I have been wargaming a heavy armored brigade organization for the US Army that is optimized for maneuver warfare against near peer opponents, but are also expected to be capable of being employed over the full spectrum of combat operations including COIN / DO.

I'm satisfied with the armored battalions I've been playing with: they are combined arms battalions (armor heavy) and have an organic mechanized infantry company to provide close support and to tackle any of the immediate needs for dismounts that come up in order to minimize slowdowns during the advance.  Close security and screening in dense terrain, sweeping smaller compounds and hamlets, scouting, and so forth.

However, since this is a general purpose expeditionary force, the brigade will undoubtedly eventually encounter terrain and situations that are not optimal for AFVs or that require more manpower than the organic mechanized infantry can reasonably handle.  These situations are ideally transient, but sometimes this cannot be bypassed for practical reasons or due to operational needs. As a result, the brigade will also have a light infantry battalion at its disposal to aid during these more esoteric situations.

Examples would be providing additional manpower to sweep and secure urban terrain (Fallujah 2003) and areas with otherwise significant chokepoints that would render AFVs vulnerable (dense forest, jungle, mountainous regions), and provide a holding force for that dense terrain once cleared during operational pauses, or presence in the case of longer term occupation.

When they are otherwise not being used for these niche purposes (ie, during highly mobile maneuver operations in tank country, think Desert Storm 1991), this light infantry battalion will still find use by being tasked with providing additional mounted security for the logistics and supporting elements of the brigade, as these will often be wheeled and cross-country limited depending on the AO, season and terrain, and as such are especially vulnerable in conflicts where there are no clearly defined front lines.

This light infantry battalion will have transport (either wheeled or tracked) to keep up with the brigade and can use these vehicles if the situation allows for it, but will be optimized for fighting dismounted as they may be going into areas where vehicles cannot - therefore their organization must reflect this and not assume vehicular fire support.


So, any ideas?


Manpower for the battalion is not to exceed 1,500 all encompassing.

Beyond that, you can optimize it to your tastes as long as it makes sense given the task and purpose described above, but the battalion must have at least some capability in both conventional (high intensity) and distributed dismounted operations (low intensity / COIN), and so you must consider the full spectrum of existing and emerging threats they may encounter (from MBTs and thermals, to IEDs and drones), while dismounted and potentially away from vehicle support.

What's your squad look like? The platoon? How many? How many companies? What is your rationale? What sort of armament and supporting assets, and how will they get around in light infantry terrain?

What transportation assets will you choose? Wheeled? Tracked? Armament?  Would MRAPs make the most sense or would amphibious capabilities be more advantageous for seizing objectives on the other side of a river while the armored battalions are figuring out how to cross? 

(Equipment does not necessarily have to be current US inventory, this is a thought exercise)

I'd go Bronco as APC, allowing for biggish squads and weapons platoons. Amphibious and well terrain capable.

graylion said:

I'd go Bronco as APC, allowing for biggish squads and weapons platoons. Amphibious and well terrain capable.

I would advise against this choice for a general purpose LI formation.
While the Bronco and other similar vehicles offer great off road capability, especially on soft ground, they are really bad for use on hard ground and roads. The suspension suffers a lot and they don't really offer any benefits there.
The articulated ATVs are very specialised and optimised. To the point where they become a less optimal or outright bad choice outside their intended environment.

IF Boncos would be the standard APC a second set of vehicles would be needed for most COIN and sandy, rocky environments and intense use while patrolling.

Complete independent idea - what about company teams? https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/atp3_90x1.pdf

Refleks said...

Manpower for the battalion is not to exceed 1,500 all encompassing.

1500 seems quite large for a battalion, but considering the weight of infantry you intend to apply that mightn't be a bad idea. That said, it raises questions about where this battalion sits in the larger organisation. Is this 1500 intended to incorporate enough supporting assets for the battalion to operate as an independent battlegroup, or would those come from a higher level.

Ultimately any formation needs flexibility, so the ability to deploy en masse or sub-units attached to other units should be an option

Refleks said...

What's your squad look like? The platoon? How many? How many companies?

I would think that whatever level of sub unit would need to consider that they would typically operate with a suitable left out of battle component, so a 10 man section would rarely advance as 10 men. Particularly if vehicles are likely to be left behind you need greater rear-area security than just the vehicle crews.

Refleks said...

What sort of armament and supporting assets, and how will they get around in light infantry terrain?

Support organic to the battalion is somewhat dependent on the supporting arms outside the battalion, but mortars and anti-tank capability could be assumed. Given mechanisation, 120mm self propelled mortars would seem appropriate, especially those that engage in direct fire where they can pull double duty engaging point targets from outside of unguided AT range. This does limit the distance the infantry can get from their carriers to slightly less than the effective range of the mortars. If you wanted to operate further separated then you might have to reconsider the size of the mortars. You could end up with two flavours of light infantry, one with organic vehicles and support assets based on the vehicles and another that can operate entirely independent of vehicles so could be delivered by air or utility vehicles which then depart for other tasking or pure logistics. That would limit the size of support weapons. An organic intelligence/surveillance capability is probably appropriate these days, and engineering too for route improvement, fortification construction etc. Bonus points if the engineers can be tasked to fix civilian infrastructure.

Refleks said...

What transportation assets will you choose? Wheeled? Tracked? Armament?  Would MRAPs make the most sense or would amphibious capabilities be more advantageous for seizing objectives on the other side of a river while the armored battalions are figuring out how to cross? 

Wheeled seems most appropriate for a supporting unit. As an infantry unit it probably wouldn't be expected to be swanning off on its own so amphibious wouldn't seem so important. Unless you have a lot of crossable water in your expected area of operations you would probably be better off investing in decent bridging/crossing assets instead. If the vehicles are not part of the fighting capacity, it wouldn't make much sense to spend resources on arming them beyond self-defence. I'd probably start with flexible weapon mounts moving on to protected weapons stations through to RWS depending on role or deployment location. It might make sense to include a smaller vehicle for reconnaissance if that capability isn't available within the higher level formation. A smaller, more mobile vehicle might be an idea for forward logistics to dismounted troops as well.

The battalion will be operating as part of a brigade combat team (in this case other maneuver units include three combined arms armored battalions, each with an organic mech infantry company) and is intended to bolster their numbers when circumstances warrant.  

Broadly speaking reconnaissance, cover and guard can be assumed to be taken care of while on the march in tank country by brigade assets, but screening and local security will still be a battalion task while providing protection for the logistics train, and particularly during COIN/Distributed operations, or when they are operating in restricted terrain

They may operate with or without direct fire support from these other battalions depending on the circumstances and operational needs, but we can expect it will at least be operating under the umbrella of brigade IDF for counter battery, and AD.  

As you mention organic mortars are a safe bet to ensure priority of fires.  1,500 is the maximum cap, but it doesn't necessarily have to be that large as long as it can accomplish the described task and purpose to your satisfaction.  Having different flavors of infantry and organic supporting assets (ISTAR, engineers etc) is completely valid if you like,  just provide rationale

 

Refleks said...

The battalion will be operating as part of a brigade combat team (in this case other maneuver units include three combined arms armored battalions, each with an organic mech infantry company) and is intended to bolster their numbers when circumstances warrant.

Does the BCT come with artillery, engineering, ISTAR recce etc?

Refleks said...

Broadly speaking reconnaissance, cover and guard can be assumed to be taken care of while on the march in tank country by brigade assets, but screening and local security will still be a battalion task while providing protection for the logistics train, and particularly during COIN/Distributed operations, or when they are operating in restricted terrain

If the light battalion is also tasked with protection the logistics for the rest of the BCT then it definitely wants a vehicle based recce/screening capability, possibly like the AGMS/Pandur 6x6. Potentially to the extent of a companies worth? Some dismounts and a bit more vehicle based firepower to be able to police the logistics route. That job might be better suited to a brigade asset though. I tend to think that having a capability at a higher level that can be distributed where it is needed is better than having it attached organically at a lower level. 

Refleks said...

They may operate with or without direct fire support from these other battalions depending on the circumstances and operational needs, but we can expect it will at least be operating under the umbrella of brigade IDF for counter battery, and AD.  

AD is a good point. While large/high altitude/wide area AD makes sense at brigade level, some local air defence would seem like a good idea too, be that SPAA, wide issue of stingers or something more tailored to taking out small reconnaissance and suicide drones that aren't worth the attention of the larger brigade assets. Plus the sensors to spot the things in the first place. Again higher level collection for admin purposes but posted out as required in the field, but possibly organic to the battalion.

Refleks said...

aving different flavors of infantry and organic supporting assets (ISTAR, engineers etc) is completely valid if you like,  just provide rationale

I was thinking that different flavours of infantry would necessitate different types of battalion, so you wouldn't have helibourne mixed in with what is essentially light mechanised. Given the mechanised nature of the brigade, I'd leave the infantry optimised for operating completely away from vehicles for a different formation and focus on infantry that operate away from their vehicles, but only a few km or so. ISTAR would depend on the theatre and opposition but would definitely include operating small reconnaissance drones for the benefit of the company and platoon commanders. Engineers for mobility and counter mobility, especially in the restricted areas you describe. For COIN if you can fix or improve the local infrastructure, especially if you broke it, that's going to help hearts and minds a lot.