The regular army gets guns and spare gun crews to keep them going 24/7. It normally consists of a headquarters and three or more companies. He says at one point that in his Army 2020 organization, The armoured brigade would have Ajax Recce, Chally, Ajax IFV (bye bye Warrior! With a universal size, it is easy to see gaps and to fill them. 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. 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. It was formerly used in the Royal Engineers (before they switched to regiments), and was also used in the now defunct Royal Army Ordnance Corps and Royal Pioneer Corps. That said, mounting guard for a month would I think be novel and exciting and interesting, not least because of the opportunity for the junior ranks to live it up in London. Vehicle tools, pegs for the troop shelter and bits like that that dont live in the side or back bins usually go under the left bench, the right has the hydraulic ram for the back door under it and a big tray for the rations. At that time, as it is now, the battalion was organized under the Tables of Organization (TOE) shown below. 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. The British Army has 32 regular infantry battalions, but six different battalion types. These units are characterized by their lack of integral motorization or mechanization for the entire brigade, and are thus less mobile, but as a result are highly deployable. Four soldiers make up a team a noncommissioned officer and three junior enlisted soldiers. Btn - 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. 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. [32] A regiment consists of between two and six organic battalions, while a brigade consists of between three and seven separate battalions. 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. However unlikely it is, I think it is desirable though: replacing CVRT, Warrior and Bulldog with a common base platform would be hugely beneficial. Division Artillery, Motorized, Infantry Division. A corps includes two to five divisions with anywhere between 20,000 and 45,000 soldiers. What it does do is massively hollow out the capability and capacity of the Reserve Infantry for little tangible gain beyond having a structure which is more aesthetically pleasing on an ORBAT chart. Perhaps, but only if we reduced the commitment. The size of a regiment could range from 1,000 to 5,000 troops. At the armoured end, I believe Boxer is designed to also carry all the kit required for an 8 man section, which does not mean extra seats / space for more stores is not a bad thing with 6 dismounts which takes us right back round to mass of dismounts. 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. 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. 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. Its important that they are volunteers as far as possible. @Jed In my fantasy army its the best allocation of resources. Linked to above hopefully we could afford extra MRV-P APC, lets say Bushmaster, and JLTV to fully equip extra reserve Coys deployed to the motorized infantry. The specialised infantry are acknowledged not to have a primary combat role and if these are left unchanged then the increase is 2050. 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. Maybe Armoured Infantry on Warrior dont need that due to their cannon, maybe Mech Infantry on a Boxer with 12.7mm HMG or 40mm GMG RWS dont need these support weapons, but general purpose Light role do, even if their MRV-P ends up with a 7.62mm RWS, as these are not Armoured fighting vehicles but battle taxis with an MG for self defence. US Army Infantry Battalion Structure & Attack Tactics World War 2 (1944) Yn a|FKtpW"[I'nJpbR].VB`8~q}RBTw'#g( A weapons company with 160 men and a medical detachment with 30 men. For the rest of reserve infantry I would convert to home defence force non-deployable security force for the UK home base. Some would argue that the 40 mm low velocity grenade is a substitute for 51 mm mortars, but maximum range is 300-400 metres not 700-800 metres. @UKLP I fully agree that the infantry platoon needs a manpower uplift. Important figures in a battalion headquarters include: Battalions of other corps are given separate cardinal numbers within their corps (e.g., 101Battalion REME). I further agree that 28 is a good number: four six-strong sections and a four-strong Pl HQ has sufficient flexibility, lethality and survivability (it can absorb casualties, something current AI platoons struggle to do). 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). Every review mentions making increased use of the reserves which sets alarm bells ringing for me. 100th Infantry Battalion. Its a tactical-sized unit that can perform a battlefield function on its own. 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. Cramming ten blokes kit in is a nightmare. Organization of the formations and units of the German Army after the start of the Russian campaign until 1945. They will win, or loose. While this underwent amendments, most particularly in terms of antitank weapons, its overall structure influenced all subsequent Tables of Organization issued for the Battalion. I agree on the close relationship between regs and reserves, having been in a specialist reserve unit, I have seen it work really well. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. 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? This would increase the size of fighting infantry men in the bataillons heavily so that they become numerically sufficient enough for infantry combat and would protect them to become mech-infantry only troops. worn on US uniforms. Encouraged by his children, Uchida began to write his memoirs when he was in his seventies . I advocate that dressing up and waving the Colours to the sound of the drums enhances and instils pride and camaraderie tremendously. * Tows 400-gallon water tank trailer (1-1/2 ton), 1 per company, or M1082 flat bed trailer, 2 per company. Your email address will not be published. German Organization for Combat, 1944 - Feldgrau The structure outlined translates into an overall battalion size of 32 officers + 658 other ranks or 690 soldiers in total. Anti-Tank platoons do that but thats because in the anti-tank variant the left bench is replaced by racks for Javelin LTAs so there really is NO space for personal kit. With a 7.62mm MG, 7.62mm DMR and 6 shot 40mm GL in each section I would not want to follow the Yanks direction to an overly powerful 6.8mm AR for everyone. However, the usage of designated marksmen not too common. In the UK. Nagy, Istvan Austrian Cavalry Dubbed Infantry Battalion Experiment Campaign Plan, or IBX30, the three-battalion effort is part of the Corps' push to reorganize for conflicts with near-peer adversaries by 2030, which the. Sergeants Mess Staff 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? This will also be sufficient to sustain Mechanised Infantry Battalions and Light Role Protected Mobility Battalions. 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. [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. But each platoon then gains four or five extra soldiers. I thought of this after reading your article on assault guns. Such a capability is definitely still needed and there is a strong case to re-instate the 51 mm exactly as it was. In Platoon HQs that have 9 soldiers, the same structure would be adopted, providing an additional machine gun and designated marksman rifle. Fired from multi-shot launchers, these can reliably deliver HE at distance. They are normally identified by ordinal numbers (1st Battalion, 2nd Squadron, etc.) God Bless you man. Indeed, it is my opinion that four dismounts is all Warrior can really operate with for the dismounts to have any degree of comfort. Is this concept outdated ? Basic Organization of the Canadian 'Infantry (Rifle) Battalion' on & Organizations of the Italian Campaign. At a higher level, each armored brigade (formerly designated 'heavy brigade') is now composed of three CABs (versus the two CABs of a former heavy brigade), one reconnaissance squadron, one artillery battalion, one brigade engineer battalion (BEB), and one brigade support battalion (BSB). 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? Because of the protected mobility this general purpose infantry would become to slow, to few and to dependent on specific logistical assets. The Units As we addressed in an earlier article, any unit is a sum of its parts. I think were missing a trick with not using the reserve transition from regular service. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. 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. 9 man sections work very well, in effect the section commander is freed up to command 2 Lcpls who then command thier fire teams. 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. Commando Battalion (joint para/RM group) Life would be easier if we had nets so boys could just strap bergens to the outside of the wagon. After all, the Army Reserve is not the job which pays the bills. HQ Company is comprised of five supporting elements. Sniper platoons use the .338 L115A3 rifle. Have a great day. A battalion is a regimental sub-unit of infantry amounting to between 500 and 1,000 soldiers. For all modern technology, gunning and commanding really require two people, else you have an ineffective platform. With the Dutch artillery units, the equivalent of a battalion is called an afdeling (which translates to "section"). 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. 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. This amounts to 1 officer and 38 permanent enlisted personnel, as well as 3 usually attached enlisted personnel. Two teams make up a squad, which has four to 10 soldiers. The question of multi-shot 6 round revolver type 40mm grenade launchers with MV rounds versus the UGL is a good one. Why is it that everyone thinks being a Medic is something easily relegated to a part time role? It is important to include drivers and vehicle gunners in section ORBATs, because so often they are not specifically catered for in organisational structures. The UK has a problem with air defence. Radio operators, medics and anti-tank weapon operators would carry assault rifles with shorter barrels for reduced weight and increased convenience. Exellent article and I just thought Id add some thoughts. INSIGNIA The thing about 36 is that it divides neatly a number of ways 4 x 9, 3 x 12, 3 x 10 + 6, 4 x 8 +4. The Warrior has two benches how many can you squeeze on? A Logistics Platoon (formerly the Motor Transport Platoon) will be responsible for operating resupply and replenishment trucks. BTGs are part of Russia's tiered combat readiness system. The different types of light infantry organizations were all consolidated into the one "Infantry" organization in 2007. Are your Pl Comd and Pl Sgt vehicle commanders or are they additional? Higher levels are concerned with administration rather than operations. Are ~1,200 troops really needed?? On the LMG, I am sooo old that the LMG imteained on the in the RN was the 7.62 version of the Bren ! You are spot on that dismounted mass should dictate the ORBAT rather than vehicle capacity. Jed touched upon it earlier, rekindling Think Defences rather outlandish proposal to create a non-deployable ceremonial unit. 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? Therefore, there may be a case to standardise all infantry battalions around a common structure with an identical headcount for each. This is why the dismount numbers vary a bench seats however many can fit, a seat is for one. Maybe reserve Infantry can protect reserve loggies delivering stores and ammo. They are also Emergency Care Sergeants and can maneuver with either the Company Commander or First Sergeant. 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. ), probably Boxer SPH. The order of battle shows 101 German infantry divisions and 139 Soviet rifle divisions. Two items that the infantry cannot do without. Each company is commanded by a major, the officer commanding (OC), with a captain or senior lieutenant as second-in-command (2IC). You say this would enhance their professionalism. 40mm is under used in general in my opinion. Usually commanded by a major general, divisions are made up of three or four brigades and include 10,000 to 15,000 soldiers. , 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. Forgive me if this is obvious but I dont know how much youve seen/been in a Warrior. 338 MMGs are going to make GPMG SF obsolete. My conclusion out of this is therefore that the UK infantry should be an general-purpose trained force and also that the headcore and structure of all bataillons should be the same, but that the protected mobility should not be an organic part of the infantry, but organised in an complete different and independent form, in own and indipendent units. They are not man-portable. Someone pointed out that US stryker brigades had been gamed against Russian motorized and were looking at I think 50% casualty rates in under a week. The battalion-level system we have used since WW2, with mortars organised in a separate platoon, still seems to work well. Organization | The United States Army - Army Contracting Command It was the only infantry organization from the reserve components to participate in the war. These are only used in times of large-scale war, such as World War II. In the 1980s, BAOR armoured infantry units mounted in the FV432 APC routinely had 10-soldier sections. a crew of three (driver, gunner and commander) plus six dismounts. Both 12.7 mm BMGs and 40 mm GMGs are vehicle mounted systems. Table of US Divisions SAAB has produced a lightweight version of the Carl Gustav 84 mm recoilless anti-tank weapon. This would give the heavy infantry battalions more fire power when dealing with more formidable foes. There are also support battalions in the Dutch Army, which specialise on a specific task: for example, supplies and transport or communications. 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 . Armored Division Table of Organization and Equipment - GlobalSecurity.org 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. The first use of the word in English was in the 1580s. Light Role Battalions are likely to need fewer mechanics, so there is room for downward adjustment. In this context, a BTG can be defined as a task-organised, combined arms, tactical formation created by a brigade or regiment commander to complete a specific, discrete mission. To take, and then hold ground is the usual answer. Military Unit Organization of the United States - Battle Order A staff sergeant is often in charge. This amounts to 1 officer and 38 permanent enlisted personnel, as well as 3 usually attached enlisted personnel. Military Units: Army - U.S. Department of Defense 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. So Rifle Sections of 9 soldiers would work well. A nominal structure of 1 + 35 soldiers is proposed. 6.5 grendel or creedmore) for DMR type weapons. published by the Department of the Army, May 2018, published by the Department of the Army, April 2016, published by the Department of the Army, October 2016, MCoE Supplemental Manual 3-90 Force Structure Reference Data ". Infantry Headquarter Companys have the following elements: 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. This means units/sub-units pinged would spend a colossal amount of time rehearsing at cost of other training and tasks. 1943 British Infantry Battalion Organization - World War II Wiki 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. Indeed, I can see Warrior being used for the next ten, fifteen, even twenty years. In the Canadian Forces, most battalions are reserve units of between 100 and 200 soldiers that include an operationally ready, field-deployable component of approximately a half-company apiece. 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! Regimental Administration Office As noted above, there is no reason why other weapon types and combinations could not also be used. corporal. So to summarize it up: my suggestion would be to create identical infantry bataillons, but without any organic protected mobility. 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. An official website of the United States Government, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. 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). Platoons moving around the battlefield in MIVs may additionally get the 30 mm M230LF chain gun (the same light cannon used in the Apache attack helicopter). And as i wrote here in this blog in an earlier article especially the UK forces should be as multi-purpose and as flexible and mobile as possible, especially on the stratetigic and operational level. Co - V:Y@|L']$||Cv%r00{: $d[HAXK4;V(53QDS{cnWAFd_kG802C>8J/]'rc|zNgzP[>nr@0; dCR$SPeh!Y2z;aq]3]MQE=$o>\x=B/tcTuNJ,j~^iD}!rq|kWG#4ory6hK ]6~961f3>Dm#| (Please click on the image for a larger version) It is also suitable for Light Role battalions operating on foot. Intermediate ( think 300 blk or 7.62 AK) type calibres optimised for under 300m for carbines and/ or section belt feds. The problem the Army has is when it wants people to do two jobs at once in two different places at the same time . I see that you failed to include the Adjutant Generals Regimental Administration Office Platoon with around 20 personel. I dont think I was spoken to once during my six years in the reserves. So while I have experience of this, and the food ol Gimpy, I have never carted them around In the field. Option B creates three sections of 10 soldiers plus a smaller Platoon HQ of 6 soldiers. Select A Unit From the Menu to Learn More: There are a few distinct exceptions in the structure of each military service. Our Army Structure in Vietnam. One concern about the existing structure is that the third rifle platoon in each infantry company is furnished by the Army Reserve. When it comes to ground combat, infantry mass matters. Given the requirement, identify organizational structure and chain of command within the Marine Corps, per the references. firepower and protection yes (which would possibly be over kill), but at the expense of a massive logistical footprint. 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. Four section vehicles each having six dismounts with three crew is 36. I like your set up for the battalion except for the support company which I think itshould be split into 2. 1 Combat Support battalion. It usually consists of 1 officer + 27 other ranks. 57mm It has also been suggested that rifle companies should acquire 81 mm mortars. 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 ? Same for Mech Inf, if you are happy to reduce dismounted infantry mass to 22 (36 + 4). Thisproposal is in-line with what rifle companies already have. A U.S. Army battalion includes the battalion commander (lieutenant colonel), executive officer (major), command sergeant major (CSM), headquarters staff, and usually three to five companies, with a total of 300 to 1,000[31] (but typically 500 to 600) soldiers. The Infantry Battalion was the basic tactical unit of the ground forces of the Canadian military throughout the 20th Century. The platoon could divide into two three wagon sub-platoons each having a dismounted mass of 1+6+6? These included heavy anti-tank TOW missile platoons, ground surveillance radar sections and man-portable air-defense system sections. Total raised: $5,448,951.00 Total includes user, company, and offsite donations. For purposes of . The elements in the organizational chart for the U.S. Army span from the individual soldier all the way to the largest building block commonly used, the Corps. 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. And yes, this is my ideal platoon properly-resourced as I see it based on recent indeed, current experience. The armoured brigade would have Ajax Recce, Chally, Ajax IFV (bye bye Warrior! It cant. The nine regular force infantry battalions each contain three or four rifle companies and one or two support companies. As we begin to look towards autonomous vehicles, REME support across all battalion types will become more important. I agree fully that each section should have its own vehicle for so many reasons. 6 Javelins for dismounts might be enough if we had them fitted to Warrior turrets or RWS, but we dont. Pins of regiments and artillery battalions that served in 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. Traditionally, most British regiments have had more than one battalion. Starting Discussions About Defence Issues. Their light cavalry troops are even bigger: 50 soldiers in eight LOVs (Pinzgauers). Either way, this creates a requirement for 1 officer + 23 other ranks. 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. Public duties are despised and dont help Guards recruitment really? And sometimes Recruiting Team. 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. Infantry Regiments and Their Commanders 1792 - 1815 The Austrian infantry and their commanders. Where does firepower fit into the manning equation ? 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. A brigade consists of a few battalions and anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers. As a bonus I thought that a closer relationship with reserves at battalion might serve as a nice middle ground, with regulars perhaps choosing that as way out of the service as well as for reserves finding it a way in. Light infantry Battalion 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 ? Also the logistics and training burden of all the various disposable rocket systems could be removed with CG. There are apparently 11 demonstration versions of the Warrior being put through their paces in Dorset. Bear in mind that you have to fit everybodys kit in thats not just kit to fight but to live from. They usually consist of three or more field armies, with about 1 million to 3 million soldiers. 300 BLK ). At least in tracked / wheeled armoured infantry ? In this respect, the number 36 is important, because it allows a range of groupings: 3 x Rifle Sections with 10 soldiers each plus a Platoon HQ of 6 soldiers = 36 total, 3 x Rifle Sections of 9 soldiers each plus a Platoon HQ of 9 soldiers = 36 total, 2 x Rifle Sections of 12 soldiers each plus a Platoon HQ of 12 soldiers = 36 total.