infantry battalion organization chart infantry battalion organization chart

For purposes of clarity, this display is simplified through the elimination of numerous headquarters, maintenance and other support units which are normally attached to or associated with the listed combat units [despite the well known fact that amateurs talks tactics while professionals talk logistics]. This option also ensures that each section within a platoon has a dedicated vehicle driver and gunner. Could we not then consider having whole crews staying with the vehicle rather than depleting them when the section has to dismount? @Jed In my fantasy army its the best allocation of resources. @UKLP The GPMG Light Role and GPMG Sustained Fire are very different weapons with very different roles and capabilities. However, your suggestion of four rifle sections will require even greater manpower to maximise effect. 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. Infantry mass do we have to give up on this concept ? This structure was used during Operation Banner in Northern Ireland for many years and proved to be extremely effective. Thisproposal is in-line with what rifle companies already have. The infantry brigade combat team, as of 2014, contains 4,413 soldiers and is organized around three battalions of infantry. Bye. 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. The Sniper platoon usually consists of eight sniper pairs or 16 other ranks. Why are we tethering ourselves to four? 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. 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. In the U.S. Marine Corps, the brigade designation is used only in "Marine Expeditionary Brigade" (MEB). Or what is not getting done in the modular battalion ? Your email address will not be published. I thought of this after reading your article on assault guns. Your fantasy FF2020 is pretty much identical to mine, but I want three brigades of each type, for 1 in 3 rotation cycle. The first use of the word in English was in the 1580s. Theyre generally run by a lieutenant, often with a noncommissioned officer as second in command. This means instead of giving every infantry unit organic protected mobility, i would even take the units that have such now this vehicles and would create own fighting units out of them which are then part of the tank troops. 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! This structure also reflects the fact that most NATO IFVs accommodate a total of 9 soldiers, e.g. So Rifle Sections of 9 soldiers would work well. . Combat companies consist of (usually mechanised) infantry, combat engineers, or tanks. I agree fully that each section should have its own vehicle for so many reasons. Mechanised Transport Platoon 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. While it cant do indirect fire into dead ground the CG is very acccurate and very lethal which I think more than makes up for the reduced number of rounds plts will be able to carry for them. 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). corporal. Co. - That gives a reduction of 1590 from current strength that could be used for the new bronegruppa. For light role battalions the ISTR company with the recon platoon, assault pioneers, sniper platoon, and hopefully a uav plankton. 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. Whereas In a peer conflict youre going to lose and need a lot of people very quickly and youre probably going to find the army reserve faster than youre going to find the regular reserve. Achieving A Common Size and Structure for UK Infantry Battalions, Learning from how our Allies armies are organized, Matching Brainpower with Firepower - The British Armys new Ranger Regiment, A modern Royal Navy ASW corvette based on the WW2 Flower-Class, The 10 Most Significant US Aircraft of World War 2, Armoured Infantry battalions -732 personnel, Mechanised Infantry battalions -709 personnel, Light Infantry battalions 560 personnel, Air Assault Infantry battalions 662 personnel, Specialised Infantry Battalions 267 personnel, Public Duties Infantry Battalions 560 personnel, Armoured Infantry Battalions IFV (Warrior) 6 battalions, Mechanised Infantry Battalions MIV (Boxer) 6 battalions, Light Protected Mobility Battalions LPPV / MRVP (Foxhound / JLTV / Bushmaster) 6 battalions. Small rationalisations made across other Support units help reduction. 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. Lynx can carry 8 dismounts and would allow us to really increase the mass of the armored infantry withot adding to vehicle numbers in any significant way. Beginning in the early 1980s, some elements of the combat support companies (the mortar and scout platoons) were merged into the headquarters company with the staff and support elements, others were moved to their parent type organization (ground surveillance radar and air defense), and in infantry battalions the heavy anti-tank missile platoon was organized as a separate company (ECompany). How about a Corps of Infantry ? In armoured or mechanised formations the vehicle crew would be drawn mostly from Fire Support Section. Starting Discussions About Defence Issues. [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. 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). 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. Some armies are looking at 40 mm medium velocity grenades to reach-out to 800 metres. The UK is likely to do the same, but only a limited number of vehicles will get it presumably Anti-tank and Reconnaissance platoons. A battalion in the Indian Army consists of four rifle companies. [4] Member nations have stipulated the different names they will use for organizations of this size. So to summarize it up: my suggestion would be to create identical infantry bataillons, but without any organic protected mobility. So while I have experience of this, and the food ol Gimpy, I have never carted them around In the field. Though I strongly disagree with replacing the Woodentops, it is always good to see non-Guards have a turn. The Specialised infantry battalions should be a separate discussion because of their different role and very different strength. 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. I like the idea of having more fire support in Platoon HQ. 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I appreciate, cause I found exactly what I was looking for. it would have a very vulnerable breaching capabilty and 105mm arty that is out ranged and very vulnerable to counter battery fire. 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. 3 x Rifle Sect: eight soldiers. Why did / do we need mass, as in large numbers of infantry boots on the ground ? Intermediate ( think 300 blk or 7.62 AK) type calibres optimised for under 300m for carbines and/ or section belt feds. @Captain Nemo Ill add defence inflation here, everything costs a fortune and will cost more, all the time do more with less, how much will the reserves get? This would imo truly increase flexibility, fighting power and would it make even more easier to re-role the units. I cant upload pics but their SOIs are on AKX if you have access to it and are interested. @Captain Nemo The basic This is because a battalion's complement of ammunition, expendable weapons (e.g., hand grenades and disposable rocket launchers), water, rations, fuel, lubricants, replacement parts, batteries, and medical supplies normally consists of only what the battalion's soldiers and the battalion's vehicles can carry. To put it in perspective Ive never hit a target with 51/60mm and never missed with CG. Many armies are adding Javelin mounts to their 12.7 mm remote weapon stations. Select A Unit From the Menu to Learn More: There are a few distinct exceptions in the structure of each military service. It is worth noting that the current model of the Army Reserve infantry actually achieves the endstate you seek already: generating an additional rifle company as well as generating an additional section per specialist platoon. Perhaps, but only if we reduced the commitment. This amounts to 1 officer and 38 permanent enlisted personnel, as well as 3 usually attached enlisted personnel. ORGANIZATION OF THE LIGHT INFANTRY COMPANY . 1. 6 Javelins for dismounts might be enough if we had them fitted to Warrior turrets or RWS, but we dont. Strike battalion Instead, why cant be we be open to moving beyond the status quo of four vehicles per platoon? Here to Germany Army Unit Organisation 1939-41. 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. Anti-Tank They would free up the Battalions and companies now assigned to this role to shore up the numbers in real Battalions . Other ranks will include the RSM, Drill Sergeant, Chief Clerk, plus 7 additional clerks / drivers. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/mhvThis video gives an overview on the structure and organization of an US Army Infantry Battalion in 1944. [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. Over time, the regiments were turned into battalions, the reserve units amalgamated and more regular units raised and disbanded. 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? There are combat arms battalions, as well as combat support and combat service support battalions. Perhaps I am just projecting after all as I am one of those who quietly enjoys drill. If it isnt possible to reintroduce 51 mm, then a lightweight 60 mm mortar could be an option. In addition, each section now has an organic 7.62 mm L7A2 GPMG gunner plus a designated marksman with the 7.62 mm L129A1 Sharpshooter rifle. Ser. That will make a massive difference. With eachJavelin vehicle requiring a driver and commander, this creates a headcount requirement of 1 officer + 31 other ranks. 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. The Table of Organization (T/O) of the Marine Corps lays out the organizational structure and the equipment required to function. It will include the Commanding Officer, 2IC, Adjutant, Operations Officer, Intelligence Officer, and Training Officer. Yn a|FKtpW"[I'nJpbR].VB`8~q}RBTw'#g( The ideal solution is to have a 30 mm cannon turret with twin ATGM boxes. The Assault Pioneer Platoon is usually comprised of 19 other ranks. This structure is ideal for counter insurgency operations where there is a focus on foot patrols and other dismounted operations. MPSA is a jointly-staffed organization, headquartered in the National Capital Region, which serves as the single point of contact with the United States Postal Service and oversees the Military. Given that kit is cheaper than people in the long run, do we need fire firepower to make up for lack of infantry mass ? 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. Company, a support unit of a Regiment I understand the need to count drivers and gunners in overall numbers, but in an armoured infantry platoon the actual number you put in the field is 28 because your vehicles might want to go away again, whereas (if I understand you correctly) paras would land and fight with 36, so platoon combat effectiveness is going to vary by up to 25% by unit. [1] However, forces in Eastern Europe began to standardize to a smaller formation with 135 personnel and 31 tanks total, with each tank company consisting of 10 tanks total. 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.. 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. If they are vehicle commanders of two of the four section vehicles then when they dismount their vehicle gunner will have double workload. on Bushmaster as their ride. I have manunauch silly ideas I can assure you. The Reconnaissance Platoon usually operates 6 vehicles, with each crewed by four soldiers, or 8 vehicles, with each crewed by 3 soldiers. more machine guns. Why some say Warrior can carry seven and why some say less: [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. If additional, theyll require their own wagon with the necessary extra personnel as crew. The operational Army conducts full-spectrum operations around the world, supported by institutional units. Date. 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. 3743 0 obj <>stream 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). Various members of the platoon will also carry a 9 mm Glock 17 pistol. INFANTRY AND RIFLE DIVISIONS Infantry divisions remained the backbone of both armies. The corps is the highest level of command that can provide operational direction for actual combat. 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. Often Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) officers are assigned to the battalion, to coordinate naval gunfire support. No, I hesitated on the TA bit because it sounded derogatory, but note that I said enhance their professionalism, not that they were unprofessional. 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. INSIGNIA Total battalion headcount can be determined by considering how many soldiers are needed within each component unit type. 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). 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. Not combat troops at all, maybe all wearing a common foot guards uniform with the same number of buttons. battalion. Battle Order is for informational purposes only. Now that the GPMG has been returned to rifle sections, a separate, fourth fire support platoon is no longer needed. In between are the intermediate elements of Army organization, including the squad, platoon, company, battalion, brigade and division. 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? This means for the same total numbers as today we have a far more agile and deployable total force. And modeling and simulation. However, guarding Buck House entails huge levels of scrutiny screw-ups will be recorded and shared online. @MikeW consists of a Platoon Leader (Second or First Lieutenant), Platoon Sergeant (Sergeant First Class) and Radiotelephone Operator/RTO (Specialist). For historical reasons, armor and Ranger units of brigade size are called regiments, and the equivalent Special Forces units are called groups. - light cannon, assigned to AT unit. This would truly maximise the boots on the ground and moreover at the same time the tanks in the open and moreover the overall agility, speed, deployability and so on because of smaller units sizes for both the infantry and the Bronegruppa Tank Units (which are complete seperate independent units) which then can assist them if the need arises. Sergeants Mess Staff 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. Indeed, I can see Warrior being used for the next ten, fifteen, even twenty years. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. %PDF-1.6 % Sometimes it appeared confusing so I am going to try to straighten it out. SVC - A corps includes two to five divisions with anywhere between 20,000 and 45,000 soldiers. BTGs are part of Russia's tiered combat readiness system. HQ Company is comprised of five supporting elements. It is a genuine concern that the British Army lacks sufficient protected vehicles. * Tows 400-gallon water tank trailer (1-1/2 ton), 1 per company, or M1082 flat bed trailer, 2 per company. Light Role battalions had 8-soldier sections. 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. I hope so. 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#| 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. Higher levels are concerned with administration rather than operations. Important figures in a battalion headquarters include: Battalions of other corps are given separate cardinal numbers within their corps (e.g., 101Battalion REME). 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. With common ORBATs, marine battalions can quickly be prepared for the allocated mission. Platoons divided into multiples may opt for a different weapons mix, e.g. Each type of brigade ( infantry or airborne infantry) has the same basic organization. It offered HE, WP, smoke and illuminating bomb types. 40mm MV is would be an excellent addition to the ammo mix in sections bit there will be some work for the SASCs to update Pams and traces so unlikely to happen. With a universal size, it is easy to see gaps and to fill them. The basic building block of military capability is the infantry section. Catering Platoon Nagy, Istvan Austrian Cavalry 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. The total then is simply calculated as 18338. 8 bazookas; 3 57mm anti-tank guns; 2 .50 cal and At some point in the future it would be wise to introduce a a new light weight section belt fed ( see knights armament LAMG for example) perhaps in one of the many new calibres emerging ( e.g. A battalion is a regimental sub-unit of infantry amounting to between 500 and 1,000 soldiers. Battalions are tactical and administrative organizations with a limited capability to plan and conduct independent operations and are normally organic components of brigades, groups, or regiments. For the light infantry company the building blocks are: Soldier>Fire Team>Squad>Platoon. AT - . Getting rid of minimi/ LMG was a mistake based on the assumption that medium to long range contacts will dominate future conflicts. The Combat Medic and Platoon Sergeant are generally paired as the Platoon Sergeant is responsible for coordinating CASEVAC. For purposes of . In Northern Ireland, infantry platoons were often divided into multiples of 12 soldiers. Regimental Administration Office In a pinch, sure, but routinely just five or six. As the job of the Supply Sergeant is to coordinate supply with higher echelons, their duty position is with the battalion trains although they may ride with the cargo truck in a company march. 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. So the question is does effective dismounted mass require an increase from four vehicles per platoon? Two teams make up a squad, which has four to 10 soldiers. If the light battalions have the current strength of 560 then 28, with the specialised infantry unchanged at 267, gives a total of 16748. that serves 2 M224 60mm light mortars for indirect fire support. A division would consist of 2 Brigades and a CnC org (900) there would be 8 Divisions bringing the deployable combat force to 79.2k with an army HQ (4.5k) and Support division of 22.5k personnel inc. Army reserve backing this all up. I dont understand what problem having a light, medium and heavy brigade in a division solves. This adds-up to 2 officers +14 other ranks. So it looks as if the developments for the vehicle are at a pretty advanced stage, making a cancellation of the vehicle and its replacement by the Ajax IFV variant unlikely. Are ~1,200 troops really needed?? 2 Officers and 18 Othr ranks and the RLC Catering Platoon again a similar number commanded by a WO2 and then the SASC Sergeant and the RAPTC 2 to 3 SNCO/WO all those also add to a Battalions strenth as attached arms. This reduces each company by 20 personnel. 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. 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. 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. Are/were you Guards, Captain Nemo? Contrarily, in my experience the Gaaards are very proud of their role and it forms an important part of their ethos, setting them apart from the rest after all, they havent much else to boast about!