The Army needs units with the ability to move and be sustained far from North America yet powerful enough to win. I know the Army is small, but it has to stop trying to make units individually capable of being light and heavy at the same time with weapons that can't define what they are. It doesn't work and it makes the units less capable for either heavy or light scenarios.
I want the Army to choose between heavy and light units. The Army is in a constant struggle between having units strategically mobile to be transported overseas from the continental United States; and units heavy enough to survive and win against conventional enemies once overseas. Stryker light mechanized brigades are an example of trying to do that. Yet except in small numbers, sending Strykers overseas by ship is as fast as sending them by limited Air Force transport assets.
Yes, I've advocated general purpose infantry units rather than having units devoted to urban warfare counter-insurgency. That was based on the well-trained line troops carrying out missions with unique equipment provided for the mission under officers who can shift the orders based on an understanding of what is required to win that particular campaign. This is a different issue than the fight versus move dilemma
But trying to make units too broadly capable with basic equipment that refuses to be one thing or another risks making them incapable of achieving any mission. This annoys me:
The Army’s Infantry Squad Vehicle has reached first unit equipped status after the service started fielding 59 vehicles to soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division this week.
One, enjoy deploying them with the parachutists. Sure, mostly the unit will be airlifted. But still, this assumes the Air Force has plenty of airlift for everything the Army wants moved by air.
Two, why can't the Army make a damn decision about leg infantry or mechanized/motorized divisions? Pick one and stop dicking around with hybrid units with hermaphrodite weapons neither heavy nor light that will fail as leg infantry units and fail as motorized infantry.
I feel the same about Army light tanks for our infantry.
At least instead think about creating separate Army battalions of tanks, light tanks, trucks, and sure--even squad vehicles--that can be allocated to leg infantry units as needed for particular missions that require more mobility or more protected firepower.
NOTE: War coverage continues at this post.
