPMG is returned to other platoons. In the back of the Warrior 510 are two benches, not individual seats. The Reconnaissance Platoon usually operates 6 vehicles, with each crewed by four soldiers, or 8 vehicles, with each crewed by 3 soldiers. that serves 2 M224 60mm light mortars for indirect fire support. My preferred direction is to to look at a common organisation for the Armoured and Mechanised infantry, and a different organisation for light infantry including air assault. Building on Captain Nemos comments: in solving the problem of dismounted infantry mass the starting point should be what is the minimum number of dismounts sufficient not how do we fit more troops and firepower into four vehicles. A corps includes two to five divisions with anywhere between 20,000 and 45,000 soldiers. If they are vehicle commanders of two of the four section vehicles then when they dismount their vehicle gunner will have double workload. I would like to see the Hirtenberger 60mm mortars purchased under UOR deployed at least in the Rifle Company HQ, more for smoke and illumination rather than HE. Company, a support unit of a Regiment Culling BHQs may be good for the budget, but by nowhere near enough to justify trading such depth. 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? The current infantry rifle platoon organization is identical to the infantry, air assault, and airborne rifle platoon organizations listed in the Change 1 of FM 7-8 published in 2001. If its not can we at least work round it by concentrating on fire and manoeuvre? I dont understand what problem having a light, medium and heavy brigade in a division solves. Should we be looking to bring UAVs to company or even platoon-level? The Bushmaster I believe is a 2 crew, 10 pax vehicle with some room for stores and kit. The French and Germans have them at infantry-company level and the Australians have a surveillance section as part of their recce platoons. An MEB is one of the standard Marine Air-Ground Task Forces (MAGTF), is commanded by a brigadier general or major general, and consists of command element, a ground combat element (usually one reinforced Marine infantry regiment), an aviation combat element (a reinforced Marine aircraft group including rotary wing, fixed wing, and tiltrotor aircraft), and a combat logistics element (a Marine combat logistics regiment, which includes naval construction forces [Seabees] and naval medical elements). A division would consist of 2 Brigades and a CnC org (900) there would be 8 Divisions bringing the deployable combat force to 79.2k with an army HQ (4.5k) and Support division of 22.5k personnel inc. Army reserve backing this all up. 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). A colonel is generally in command. Administratively, battalions are subdivisions of regiments. We have discussed these in great detail in prior articles so we will not elaborate here. 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 . A nominal structure of 1 officer + 19 other ranks is proposed. Select A Unit From the Menu to Learn More: There are a few distinct exceptions in the structure of each military service. Intermediate ( think 300 blk or 7.62 AK) type calibres optimised for under 300m for carbines and/ or section belt feds. Same for Mech Inf, if you are happy to reduce dismounted infantry mass to 22 (36 + 4). [26], Prior to the late 1980s, Soviet tank battalions consisted of three tank companies of 13 T-64, T-72 or T-80 tanks each, along with a battalion headquarters mounted in a command tank and a headquarters and service platoon, for a total of 165 personnel and 40 tanks; battalions using the older T-54, T-55 or T-62s tanks had 31 or 40 additional enlisted personnel. Cross Reference Table that lists the numbered regiments and artillery and normally have subordinate units that are identified by single letters (BatteryA, CompanyA, TroopA, etc.). It also gives Platoon HQ additional firepower that can be allocated to individual sections as required. God Bless you man. Following the mid-2010s, they typically ride in anOshkosh M-ATV mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle. Unfortunately, the third rifle platoon is not present in peacetime, but is furnished by the Army Reserve should a battalion deploy on operations. In 1944 an US Army infantry battalion roughly consisted of 900 men. 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. However, guarding Buck House entails huge levels of scrutiny screw-ups will be recorded and shared online. This will lead to higher costs per bataillon and therefore to higher overall costs. With eachJavelin vehicle requiring a driver and commander, t. As noted above, there is no reason why other weapon types and combinations could not also be used. Title. So while I like your idea of a standard, basic, modular structure, it seems very typically British in that it appears under-gunned compared to allied nations ? Now that the GPMG has been returned to rifle sections, a separate, fourth fire support platoon is no longer needed. Battalions consist of four to six companies and can include up to about 1,000 soldiers. 1. 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 . A sacred cow! These are: The Communications Platoon (formerly the Signals Platoon) is primarily designed to support Battalion HQ by providing C4I services and radio operators. The different types of light infantry organizations were all consolidated into the one "Infantry" organization in 2007. By specifically including them, you ensure that the total number of dismounts is not diluted. How about a Corps of Infantry ? For light role battalions the ISTR company with the recon platoon, assault pioneers, sniper platoon, and hopefully a uav plankton. New Zealands cavalry (which would be considered mechanised infantry in the British Army) do this, having 46 soldiers and six NZLAVs per Cav Tp. Option C Platoon divides the platoon into three groups (or multiples) of 12 soldiers. 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. In the brochure it is seven. Could we not then consider having whole crews staying with the vehicle rather than depleting them when the section has to dismount? Cramming ten blokes kit in is a nightmare. (c) distributed as required when regiment is broken-up in detachments. However, it differed from the light infantry platoons, which lacked a weapons squad and had 2 M240 teams in the platoon headquarters, and the ranger rifle platoon, which lacked Javelins in its weapons squad. To deal with 3 points infantry mass, use of TA, and number of vehicles, which are all interconnected: 1. Does this need a full battalion or just a Company? Tri-Service? Mortar platoons with 8 or 9 x 81 mm tubes has been proven on many occasions to be sufficient. on Bushmaster as their ride. No one wants a similar video of their cap badge. The basic individual weapon in the light infantry battalion was the M14 rifle, while the airmobile unit was authorized M16 rifles. One concern about the existing structure is that the third rifle platoon in each infantry company is furnished by the Army Reserve. Other corps usually use the term "regiment" instead. In the TA i carries both L85A1 and Browning 9mm. Teams with special functions may also include officers or warrant officers. Italy. The battalion is usually part of a regiment, group, or brigade depending on the branch of service. 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. Traditionally, most British regiments have had more than one battalion. 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? The Army currently has 13 Active Component and 20 National Guard IBCTs. Rotate one Guards Bn posted as public duties resident Bn (another 560 troops under current ORBAT or 690 under UKLPs Universal ORBAT) This means that you have moved a battalion of Foot Guards out of LONDIST and back into the deployable force thats good, right? @Captain Nemo Canadian battalions are generally commanded by lieutenant-colonels, though smaller reserve battalions may be commanded by majors. If it isnt possible to reintroduce 51 mm, then a lightweight 60 mm mortar could be an option. The size of a battalion could range from 500 to 1,500 troops. 1. I was throwing around the idea of top slicing the TA and just plugging companies into existing battalions with the intention that it would enhance their professionalism and that they could pull through the three regular companies as casualty replacements. * Each squad is authorized two disposable shoulder-fired munitions (general AT-4s) which would go to the Riflemen. Individual sections may carry between one and four NLAW disposable ATGMs. A battalion usually contains two to five organic companies (batteries in the artillery), with a total of 500 to 1,200 Marines in the battalion. If additional, theyll require their own wagon with the necessary extra personnel as crew. The Assault Pioneer Platoon is usually comprised of 19 other ranks. This coincided with the U.S. Army's reorganization and implementation of the Brigade Combat Teams (BCT). within a Battalion was designated as a Heavy Weapons Company and it was I think we missed a trick not going for the much lighter 7.62 version of the Minimi, buts a new purchase and would cost a lot more than just re-issuing old stocks of L7. Both featured the same support units as well, with a signal platoon, supply platoon, repair workshop and medical aid station. 3-battalion and can be augmented by 1 for every battalion in excess of 3. Given the requirement, identify the elements and generic employment missions of a . 37mm .?UF&-b4W[u&SgJ`/24$4jfbH@\t,#QG^*)W&HTSE|:=:pl9xp}u KNv equipped with heavy Machine Guns and 81mm Mortars(See chart for The mechanised brigade would have Boxer 120mm TD, Boxer IFV, Boxer SPH. The infantry organizational structure existing in 1969 was well suited to the strategy and tactics of flexible . Gary Uchida was an original member of the 100th Infantry Battalion. Anti-drones? Are your Pl Comd and Pl Sgt vehicle commanders or are they additional? The Army overall is about 5000 under authorised strength and an increase to about 7000 under strength does not seem a good change. Ultimately, this discussion is about maximising Boots on the ground. It can best be achieved by ensuring that British infantry units are structured around ground combat roles that ensure responsiveness and efficiency, rather than being organised according to financial constraints. Our unit was Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division or C/1/22/4th Inf.
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