This coincided with the U.S. Army's reorganization and implementation of the Brigade Combat Teams (BCT). With the US Army planning to adopt a new 6.8 mm High Velocity Armoured Piercing Ammunition (HVAP), the rest of NATO may follow its lead. HQ Company is comprised of five supporting elements. This allows each platoon to have a total of four GPMGs and 4 DMRs. It would be no problem to fit 9 soldiers in a Warrior IFV, Boxer MIV or Bushmaster PMV. 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. consists of 9 enlisted personnel. While this underwent amendments, most particularly in terms of antitank weapons, its overall structure influenced all subsequent Tables of Organization issued for the Battalion. a crew of three (driver, gunner and commander) plus six dismounts. The armoured brigade would have Ajax Recce, Chally, Ajax IFV (bye bye Warrior! A company is commanded by a captain with a first sergeant as the assistant. We already have two dedicated battalions for public duties and what youre really asking is could we make do with just one? I do think the reserves however have a huge role to play in defending airfields, HQs, dockyards, ammo dumps etc etc. Welfare Office For the rest of reserve infantry I would convert to home defence force non-deployable security force for the UK home base. Each can conduct major tactical operations and sustained battlefield operations. Boxer and Bushmaster. An important issue that has to be maintained are weapons then there are radios. This structure is ideal for counter insurgency operations where there is a focus on foot patrols and other dismounted operations. Several battalions form a regiment or brigade. of the U.S. Army as it exists within the Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT). 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. With eachJavelin vehicle requiring a driver and commander, this creates a headcount requirement of 1 officer + 31 other ranks. 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. I was wondering how you would fill that gap as a matter of urgency. Steven Aftergood 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. Same for Mech Inf, if you are happy to reduce dismounted infantry mass to 22 (36 + 4). Battalions consist of four to six companies and can include up to about 1,000 soldiers. The UK is likely to do the same, but only a limited number of vehicles will get it presumably Anti-tank and Reconnaissance platoons. 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) This would increase the overall costs extreme and such an all-mech-inf force with the ability of the mech-inf to also fight as light inf if the need arises would create a high logistical footprint, high equipment costs and much higher training costs etc. With caveats. They can conduct independent operations of limited scope and duration and are usually commanded by a lieutenant colonel. 3) What about the Royal Marines and the RAF Regiment, which tend to work at company group size? Platoons divided into multiples may opt for a different weapons mix, e.g. The British Army has 32 regular infantry battalions, but six different battalion types. The overall structure defined by sub-unit organisation reflects the fact that protected mobility is now needed more widely. A battalion in the Indian Army is commanded by a colonel. 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. We have discussed these in great detail in prior articles so we will not elaborate here. 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. Table of US Divisions consists of a Platoon Leader (Second or First Lieutenant), Platoon Sergeant (Sergeant First Class) and Radiotelephone Operator/RTO (Specialist). My idea would be here to adept and develope the russian/soviet idea of the Bronegruppa to the extreme. 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. 338 MMGs are going to make GPMG SF obsolete. I think this ORBAT with this weapon allocation redresses the balance of infantrymen equipped to assault and those equipped to suppress as well as giving greater flexiblity and lethality by bridging the gap between it and support weapon platoons. This would give the UK forces also more (and smaller and therefore faster, more agile, better deployable etc) units overall and would therefore increase their flexibility enormous. Rounds and weapon will be heavier for dubious long range body-armour piercing performance. Rocket launcher artillery battalions consisted of a headquarters and headquarters platoon, a service battery and three firing batteries equipped with BM-21 Grads for a total of 255 personnel.[29][30]. Light Role Battalions are likely to need fewer mechanics, so there is room for downward adjustment. An official website of the United States Government, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. 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. These are light infantry, including various light foot units, air assault, and airborne infantry. ORGANIZATION OF THE LIGHT INFANTRY COMPANY . MP - its principal allies and enemies. Generally, the RTO sticks with the Platoon Leader to keep them in constant communication with their squads and company headquarters. If you look only at the bataillon here one should realize that a bataillon because of its small size is very insufficient for any real infantry combat in terrain which is suited for infantry. 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. On the LMG, I am sooo old that the LMG imteained on the in the RN was the 7.62 version of the Bren ! The way my unit does it is to strip kit down to belt kit and daysack for fighting and then have gonk bag in a canoe bag and a single rocket pouch containing admin kit. The Puma HC2 support helicopter, for example, carries 12 personnel, while a CH-47 Chinook can carry an entire platoon. The battalion structure is designed to readily expand to include a fourth rifle company, if required, as described above under battalion organization. Guardsmen and women who get very basic training, plus drill. 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). 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. However, two of the infantry regiments were reduced to two battalions each and their supporting artillery battalions had only two firing batteries. 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. Remember this guy? - Theyre usually responsible for planning and directing campaigns in particular geographic areas. 2019-2023 Battle Order. I know the 60 and LMG are going but if were doing something as radical as new infantry ORBAT then perhaps we can pretend it is done by enlightened headsheds. The Rifle Battalion of October 1940 was superseded beginning in April 1942 by a new Infantry Battalion organization. In 1944 an US Army infantry battalion roughly consisted of 900 men. New Zealands cavalry troops are structured in this way, having 46 soldiers in six NZLAVs (18 crew, 28 dismounts). Infantry mass do we have to give up on this concept ? All infantry ideally would then become mechanised infantry. 2) Would it work for the role of the specialised infantry battalions? Starting in 20052006, the U.S. Army's mechanized and tank battalions were reorganized into combined arms battalions (CABs). It is important to include drivers and vehicle gunners in section ORBATs, because so often they are not specifically catered for in organisational structures. Is this concept outdated ? Date. Theyre generally run by a lieutenant, often with a noncommissioned officer as second in command. I like the idea of having more fire support in Platoon HQ. If push comes to shove, the gunner or commander can do both but it is such a struggle to guide the driver (who has very constricted situational awareness in Warrior), talk on the various nets, look out for anti-armour threats, identify, track and shoot targets and watch out for dismounts and all the other stuff going on from the cramped turret (which was not designed for blokes encumbered by todays mandated PPE). 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. 1 Combat Support battalion. German Organization for Combat, 1944. Have a great day. The infantry community has a problem. The Company Headquarters is also allocated one senior company Combat Medic who provides second-line, company-level tactical casualty care. In my world it would be EAGLE 44 and 66 to have commonality in light and medium protected mobility. The captain is responsible for the direction, training, and welfare of those below him. Moving from the micro to the macro, the organization of the army overall is a little wacky, given the number of infantry battalions youd expect to see simple structures equivalent to ten brigade combat teams, but you dont; Id say this is a worry not just operationally but because it lends itself to questions and to cuts, the fighting and the support units should explain and justify each others existence. In the brochure it is seven. DUI (Please click on the image for a larger version) Changes: Type: Pages. It usually consists of 1 officer + 27 other ranks. Fireteam A fireteam is a small military unit of infantry. However, there is no escaping from the fact that a 40 mm grenade packs much less HE than a 51 mm mortar bomb. The senior of two Squad Leaders is also the Section Leader. Thisproposal is in-line with what rifle companies already have. The Bushmaster I believe is a 2 crew, 10 pax vehicle with some room for stores and kit. To differentiate them from field armies, groups are usually written with Arabic numerals (example - 12th Army Group) as opposed to having their number written out. This structure was used during Operation Banner in Northern Ireland for many years and proved to be extremely effective. 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. I have manunauch silly ideas I can assure you. I agree fully that each section should have its own vehicle for so many reasons. 04 Battalion HQ and HQ Company structure Technical Quartermasters Department Finally, a REME Detachment will provide repair and recovery services for all Battalion Armoured Vehicles. 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. A nominal structure of 1 + 35 soldiers is proposed. * Tows 400-gallon water tank trailer (1-1/2 ton), 1 per company, or M1082 flat bed trailer, 2 per company. 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? 8 bazookas; 3 57mm anti-tank guns; 2 .50 cal and 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. [1] Though I strongly disagree with replacing the Woodentops, it is always good to see non-Guards have a turn. Warrior can only carry four dismounts comfortably with full scales and definitely not more than six so manpower is neutral in armour (you could even have a two man surplus (9+9+9+7=34) who could crew the Coy HQ wagons. Perhaps theres an article to be written somewhere in there, UKLP, especially being an ex veg head? 05 Weapon requirements On a related subject, getting more Infantry into standard modular structured Battalions; how would you feel about an idea I think that was first floated over on Think Defence many years ago moving the ceremonial role over to a specific, non-regular setup ? Are your Pl Comd and Pl Sgt vehicle commanders or are they additional? Anti-drones? A field army consists of two or more corps and is run by a general or lieutenant general. The basic individual weapon in the light infantry battalion was the M14 rifle, while the airmobile unit was authorized M16 rifles. Cross Reference Table that lists the numbered regiments and artillery The first use of the word in English was in the 1580s. This structure also reflects the fact that most NATO IFVs accommodate a total of 9 soldiers, e.g. A battalion comprises two or more primary mission companies which are often of a common type (e.g., infantry, tank, or maintenance), although there are exceptions such as combined arms battalions in the U.S. Army. REME do not just fix vehicles, an Infantry Battalion has a huge amount of other equipment that REME have to support. Thisproposal is in-line with what rifle companies already have. Each fire team consists of the Fire Team Leader, an Automatic Rifleman (Specialist) serving an M249 light machine gun, Grenadier (Specialist) serving an M4A1 carbine and M320 grenade launcher, and Rifleman (Private First Class). 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. Does it belong to WW1 and before ? The Reconnaissance Platoon usually operates 6 vehicles, with each crewed by four soldiers, or 8 vehicles, with each crewed by 3 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. * Each squad is authorized two disposable shoulder-fired munitions (general AT-4s) which would go to the Riflemen. Gimpy is too big and heavy for a section weapon, its hard going over walls/fences/through buildings etc and shouldnt really be fired from any position but the prone, unlike the lighter and more agile LMG. 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? However unlikely it is, I think it is desirable though: replacing CVRT, Warrior and Bulldog with a common base platform would be hugely beneficial. 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. 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. When studying World War 2, a common question that arises is what exactly each army group or unit name means? 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. The battalion organization allows the commander to scale his force to accept like-type additional infantry or intelligence organizations. I agree on the close relationship between regs and reserves, having been in a specialist reserve unit, I have seen it work really well. w!2]ca-wA w+J_i6lG!FUo;d!1OB/nz4JRqsLj$qi0|AHUT*x)soH0rr&G99WPvY:u8h. A common structure with an identical headcore for each bataillon and protected mobility for each of it would therefore create an force which in the case of the UK forces would be to small to fight in closed terrain and would not achieve the necessery critical mass there and to the opposite would not have enough fighting power to achieve victory in open terrain against an more tank heavy but despite of its higher fighting power smaller and therefore more faster and agile enemy force. The GPMG requires a No 2 with binos to maximise the guns effect which is not going to be realised by the crow given the big heavy gun in a section. A sacred cow! The different types of light infantry organizations were all consolidated into the one "Infantry" organization in 2007. It was the only infantry organization from the reserve components to participate in the war. This would fit the MoD whole fleet management. You have robbed Peter to pay Paul. Is that a firmed-up concept or is it still at the level of general discussion and possibilities? This size of unit would do much to increase the deployability and resilience of UK infantry battalions, especially if we could field at least 18 out of 32 battalions with some form of organic protected mobility. and engineer battalions for each Infantry Division. Tri-Service? ), probably Boxer SPH.. 3 regiments with 3 infantry battalions, plus supporting troops. [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. This formation of three infantry battalions, an engineer battalion, an artillery battalion, a cavalry squadron, and a support battalion needs to be restructured to maximize an infantry . The operational Army conducts full-spectrum operations around the world, supported by institutional units. Where does firepower fit into the manning equation ? Administratively, battalions are subdivisions of regiments. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/mhvThis video gives an overview on the structure and organization of an US Army Infantry Battalion in 1944. It normally has a headquarters company, support company, and three rifle companies (usually, but not always, A, B and C companies). 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. After 1882, cavalry battalions were renamed squadrons and cavalry companies were renamed troops. Option B creates three sections of 10 soldiers plus a smaller Platoon HQ of 6 soldiers. Increased range and lethality for less weight will kill off 7.62mm guns in the fire support/ mg section / mg plt role. During World War II, most infantry regiments consisted of three battalions (1st, 2nd, and 3rd) with each battalion consisting of three rifle companies and a heavy weapons company. I think that wider structures, instead of ten BCTs we should look at the French and Australians. Strike battalion 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. Co. - However, what about this suggestion with platoon manning lifted to 36 as follows: Pl HQ: Pl Comd, Pl Signaller, Pl Sgt, Pl Medic. 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. And it is Soldier so of course Warrior 2 is the best thing that ever happened to the Army, https://gdls-aus.com/products/ajax-ifv/ajax-infantry-fighting-vehicle/. . Usually commanded by a major general, divisions are made up of three or four brigades and include 10,000 to 15,000 soldiers. Mortar platoons with 8 or 9 x 81 mm tubes has been proven on many occasions to be sufficient. I think its generally accepted that reserves simply cannot be expected to attain or maintain the same level of professionalism as regular soldiers, because its not their day job, so I posit their embedding with regular formations and should the need arise, the two diluting. However I dont think any future peer to peer (or near peer) conflict will allow us to stand up reserve units as reinforcements, we will go with what we have, they will fight. 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. The 60mm Mortar is a tremendous asset we retire at our peril: not only does it have impressive reach and devastating impact (for a man-portable weapon) but the Boss doesnt have to arrse about queuing (should it be cueing?) 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. Platoon-size unit per Division A dedicated anti-armour team can provide overwatch and have a capability to bridge the section-level short-range NLAW and the Jav Platoon which is overworked and undergunned in the current ORBAT. PHILANTHROPY. 57mm Weapons like the 12.7 mm HMG and 40 mm high velocity grenade machine gun are primarily vehicle-mounted systems. Armored DivisionTable of Organization and Equipment. Over time, the regiments were turned into battalions, the reserve units amalgamated and more regular units raised and disbanded. They may be armed with a M4A1 Carbine with a high power optic, Mk 14 Enhanced Battle Rifle (EBR), M110 SASS, or newer M110A1 CSASS (as of 2018-9). For light role battalions the ISTR company with the recon platoon, assault pioneers, sniper platoon, and hopefully a uav plankton. When you constantly need to juggle different group sizes, theres a risk of not knowing whether you have enough boots on the ground to complete allocated tasks. Are you implying that there is a problem with their professionalism and, therefore, competency? Are ~1,200 troops really needed?? 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. In the U.S. Marine Corps, an infantry or "rifle" battalion typically consists of a headquarters and service company, three rifle, or "line", companies (designated alphabetically A through M depending upon which battalion of the parent regiment to which they are attached) and a weapons company.