Rounds and weapon will be heavier for dubious long range body-armour piercing performance. When studying World War 2, a common question that arises is what exactly each army group or unit name means? Organization of the formations and units of the German Army after the start of the Russian campaign until 1945. Again, organisational structure is important. 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. I think were missing a trick with not using the reserve transition from regular service. You have ended my four day long hunt! Are/were you Guards, Captain Nemo? I basically used six as a starting point in the interests of standardization because six dismounts seems to be where heavy IFVs are heading and so a six man section seems rational unless youre happy to play musical chairs on arrival and it means you can task one section in a vehicle; presuming you can pull one guy out of the turret you max out at 28 dismounts which is the traditional platoon size. 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. In January 2006, the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry was reactivated at Fort Riley under the U.S. Army's new "modularity" concept as an element of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. endstream endobj 3744 0 obj <>stream The division had also an antitank and . 04 Battalion HQ and HQ Company structure The specialised infantry are acknowledged not to have a primary combat role and if these are left unchanged then the increase is 2050. 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. The Universal Infantry Battalion by Nicholas Drummond August 29, 2019 With a smaller army limited to just 82,000 soldiers, the organisational structure of its component units and the number of personnel within individual sub-units starts to become very important. One suggestion might be to convert the light-role battalions GPMG SF Pl into a MANPADS Pl? Could we not then consider having whole crews staying with the vehicle rather than depleting them when the section has to dismount? Many regiments of all types are operating well below their headcount caps, meaning that very few battalions operate with the same number of soldiers. Light Aid Detachment Arty - Artillery After 1882, cavalry battalions were renamed squadrons and cavalry companies were renamed troops. 2019-2023 Battle Order. The nine regular force infantry battalions each contain three or four rifle companies and one or two support companies. NOTE: This summary of Army Tables of Organization and Equipment includes only combat and directly related major support units. Battle Order We have personally given to the UNHCR's efforts to help those affected by war in Ukraine. Perhaps, but only if we reduced the commitment. Ill add defence inflation here, everything costs a fortune and will cost more, all the time do more with less, how much will the reserves get? It allows Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) to be generated quickly. Im not sure that he can wave farewell to Warrior so easily. A heavily loaded German infantry unit marching into a new position on the Eastern Front in 1943. 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. If youre looking to increase platoon strength without greatly increasing overall numbers Id eliminate the support company and draw its manpower and vehicles down from battalion, possibly adding two dedicated support sections to a platoon. That might work for armoured Infantry or Boxer based mechanized infantry, where the infantry are close protection for armoured vehicles, or their closely supporting artillery firepower. Intelligence Cell 1. While Light Role battalions will primarily operate on foot, they will still need all-terrain vehicles that support them in the field. Three platoons of 36 soldiers would need to be supported by a Company HQ comprised of the Company Commander, Company 2IC, CSM, CQMS, two storemen, two clerks, two radio operators, four drivers, and two runners. corporal. The size of this sub-unit must be sufficient to support the tracked vehicles of Armoured Infantry battalions, so a Detachment structure of 1 officer + 37 other ranks is proposed. . Troops in IFVs will additionally benefit from 40 mm CT40 cannons and 7.62 mm chain guns for support. Anti-drones? The infantry community has a problem. It normally has a headquarters company, support company, and three rifle companies (usually, but not always, A, B and C companies). I thought of this after reading your article on assault guns. , Specialist (OR-4), armed with 1 60mm Mortar and 1 M9/M17 Pistol, , Private First Class (OR-3), armed with 1 M4A1 Carbine, , Sergeant (OR-5), armed with 1 M4A1 Carbine. The Reconnaissance Platoon usually operates 6 vehicles, with each crewed by four soldiers, or 8 vehicles, with each crewed by 3 soldiers. 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. You say this would enhance their professionalism. Battalion HQ will usually be comprised of 6 officers + 10 other ranks. Is that a firmed-up concept or is it still at the level of general discussion and possibilities? SAAB has produced a lightweight version of the Carl Gustav 84 mm recoilless anti-tank weapon. 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. This structure also reflects the fact that most NATO IFVs accommodate a total of 9 soldiers, e.g. The current active corps are I Corps at Fort Lewis, Washington; III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas; and XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. 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. 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? How would they operate together from a logistical view point? A step in the right direction? Canadian battalions are generally commanded by lieutenant-colonels, though smaller reserve battalions may be commanded by majors. The next level up is the Infantry Battalion (IBCT) which consists of a Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3 Rifle Companies (this) and a Weapons Company. So to summarize it up: my suggestion would be to create identical infantry bataillons, but without any organic protected mobility. 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. The Specialised infantry battalions should be a separate discussion because of their different role and very different strength. Battle Order is for informational purposes only. It is worth noting that the current model of the Army Reserve infantry actually achieves the endstate you seek already: generating an additional rifle company as well as generating an additional section per specialist platoon. of troops assigned than an infantry company . An important issue that has to be maintained are weapons then there are radios. It is estimated that a typical Armoured infantry or Mechanised Battalion will operate around 90 IFVs or MIVs and have an additional 60 support vehicles including MRVPs for command and liaison, MAN 44 trucks plus MAN 44 fuel trucks for resupply, and MAN Recovery vehicles. Medical Centre Yn a|FKtpW"[I'nJpbR].VB`8~q}RBTw'#g( However unlikely it is, I think it is desirable though: replacing CVRT, Warrior and Bulldog with a common base platform would be hugely beneficial. In the 1980s, BAOR armoured infantry units mounted in the FV432 APC routinely had 10-soldier sections. This would truly maximise the boots on the ground and moreover at the same time the tanks in the open and moreover the overall agility, speed, deployability and so on because of smaller units sizes for both the infantry and the Bronegruppa Tank Units (which are complete seperate independent units) which then can assist them if the need arises. 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. Such companieslack integral motorization or mechanization, but are all capable of air assault operations and often operate motorized, although the entire IBCT cannot motorize all at once. 40mm is under used in general in my opinion. Have a great day. 1. Is this concept outdated ? Intermediate ( think 300 blk or 7.62 AK) type calibres optimised for under 300m for carbines and/ or section belt feds. They are not man-portable. 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. 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. These mortars can be fired either from anM170 Bipod or by hand. It is also suitable for Light Role battalions operating on foot. Thoughts on the Armys Integrated Review Refresh, A Review of The British Armys Regimental System. 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. it would have a very vulnerable breaching capabilty and 105mm arty that is out ranged and very vulnerable to counter battery fire. The infantry battalion was a key structure in the Royal Army and thus its structure went through a fair few changes during the course of the war. Does this need a full battalion or just a Company? It would be no problem to fit 9 soldiers in a Warrior IFV, Boxer MIV or Bushmaster PMV. There are combat arms battalions, as well as combat support and combat service support battalions. 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. Forgive me if this is obvious but I dont know how much youve seen/been in a Warrior. 03 Fire Support Company structure Are you implying that there is a problem with their professionalism and, therefore, competency? battalion. of the two vehicles seem to vary somewhat according to which source you use. Individual sections may carry between one and four NLAW disposable ATGMs. Anti-Tank The three commanders of the U.S. forces during the Vietnam War were: General William Westmoreland, from 1964 to 1968. Did your article mention or show pictures of the benches being kept or are they being replaced by seats? For purposes of . Should we be looking to bring UAVs to company or even platoon-level? With that in mind Id suggest four sections of six, so that everyone off a given platform is on the same page, four sections could also divide neatly down the middle with its vehicles to give two patrols of twelve under a platoon sergeant and a platoon leader respectively. Company, a support unit of a Regiment 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. Fired from multi-shot launchers, these can reliably deliver HE at distance. Both were organized along similar lines. PHILANTHROPY. It has been estimated that only 1/3 of a division actually served as combat infantrymen---the remainder were command, support, artillery, etc. Thisproposal is in-line with what rifle companies already have. If so, the Army Reserve has undergone an immeasurable transformation over the past ten years. For light role battalions the ISTR company with the recon platoon, assault pioneers, sniper platoon, and hopefully a uav plankton. A company consists of 3-4 platoons and is part of a battalion. none: 6-10-1 . The Sniper platoon usually consists of eight sniper pairs or 16 other ranks. Perhaps in Armd/Mech it could even be comverted into a 120mm Mortar Pl, complementing the 81mm which can struggle in the faster-moving and dispersed Armd battle? [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. 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? 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. Various members of the platoon will also carry a 9 mm Glock 17 pistol. The Army overall is about 5000 under authorised strength and an increase to about 7000 under strength does not seem a good change. & Organizations of the Italian Campaign. Units Date. I like your set up for the battalion except for the support company which I think itshould be split into 2. 2019-2023 Battle Order. Operating in pairs, the No.2 will have a L129A1 DMR. This is vital. 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. A second issue is the now universal threat of IEDs, which means that all deployed infantry units need some form of protected mobility. I dont understand what problem having a light, medium and heavy brigade in a division solves. Following the mid-2010s, they typically ride in anOshkosh M-ATV mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle. Is heating/air con being installed? Lynx can carry 8 dismounts and would allow us to really increase the mass of the armored infantry withot adding to vehicle numbers in any significant way. These are: The Communications Platoon (formerly the Signals Platoon) is primarily designed to support Battalion HQ by providing C4I services and radio operators. The basic building block of military capability is the infantry section. I have proposed just what you suggest in your comment. A corps includes two to five divisions with anywhere between 20,000 and 45,000 soldiers. 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 ? Beginning in the early 1980s, some elements of the combat support companies (the mortar and scout platoons) were merged into the headquarters company with the staff and support elements, others were moved to their parent type organization (ground surveillance radar and air defense), and in infantry battalions the heavy anti-tank missile platoon was organized as a separate company (ECompany). A field army consists of two or more corps and is run by a general or lieutenant general. @Jed In my fantasy army its the best allocation of resources. - The US Marine Corps already adopts a similar approach to the one described here. MP - [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. Boxer and Bushmaster. They are numbered and assigned missions based on their structures. The following is the current organization ofthe. Weapons companies do not receive a letter designation. 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. How can Royal Navy Ship numbers be realistically increased? It was common for a battalion to become temporarily attached to a different regiment. 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. Such a capability is definitely still needed and there is a strong case to re-instate the 51 mm exactly as it was. Why are we tethering ourselves to four? Have the shortfall taken up by a line battalion. In deployment in current year, it would be common for a Light Rifle Company to be equipped with 4 MRAPs per platoon and 2 MRAPs per headquarters section. Our Army Structure in Vietnam. If it did by any chance happen, though, I wonder if UK Land Power could tell me whether it would make a difference to his manning arrangements. After all, the Army Reserve is not the job which pays the bills. 01 Introduction This would inevitable change their way of fighting and therefore hinder them to be an true general purpose infantry. Print Cite. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. To deal with 3 points infantry mass, use of TA, and number of vehicles, which are all interconnected: 1. 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. I like the idea of having more fire support in Platoon HQ. Ground Combat Element (GCE) = Marine Infantry Battalion Landing Team (BLT) Aviation Combat Element (ACE) = Composite . UK Infantry battalions have a Fire Support Company with five elements. Each type of brigade ( infantry or airborne infantry) has the same basic organization. I need to add a section on weapons. (just to muddy the waters). Total raised: $5,448,951.00 Total includes user, company, and offsite donations. At least in tracked / wheeled armoured infantry ? These include light infantry (foot), airborne and air assault units. If the mortar setup is still the same as it used to be, isnt that 6 x 81mm in peace time plus 3 from TA for full war time deployment strength ? Man-portable drones and UAVs could be battle-winning assets. Changes: Type: Pages. One of the most significant changes in military structure was the introduction of the United States Colored Troops in 1863, the first official military integration policy. (RP0102) 2. I must ask though In a trentch or a building 5.56mm belt feds are superb. Consider too the fact that soldiers are bigger now and less flexible in such cramped space, having bulky rigid body armour, helmets, belt kit and the ubiquitous daysack which did not factor to the same extent when Warrior was designed. I of course being TA/Army reserve would have any idea how to be a Regular Army medic keep my medical competencies up etc as I do the job five days a week and not spend an inordinate about of time counting tent pegs. Battalion sizes vary between branches. Gymnasium Each company is commanded by a major, the officer commanding (OC), with a captain or senior lieutenant as second-in-command (2IC). Secondly, top-slicing the Army Reserve and a Regular-Reserve integrated ORBAT: I struggle to see what the problem is you seek to solve and what the advantages are of integrated Reserve companies compared to the current system. I am not going into the argument about a Battalions manning however the REME manning is open to question. This would fit the MoD whole fleet management. This coincided with the U.S. Army's reorganization and implementation of the Brigade Combat Teams (BCT). No one wants a similar video of their cap badge. This structure is ideal for counter insurgency operations where there is a focus on foot patrols and other dismounted operations. And modeling and simulation. Because of the protected mobility this general purpose infantry would become to slow, to few and to dependent on specific logistical assets. And to the opposite for open terrain which is tank friendly the said general-purpose all-mech infantry would be more expensive than simple tanks without infantry which would dominate the open terrain against such infantry as the more numerous enemy infantry would rule the closed terrain against the to few of the general-purpose bataillons because the number of infantry outside the vehicles would become much lower if you include all this vehicles in an infantry bataillon. These are: At one end of the spectrum, Armoured infantry battalions are well-resourced with 732 soldiers, while Specialised Infantry battalions have just 267, but this is for training and mentoring, not a primary combat role. 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. The discussion has been first -rate too. 9 man sections work very well, in effect the section commander is freed up to command 2 Lcpls who then command thier fire teams. Company For purposes of clarity, this display is simplified through the elimination of numerous headquarters, maintenance and other support units which are normally attached to or associated with the listed combat units [despite the well known fact that amateurs talks tactics while professionals talk logistics]. Officers Mess Staff This where I would fit the reserve infantry into the mix, sticking with 1 inf battalion providing 1 Coy on the 1 in 3 rotation to their twinned regular battalion for the regular motorized inf Battalions. Thisproposal is in-line with what rifle companies already have. This means instead of giving every infantry unit organic protected mobility, i would even take the units that have such now this vehicles and would create own fighting units out of them which are then part of the tank troops. 02 Infantry Platoons built around 36 soldiers 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. Over time, the regiments were turned into battalions, the reserve units amalgamated and more regular units raised and disbanded. And a Canadian infantry (rifle) battalion, in an armoured division, was organized, and consisted of: - a Battalion headquarters of six officers and 54 other ranks - a Headquarters company of five officers and 94 other ranks, within - a company headquarters - a signal platoon - an administrative platoon Equally, it can be used for vehicles that have a larger carrying capacity than IFVs, e.g. [33] That is, rifle companies A, B, C along with heavy weapons CompanyD were part of the 1st battalion, rifle companiesE, F, G, and heavy weapons CompanyH constituted the 2nd battalion, and rifle companies I, K, L, and heavy weapons CompanyM were in the 3rd. Often these will be stored in vehicles until needed. The Warrior has two benches how many can you squeeze on? Maybe have the armoured corps supplying the vehicle crews in a similar way to the Mastiff group on Telic? Ser. Or fortunate, as you will. I think that wider structures, instead of ten BCTs we should look at the French and Australians. Platoons divided into multiples may opt for a different weapons mix, e.g. 06 Vehicle requirements In addition to the primary mission companies, a battalion typically includes a headquarters staff and combat service support which may be combined into a Headquarters and service company. A battalion's subordinate companies and their platoons are dependent upon the battalion headquarters for command, control, communications, and intelligence, and the battalion's service and support structure. Instead of an ISTR platoon it there would be a mort company with 3 platoons with 120mm mortars, plus a patrol platoon combining the sniper and recon platoons, and finally a UAV company. 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 take, and then hold ground is the usual answer. An infantry battalion, logistical battalion, combat battalion, and the Netherlands Marine Corps all have a battalion structure. The order of battle shows 101 German infantry divisions and 139 Soviet rifle divisions. I can understand not having an SF Pl in armoured and mechanised battalions because the loss of firepower is offset by 30mm but in light-role battalions it is a battle-winner, especially in the defensive battle! I have always been rather sceptical that public duties require two battalions plus the incremental companies. If we have multi role divisions, then does this not theoritically make a third of your div redundant for any given operation? And sometimes Recruiting Team. The UK bought the 60 mm Hirtenburger mortar as a UOR weapon, but, in standard form, it proved to be too heavy and needed too much ammunition to get on target. Select A Unit From the Menu to Learn More: There are a few distinct exceptions in the structure of each military service.