The Future Combat Systems (FCS)-equipped Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) will be the Army's future tactical warfighting echelon. They will provide the Combatant Commander a dominant ground combat force. The FCS-equipped BCT will consist of the following elements:
* The Combined Arms Battalions (three in each BCT)
* The Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) Cannon Battalion
* The Reconnaissance Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) Squadron
* The Forward Support Battalion (FSB)
* The Brigade Intelligence and Communications Company (BICC)
* The Headquarters Company.
So after all the furor over going to two line battalions in the new Brigade Combat Teams we are fielding now, we will go back to three line battalions? Plus the recon battalion (RSTA).
Will the RSTA unit fight as a unit or will it be broken up to support each line battalion? If the former, I think the unit is probably too light based on what I've read before. But that would be easy to remedy. It always seems like recon gets lighter when it is not used in high intensity battle but once war starts they get heavier in order to survive and carry out their mission.
Also, will these be traditional three-company battalions? Four-company battalions as our current reorganized battalions are in the two-battalion brigade combat teams? Or even two-company balanced teams? This good AUSA piece on FCS does not describe the new units below the battalion level so I can't tell.
If I had to guess, I'd say a two-company balanced battalion based on the general trend of needing fewer and fewer line troops to fight. Civil War regiments were almost entirely infantry. World War I brigades were mostly infantry and a little support. Now,there is lots of support to call in firepower and back up the shooters. With FCS, I'd guess the trend continues.
