Quartermasters Department 6.5 grendel or creedmore) for DMR type weapons. So the question is does effective dismounted mass require an increase from four vehicles per platoon? Id integrate a fourth rifle company from the TA into your battalion too, to train alongside it and to be fully conversant with its people and its methodology. Short answer: Ajax IFV has six seats (link at bottom). 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. 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. A battalion in the Indian Army is commanded by a colonel. [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. The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment is the parent administrative regiment and corps of regular and reserve infantry battalions in the New Zealand Army.It was originally formed in 1947 with a singular Regular regiment and multiple reserve regiments. 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 ? He says at one point that in his Army 2020 organization, The armoured brigade would have Ajax Recce, Chally, Ajax IFV (bye bye Warrior! This would imo truly increase flexibility, fighting power and would it make even more easier to re-role the units. Recon HyperWar: Marine Regiment TO&E (1944) - ibiblio That gives a reduction of 1590 from current strength that could be used for the new bronegruppa. [4] Member nations have stipulated the different names they will use for organizations of this size. However, guarding Buck House entails huge levels of scrutiny screw-ups will be recorded and shared online. Armored DivisionTable of Organization and Equipment. Clambering out of the turret, the other problem I have with this idea of max capacity is that there is no flexibility for transporting additional personnel (for example: terp, MFC, A/Pnr, EOD, blokes whose wagon has been hit, casualties etc) or carrying extra stores. The Company Headquarters is also allocated one senior company Combat Medic who provides second-line, company-level tactical casualty care. The Units As we addressed in an earlier article, any unit is a sum of its parts. Given that kit is cheaper than people in the long run, do we need fire firepower to make up for lack of infantry mass ? 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 appreciate Ive written a lot but have a few more broad questions on future infantry structures and would be curious to hear others views. 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? We already have two dedicated battalions for public duties and what youre really asking is could we make do with just one? Each infantry brigade is equipped and capable of air assault operations. It normally consists of a headquarters and three or more companies. It cant. I think that keeping divisions how they are is the better system and that each of the divisions should be organised into independent battlegroups (with some of their own logistics included) that can be used to bolt onto a heavier or lighter formation as and when required or massed together such as the armored div for a major confrontation. 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. The proposed universal battalion of 690 gives a total of 22080 for 32 battalions, an increase of 3742. 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. Administratively, battalions are subdivisions of regiments. It will include the Commanding Officer, 2IC, Adjutant, Operations Officer, Intelligence Officer, and Training Officer. The central idea in proposing a universal battalion structure is to build it around platoons of 1 + 35 soldiers. 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 ". It is a proposal discussed at length already by a host of military commentators including UKLP. Ill break my reply into a couple of comments. C1: S: 9. The PLA's New Organizational Structure: What is Known - Jamestown It normally has a headquarters company, support company, and three rifle companies (usually, but not always, A, B and C companies). Ground Combat Element (GCE) = Marine Infantry Battalion Landing Team (BLT) Aviation Combat Element (ACE) = Composite . When infantry commanders are able to plan around having 36 soldiers in all circumstances, this is bound to have a positive impact on training, tactics and procedures. A lieutenant general is in command. The Netherlands have four battalions that are permanently reserved for the United Nations, for the purpose of peacekeeping duties. To be true general purpose infantry they would be trained to act together with the tank units which can transport them and then assist them in the fight, but this tank units would be a world for them own and would even in the case of an unit of IFV be an complete seperate unit which could and should also fight for its own if the need arises. Heavy armour battalion 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). battalions A company has anywhere from a few dozen to 200 soldiers. Co. - Boxer and Bushmaster. I agree fully that each section should have its own vehicle for so many reasons. 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. I submit that its the job of the regular army to be equipped to fight small wars, and not to rely on civilians for what might prove an unpopular undertaking. Their highly publicized exploits in basic training and combat in Italy helped . Commando Battalion (joint para/RM group) By having so many different existing battalion structures, it is more difficult to asses overall manning levels. Each Rifle Company had a Heavy Weapons Platoon that was divided into a The battalion is usually part of a regiment, group, or brigade depending on the branch of service. Increased use of the reserves suggests to me that government wants to underpin our foreign adventures on the cheap and at the expense of the regular army. Why did / do we need mass, as in large numbers of infantry boots on the ground ? It will have 6 ambulances, each crewed by 3 personnel, although this may be increased to 8 or 9 for high intensity operations, creating a total headcount requirement of 1 medical officer + 25 other ranks. 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. Platoon-size unit per Division An MEB is one of the standard Marine Air-Ground Task Forces (MAGTF), is commanded by a brigadier general or major general, and consists of command element, a ground combat element (usually one reinforced Marine infantry regiment), an aviation combat element (a reinforced Marine aircraft group including rotary wing, fixed wing, and tiltrotor aircraft), and a combat logistics element (a Marine combat logistics regiment, which includes naval construction forces [Seabees] and naval medical elements). - Given the requirement, identify organizational structure and chain of command within the Marine Corps, per the references. An official website of the United States Government, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. The Anti-tank Platoon typically has 6-8 Javelin ATGM launchers, with each one operated by two soldiers. Getting to Know the Russian Battalion Tactical Group 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. The Universal Infantry Battalion Wavell Room This is will mean better effect of weapons and better for load distribution. In 2016, the Army reorganized its brigades into brigade combat teams, which are autonomous modular brigades that most commonly include one combat arms brigade and its assigned support and fire units. 25th INFANTRY DIVISION (Occupation) During the occupation of Japan from 1945-1950, the 25th Infantry Division retained its triangular WWII organization of three infantry regiments. 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. 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. Mechanised Transport Platoon So that the tanks can seperate from the infantry completly and then act as an force for their own. The Assault Pioneer Platoon is usually comprised of 19 other ranks. Losing this space (currently in the Pl HQ wagon) is a big problem. General Frederick Weyand, from. Medical Centre Officers Mess Staff An infantry platoon might include a weapons squad, which is divided into two M240 machine gun teams, and two close-combat missile teams armed with Javelin missiles. Finally, a REME Detachment will provide repair and recovery services for all Battalion Armoured Vehicles. INSIGNIA The mortar section consists of two Mortar Squads, each with a Squad Leader, Gunner and Ammo Bearer. The Fire Support Company HQ structure is the same as a rifle company, except that it will have1 officer + 15 other ranks. There are four companies to a battalion and four battalions to a regiment. 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? Service Over time, the regiments were turned into battalions, the reserve units amalgamated and more regular units raised and disbanded. Is that a firmed-up concept or is it still at the level of general discussion and possibilities? Four section vehicles each having six dismounts with three crew is 36. AT - I hope so. I dont think I was spoken to once during my six years in the reserves. [24] Normally a battalion is attached to a regiment of infantry, which is organized, as a general rule, of a number of battalions and the regimental centre battalion. Perhaps I am just projecting after all as I am one of those who quietly enjoys drill. This new structure eliminated the need to task-organize companies between battalions; each combined arms battalion was organically composed of the requisite companies. 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). 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/. U.S. Army Light Rifle Company (2020) - Battle Order Achieving A Common Size and Structure for UK Infantry Battalions 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. One company Intelligence Cell [32] A regiment consists of between two and six organic battalions, while a brigade consists of between three and seven separate battalions. In the UK. Price. consists of a Platoon Leader (Second or First Lieutenant), Platoon Sergeant (Sergeant First Class) and Radiotelephone Operator/RTO (Specialist). Great conversation going here, I am squished onto public transit in 30 c temps in Ontario, so please excuse typos ! They can conduct independent operations of limited scope and duration and are usually commanded by a lieutenant colonel. You might be interested to know that my battalion reflects this by rarely having more than five dismounts as a matter of routine! 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. On the LMG, I am sooo old that the LMG imteained on the in the RN was the 7.62 version of the Bren ! Battalion HQ will usually be comprised of 6 officers + 10 other ranks. Light Machine Gun Section and a Mortar Section. Important figures in a battalion headquarters include: Battalions of other corps are given separate cardinal numbers within their corps (e.g., 101Battalion REME). and engineer battalions for each Infantry Division. 06 Vehicle requirements Is this concept outdated ? For dismounted infantry, the US Army is looking at .338 (8.59 mm) medium weight machine guns to provide increased firepower and range. Between 1939 and 1943 the German standard infantry division contained three regiments with a total of nine rifle battalions. I must ask though 1945-1950. A brigade consists of a few battalions and anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers. One suggestion might be to convert the light-role battalions GPMG SF Pl into a MANPADS Pl? Theyre usually responsible for planning and directing campaigns in particular geographic areas. 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. Company Headquarters 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 ? Theyre commanded by a general and are considered self-sufficient for indefinite periods. The discussion has been first -rate too. Teams can serve as a base-of-fire or as a maneuver element. 03 Fire Support Company structure Company - A company was made up of three or more platoons and was commanded by a captain. Battalion - Wikipedia The squad is led by a Squad Leader (Staff Sergeant) and further subdivided into two homogenous fire teams designated Alpha Team and Bravo Team and each led by a Fire Team Leader (Sergeant). UK Infantry battalions have a Fire Support Company with five elements. There are apparently 11 demonstration versions of the Warrior being put through their paces in Dorset. Two teams make up a squad, which has four to 10 soldiers. The Medical Platoon (which establishes a Regimental Aid Post when deployed) will be comprised of 1 medical officer + 19 other ranks. Both 12.7 mm BMGs and 40 mm GMGs are vehicle mounted systems. Therefore, there may be a case to standardise all infantry battalions around a common structure with an identical headcount for each. 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 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. With this in mind, the objective of this discussion is to consider what a universal battalion size ought to be. Under the observation of the Marine Corps. What if you disbanded the reserve artillery regiments and added reserve batteries to your regular regiments? Various members of the platoon will also carry a 9 mm Glock 17 pistol. . An infantry fire team might include two riflemen, one of whom is the team leader; a grenadier and an automatic rifleman, who is used when small reconnaissance or special missions are required. Your email address will not be published. Why are we tethering ourselves to four? Good points. A corps includes two to five divisions with anywhere between 20,000 and 45,000 soldiers. It would be no problem to fit 9 soldiers in a Warrior IFV, Boxer MIV or Bushmaster PMV. Culling BHQs may be good for the budget, but by nowhere near enough to justify trading such depth. Most previous reorganizations focused on reducing the size of the infantry and bloated higher-echelon headquarters, turning over entire organizations, such as the railway corps, to civilian control, and transferring units to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and the People's Armed Police (PAP). Perhaps, but only if we reduced the commitment. A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain).