Phase 1 and 2 training for a Combat Medic is around 40 weeks, compared to 28 for an infantry soldier, and even then they are not allowed to practice unsupervised until theyve completed their class one training (usually a year into their first posting). Each battalion usually consists of the following: In the Soviet Armed Forces, a motorised rifle battalion could be mounted in either BTR armoured personnel carriers or BMP infantry fighting vehicles, with the former being more numerous into the late 1980s. Thanks for the idea. The discussion has been first -rate too. Units This means that you have moved a battalion of Foot Guards out of LONDIST and back into the deployable force thats good, right? Marine infantry regiments use battalion and company designations as described above under World War II, with company letters D, H, and M not normally used but rather held in reserve for use in augmenting a fourth rifle company into each battalion as needed. When studying World War 2, a common question that arises is what exactly each army group or unit name means? Ill break my reply into a couple of comments. We recommend you cite primary sources. Our unit was Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division or C/1/22/4th Inf. Your email address will not be published. It may be worth returning such weapons to infantry sections or having at least one in Platoon HQ. What capabilities are needed? Opportunity for Reservists too? 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. Life would be easier if we had nets so boys could just strap bergens to the outside of the wagon. The newer light weight medium/ long range calibres ( eg. The reorganization of the infantry battalion is supported by a campaign of learning, to include wargaming, studies. So i think to create such an kind of modulare force, a design in which absolut necessary abilities (here protected mobility) are not an organic part of the units, but modular abilities of the overall-forces would truly create a more potent and much more flexible force as every such mech fighting unit which can offer protected mobility for an infantry unit can also offer this to any other infantry unit as the need arises and could also fight for its own seperate from the infantry. Additionally, a Combat Medic (Specialist), Forward Observer (Sergeant), and Fire Support RTO (Specialist) are also typically attached, but are not integral to the unit. When the German armed forces began their invasion of Soviet Union in June 1941 with . Also the logistics and training burden of all the various disposable rocket systems could be removed with CG. Many armies are adding Javelin mounts to their 12.7 mm remote weapon stations. In the Royal Netherlands Army, a mechanised infantry battalion usually consists of one command- and medical company, three mechanised infantry companies, and one support company, which has three platoons with heavy mortars and three platoons with anti-tank missiles (TOW). 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. Current divisions include airborne, armored, infantry and mountain divisions. Considering something like Mali or from our experience Afghan what would the heavy bring to the party? The US Marine Corps already adopts a similar approach to the one described here. Light infantry Battalion @Captain Nemo But war is not about comfort, I know. The Table of Organization (T/O) of the Marine Corps lays out the organizational structure and the equipment required to function. I have proposed just what you suggest in your comment. I dont mean to bash your idea but I do think that the current system, despite its flaws, is generally fit for purpose. 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). We can tailor our forces now for a sustained operation, such as we have done for Bosnia until the present I dont think we need to radically change the div structure just refine the battlegroup concept to reflect the modularity aspect of the force but reataining the mass of the individual capability the heavy, medium and light bring when needed. Thoughts on the Armys Integrated Review Refresh, A Review of The British Armys Regimental System. The problem the Army has is when it wants people to do two jobs at once in two different places at the same time . With a universal size, it is easy to see gaps and to fill them. 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. 2019-2023 Battle Order. There are ways and means around problems though, if I recall correctly when they introduced warrior with its seven seats, they split a section into a four man squad and a three man squad and the warrior became a fire support squad, but therell have to be some very creative thinking with twenty four seats unless you shrink your platoon or fund a fifth and sixth vehicle. With the Dutch artillery units, the equivalent of a battalion is called an afdeling (which translates to "section"). 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. 338 MMGs are going to make GPMG SF obsolete. The BTR battalion also featured an anti-tank platoon with four AT-3 Sagger or AT-4 Spigot launchers and two 73mm SPG-9 recoilless guns; BTR units on high-readiness status sometimes had six missile launchers and three recoilless guns. The weapons platoon would have the mortar platoon, the anti tank platoon, and an assault gun platoon with some sort of wheeled TD or support gun. Officers Mess Staff 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. With common ORBATs, marine battalions can quickly be prepared for the allocated mission. Instead, why cant be we be open to moving beyond the status quo of four vehicles per platoon? on Bushmaster as their ride. Medics require a lot of expensive training and continuous clinical exposure to remain competent, in date, and able to operate in the complex world of modern combat medicine. 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. 1. As you say Marcus part time Medics would not know what there about compared to full time regular army medics, I was told this many a time in my time in the TA/Army reserve/ what ever its called this week, a large number of which tend to work in the NHS and Private Health Care and although my abilities to get the shine of my boot to dazzle the sun, the razor sharp creases in my trousers to cut the RSMs eye balls is very poor, I did 12 years of medical training and working in A&E. This articles argues that it would create a more flexible and potent force as well as making it easier to re-role battalions if a universal, multi-role structure was developed. ), probably Boxer SPH.. With this in mind, the objective of this discussion is to consider what a universal battalion size ought to be. Not combat troops at all, maybe all wearing a common foot guards uniform with the same number of buttons. 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 ". An important issue that has to be maintained are weapons then there are radios. Have the shortfall taken up by a line battalion. 07 Personnel summary. 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. This can either be decided before hand by the squad, or when contact is made the team that makes contact first becomes the supporting element. General Frederick Weyand, from. Storage space is hardly ample; the wagons were designed for blokes to fight from, not live in. Army Infantry Division Infantry Battalion (AEF) of the Infantry Regiment Rifle Company (1917 1921) Army Air Service Monoplace Pursuit Group of the Monoplace Pursuit Wing Monoplace Pursuit Squadron (1918) Marine Regiment Infantry Battalion (AEF) Rifle Company (Sep. 1918) Army Regular Division Regular Brigade Regular Infantry Regiment (1861 1867) The mortar section consists of two Mortar Squads, each with a Squad Leader, Gunner and Ammo Bearer. This has the unfortunate side effect of not creating many TA officers above the rank of major. Should we be looking to bring UAVs to company or even platoon-level? At least in tracked / wheeled armoured infantry ? Company Headquarters A corps includes two to five divisions with anywhere between 20,000 and 45,000 soldiers. Combat companies consist of (usually mechanised) infantry, combat engineers, or tanks. and normally have subordinate units that are identified by single letters (BatteryA, CompanyA, TroopA, etc.). 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 ? 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? One company This assumes light-role units are geared towards lower-intensity than the operations which Armd/Mech Inf will conduct: higher-intensity warfighting with an increasingly potent air threat. 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. 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. 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. For light role battalions the ISTR company with the recon platoon, assault pioneers, sniper platoon, and hopefully a uav plankton. German Organization for Combat, 1944. To put it in perspective Ive never hit a target with 51/60mm and never missed with CG. (d) 3 from auxiliary service. Getting rid of minimi/ LMG was a mistake based on the assumption that medium to long range contacts will dominate future conflicts. [32] A regiment consists of between two and six organic battalions, while a brigade consists of between three and seven separate battalions. You might be interested to know that my battalion reflects this by rarely having more than five dismounts as a matter of routine! - - light cannon, assigned to AT unit Silly idea ? Have a great day. However, two of the infantry regiments were reduced to two battalions each and their supporting artillery battalions had only two firing batteries. Theyre usually responsible for planning and directing campaigns in particular geographic areas. But each platoon then gains four or five extra soldiers. 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. 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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. 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. (just to muddy the waters). 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 . Fantastic comments. It is important to include drivers and vehicle gunners in section ORBATs, because so often they are not specifically catered for in organisational structures. Other corps usually use the term "regiment" instead. 300 BLK ). 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 different types of light infantry organizations were all consolidated into the one "Infantry" organization in 2007. 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. By having so many different existing battalion structures, it is more difficult to asses overall manning levels. Btn - These are light infantry, including various light foot units, air assault, and airborne infantry. Several battalions form a regiment or brigade. The Rifle Battalion of October 1940 was superseded beginning in April 1942 by a new Infantry Battalion organization. The senior of two Squad Leaders is also the Section Leader. 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. 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. Therefore, this exercise will commence by considering how platoons and rifle sections should be organised and how this determines overall rifle company size and structure. This would inevitable change their way of fighting and therefore hinder them to be an true general purpose infantry. @UKLP I fully agree that the infantry platoon needs a manpower uplift. Where does firepower fit into the manning equation ? Reconnaissance Troop, company-size unit ), probably Boxer SPH. 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. Specifically, the transition from the failed 1940 organization to the improved 1941 organization that served the army until the spring of 1943 when finally, the 1943 organization was established. The battalion headquarters is supported by a headquarters and service company (battery). Generally, the RTO sticks with the Platoon Leader to keep them in constant communication with their squads and company headquarters. Jed touched upon it earlier, rekindling Think Defences rather outlandish proposal to create a non-deployable ceremonial unit. 02 Infantry Platoons built around 36 soldiers 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 . This structure also reflects the fact that most NATO IFVs accommodate a total of 9 soldiers, e.g. Given the requirement, identify organizational structure and chain of command within the Marine Corps, per the references. They are not man-portable. One of the most readable and enjoyable articles on defence I have read recently. How can Royal Navy Ship numbers be realistically increased? In turn each rifle company consists three platoons. 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. Each infantry brigade is equipped and capable of air assault operations. 1) What is the total manpower bill of the new proposed battalions compared with the current manpower liability in all infantry battalions? Signals Platoon 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? If the light battalions have the current strength of 560 then 28, with the specialised infantry unchanged at 267, gives a total of 16748. Exellent article and I just thought Id add some thoughts. Title. 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). Indeed, I can see Warrior being used for the next ten, fifteen, even twenty years. For the rest of reserve infantry I would convert to home defence force non-deployable security force for the UK home base. Print Cite. It will include the Commanding Officer, 2IC, Adjutant, Operations Officer, Intelligence Officer, and Training Officer. Therefore, there may be a case to standardise all infantry battalions around a common structure with an identical headcount for each. Remember this guy? 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. SAAB has produced a lightweight version of the Carl Gustav 84 mm recoilless anti-tank weapon. Its a conundrum for,sure. Also, knowing that, whatever the role or the mission, you have 36 soldiers at your disposal is reassuring, because it the efficacy and potency of the platoon becomes a known quantity. , 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. This means for the same total numbers as today we have a far more agile and deployable total force. It could be the primary weapon and role of squaddie per section to be the grenadier. A company is commanded by a captain with a first sergeant as the assistant. 1. Starting Discussions About Defence Issues. Ideally infantry should be carried in tracked IFVs or wheeled MIVs, but even light PMVs are preferable to MAN trucks and Land-Rovers that offer no protection. This allows each platoon to have a total of four GPMGs and 4 DMRs. 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. Fired from multi-shot launchers, these can reliably deliver HE at distance. Boxer and Bushmaster. While the US army will no doubt eventually start fielding thier new 6.8mm super calibre I think 2 rifle calibres in sections will remain wise. Tri-Service? 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. This would lead directly to an to small infantry force wich would not be able to create the said necessary critial mass and also such an infantry would simply not have the overall size which is necessary to fight in an infantry-terrain (like woods, urban etc). This is followed at the brigade level at which point the support scale starts to really kick in. This is an interesting idea, but would impose an increased weight and logistical burden on rifle companies. They will win, or loose. Following the mid-2010s, they typically ride in anOshkosh M-ATV mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle.