infantry battalion organization chart

Regimental pride is at stake. An infantry battalion, logistical battalion, combat battalion, and the Netherlands Marine Corps all have a battalion structure. In the UK. In between are the intermediate elements of Army organization, including the squad, platoon, company, battalion, brigade and division. \ |sZ4U !{s<0 A battalion is a regimental sub-unit of infantry amounting to between 500 and 1,000 soldiers. The senior of two Squad Leaders is also the Section Leader. This is why the dismount numbers vary a bench seats however many can fit, a seat is for one. Is this concept outdated ? Forgive me if Ive misunderstood, but I dont see how counting drivers makes for a bigger platoon, surely we should be counting dismounts, which given the ever shrinking number of seats and the ever increasing size of our soldiers should be 28. In some countries, battalions are exclusively infantry, while in others battalions are unit-level organizations. As a bonus I thought that a closer relationship with reserves at battalion might serve as a nice middle ground, with regulars perhaps choosing that as way out of the service as well as for reserves finding it a way in. 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. With all these components, a battalion is the smallest military unit capable of "limited independent operations".[1]. 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. These are: The Mortar Platoon typically operates 8 or 9 mortars each with a crew of 4 plus a Mortar Fire Controller for each detachment of 2 mortars. Of course, there will always be exceptions, be you Regular or Reserve, but to dismiss them as second-rate soldiers is unfounded and outdated. INFANTRY AND RIFLE DIVISIONS Infantry divisions remained the backbone of both armies. In this older structure, U.S. Army mechanized infantry battalions and tank battalions, for tactical purposes, task-organized companies to each other, forming a battalion-sized task force (TF). Mollo, Tranquillo and Joseph Georg Mansfield The Austrian Army in 1798: the Uniform Plates of Tranquillo Mollo and Joseph George Mansfield Contemporary prints of the Austrian Army in 1798. 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. The infantry community has a problem. Such a capability is definitely still needed and there is a strong case to re-instate the 51 mm exactly as it was. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Infantry platoons will typically be divided between four vehicles as they are at present. 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. Battalion sizes vary between branches. Is heating/air con being installed? Mechanised Transport Platoon Whilst I absolutely do not think that that is the right way to go, perhaps a shake up of public duties manning is in order? Troops in IFVs will additionally benefit from 40 mm CT40 cannons and 7.62 mm chain guns for support. battalion. The Army is composed of an active duty component and a reserve component that comprises the Army Reserve and Army National Guard. Does this need a full battalion or just a Company? Silly idea ? To the other side you would then have more bataillons for one type of mission and if you go to another mission again more troops and as the author stated correctly this would lead to an overall more potent, more flexible force and you can also re-role the identical units much more easily. 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. Its more the lack of balance than PD itself. Combat medic is attached from the Infantry Battalion Medical Platoon. For purposes of . Where does firepower fit into the manning equation ? The commander can also accept augmentation of units. They would free up the Battalions and companies now assigned to this role to shore up the numbers in real Battalions . Carl Gustav could perform many of the roles that 51mm/60mm mortars were employed for and also do a better job of it than 40mm MV weapons. I really like your idea of sharing public duties! This essentially gives us a diamond structure with a centralised support function for each unit and is creates a fully contained self supporting unit at battalion level that has everything it needs, crucially this structure allows for every battalion in the force to have 1 company at high readiness, 1 training up, 1 coming off and 1 at rest and this can revolve in 3 or 6 month cycles. The captain is responsible for the direction, training, and welfare of those below him. The Puma HC2 support helicopter, for example, carries 12 personnel, while a CH-47 Chinook can carry an entire platoon. Dubbed Infantry Battalion Experiment Campaign Plan, or IBX30, the three-battalion effort is part of the Corps' push to reorganize for conflicts with near-peer adversaries by 2030, which the. The elements in the organizational chart for the U.S. Army span from the individual soldier all the way to the largest building block commonly used, the Corps. In the U.S. Marine Corps, an infantry or "rifle" battalion typically consists of a headquarters and service company, three rifle, or "line", companies (designated alphabetically A through M depending upon which battalion of the parent regiment to which they are attached) and a weapons company. The UK has a problem with air defence. 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). And modeling and simulation. of US Divisions, Corps and independant units that served in Italy. Have a great day. Not combat troops at all, maybe all wearing a common foot guards uniform with the same number of buttons. How would an improved/expanded capability be equipped, funded and manned? This said i think such an general purpose infantry would make much sense especially for the UK despite the higher costs but: i think also, that one of the main arguments with which the author started is a problem here: He said, that the now universal threat of IEDs leads inevitable to the logical result to equip all infantry units with protected (and therefore expensive, heavy, less mobile etc) mobility. This option maximises dismounted mass. @whitehaxkle I like this idea, keeps the flexibility of providing vehicle crews while improving the firepower ! 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. The armoured brigade would have Ajax Recce, Chally, Ajax IFV (bye bye Warrior! They can range from a few dozen soldiers to up to 200. Light Aid Detachment Under the observation of the Marine Corps. By having so many different existing battalion structures, it is more difficult to asses overall manning levels. The operational Army conducts full-spectrum operations around the world, supported by institutional units. The Forward Observer and Fire Fupport RTO work as a team to direct fire support, including but not limited to company mortars, battalion mortars, and field artillery. [1] - On the LMG, I am sooo old that the LMG imteained on the in the RN was the 7.62 version of the Bren ! Such companieslack integral motorization or mechanization, but are all capable of air assault operations and often operate motorized, although the entire IBCT cannot motorize all at once. Company, a support unit of a Regiment Short answer: Ajax IFV has six seats (link at bottom). 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. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. This is followed at the brigade level at which point the support scale starts to really kick in. A battalion may also contain a combat support company. Military These are: The Communications Platoon (formerly the Signals Platoon) is primarily designed to support Battalion HQ by providing C4I services and radio operators. 338 MMGs are going to make GPMG SF obsolete. 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. The Medical Platoon (which establishes a Regimental Aid Post when deployed) will be comprised of 1 medical officer + 19 other ranks. none: 6-10-1 . Indeed, I can see Warrior being used for the next ten, fifteen, even twenty years. Division Artillery, Motorized, Infantry Division. Indeed, it is my opinion that four dismounts is all Warrior can really operate with for the dismounts to have any degree of comfort. Storage space is hardly ample; the wagons were designed for blokes to fight from, not live in. Total raised: $5,448,951.00 Total includes user, company, and offsite donations. 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? Organization of the formations and units of the German Army after the start of the Russian campaign until 1945. An official website of the United States Government, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. If not six wagons as I suggested previously, maybe four section vehicles plus a Pl HQ wagon? I suppose they might have a home defence role or be trained as medics or something, but they would be on a specific contract and would not be deployable. The infantry brigade combat team, as of 2014, contains 4,413 soldiers and is organized around three battalions of infantry. A brigade consists of a few battalions and anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers. These include light infantry (foot), airborne and air assault units. 100th Infantry Battalion. 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. Battalion These mortars can be fired either from anM170 Bipod or by hand. unit or a light cannon Recon 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. Heavy armour battalion The Combat Medic is attached from the Combat Medic Section of the Battalion's Medic Platoon while the Forward Observer and their RTO are attached from the Field Artillery Battalion. The United States Navy has construction battalions and navy cargo handling battalions. Often these will be stored in vehicles until needed. 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. Not being Guards and having never done public duties, how would this sound: Each infantry brigade is equipped and capable of air assault operations. This where I would fit the reserve infantry into the mix, sticking with 1 inf battalion providing 1 Coy on the 1 in 3 rotation to their twinned regular battalion for the regular motorized inf Battalions. Rotate one Guards Bn posted as public duties resident Bn (another 560 troops under current ORBAT or 690 under UKLPs Universal ORBAT) battalions PHILANTHROPY. This is in the interest of reducing the standing commitment to one Guards battalion instead of two. These are light infantry, including various light foot units, air assault, and airborne infantry. Item No. The Reconnaissance Platoon usually operates 6 vehicles, with each crewed by four soldiers, or 8 vehicles, with each crewed by 3 soldiers. A battalion comprises two or more primary mission companies which are often of a common type (e.g., infantry, tank, or maintenance), although there are exceptions such as combined arms battalions in the U.S. Army. ORGANIZATION OF THE LIGHT INFANTRY COMPANY . In the Canadian Forces, most battalions are reserve units of between 100 and 200 soldiers that include an operationally ready, field-deployable component of approximately a half-company apiece. An infantry battle group will typically be commanded by the commander of the core infantry battalion around which it is formed and can range in size from 300 to 1,500 or more soldiers, depending on the nature of the mission assigned. Nominally, an extra GPMG and DMR are proposed, but a light mortar or multi-role 40 mm AGL could be carried instead. Each company is commanded by a major, the officer commanding (OC), with a captain or senior lieutenant as second-in-command (2IC). These were divided up in the HQ Company with 120 men. The Table of Organization (T/O) of the Marine Corps lays out the organizational structure and the equipment required to function. Do MANPADS have a place in the future infantry battalion? 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. IBCTs also are organized to be airborne or air-assault capable. With this in mind, the objective of this discussion is to consider what a universal battalion size ought to be. . The platoon could divide into two three wagon sub-platoons each having a dismounted mass of 1+6+6? consists of a platoon headquarters, 3 rifle squads, and 1 weapons squads. So while I have experience of this, and the food ol Gimpy, I have never carted them around In the field. Each type of brigade ( infantry or airborne infantry) has the same basic organization. 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 ". Ok thats a long post so short range air defences, and infantry use of drones later !! This would increase the size of fighting infantry men in the bataillons heavily so that they become numerically sufficient enough for infantry combat and would protect them to become mech-infantry only troops. A regiment consists of a regimental headquarters, a headquarters company (or battery), and two to five organic battalions (Marine infantry regiments three battalions of infantry; Marine artillery regiments three to five battalions of artillery; Marine combat logistics regiments one to three combat logistics battalions). AT - Company Headquarters 03 Fire Support Company structure This would increase the overall costs extreme and such an all-mech-inf force with the ability of the mech-inf to also fight as light inf if the need arises would create a high logistical footprint, high equipment costs and much higher training costs etc. While we. This structure is also suitable for Air Assault infantry operating in helicopters. on Bushmaster as their ride. An infantry battalion, logistical battalion, combat battalion, and the Netherlands Marine Corps all have a battalion structure. In the most recent issue of Soldier magazine, there is an item headed New Warrior stays on track, in which the proposed new incarnation of the vehicle receives quite a lot of praise , including the statement On paper the platform looks impressive and offers a raft of refinements and upgrades over its long-serving predecessor. These apparently include not only the new 40mm cannon but also enhanced mechanical underpinnings, beefed-up armour and better comfort for the crews. Linked to above hopefully we could afford extra MRV-P APC, lets say Bushmaster, and JLTV to fully equip extra reserve Coys deployed to the motorized infantry. 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. So providing extra seats at platoon level should be affordable. 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. 1 x Fire Support Sect: SC, two-man GPMG team, two-man CG/SPIKE SR/C90 anti-tank team and three-man 60mm mortar team. The reorganization of the infantry battalion is supported by a campaign of learning, to include wargaming, studies. consists of a Platoon Leader (Second or First Lieutenant), Platoon Sergeant (Sergeant First Class) and Radiotelephone Operator/RTO (Specialist). As far as anti-tank weapons are concerned, these tend to be issued according to the threat faced. However, there is no escaping from the fact that a 40 mm grenade packs much less HE than a 51 mm mortar bomb. 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. The overall structure defined by sub-unit organisation reflects the fact that protected mobility is now needed more widely. Considering something like Mali or from our experience Afghan what would the heavy bring to the party? How would they operate together from a logistical view point? Exellent article and I just thought Id add some thoughts. of the U.S. Army as it exists within the Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT). No one wants a similar video of their cap badge. AUTHORISED PERSONNEL: AUTHORISED EQUIPMENT - BATTALION LEVEL: Prev Next The fourth MG platoon in each rifle company is removed as GPMG is returned to other platoons. 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. Thisproposal is in-line with what rifle companies already have. With that in mind Id suggest four sections of six, so that everyone off a given platform is on the same page, four sections could also divide neatly down the middle with its vehicles to give two patrols of twelve under a platoon sergeant and a platoon leader respectively. The Bushmaster I believe is a 2 crew, 10 pax vehicle with some room for stores and kit. A battalion usually contains two to five organic companies (batteries in the artillery), with a total of 500 to 1,200 Marines in the battalion. A Logistics Platoon (formerly the Motor Transport Platoon) will be responsible for operating resupply and replenishment trucks. A company is commanded by a captain with a first sergeant as the assistant. Unless you seek to change the structure of Reserve TACOS call-up liability then keeping reserve battalions paired to regular battalions is a good way of being able to generate an extra company of volunteers. They are not man-portable. Option B creates three sections of 10 soldiers plus a smaller Platoon HQ of 6 soldiers. Introduction Purpose of Organization.--The purpose of military organization is to secure the most effective use of the men, weapons, and other resources of a body of troops. This is an interesting idea, but would impose an increased weight and logistical burden on rifle companies. Tank battalions and mechanized infantry battalions no longer exist. For dismounted infantry, the US Army is looking at .338 (8.59 mm) medium weight machine guns to provide increased firepower and range. Section commanders can step back without having to control 3 privates whilst planning his sections manouver. Theyre generally headed by a four- or five-star general. The regular army gets guns and spare gun crews to keep them going 24/7. Often Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) officers are assigned to the battalion, to coordinate naval gunfire support. Fireteam A fireteam is a small military unit of infantry. The nine regular force infantry battalions each contain three or four rifle companies and one or two support companies. 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). Culling BHQs may be good for the budget, but by nowhere near enough to justify trading such depth. Note(s) 6-10. 1. Ulrich gives an alternative of all battalions being light role and armoured vehicles being in independent extreme bronegruppa units. 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. Infantry mass do we have to give up on this concept ? However, your suggestion of four rifle sections will require even greater manpower to maximise effect. 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. What I have a problem with is your suggestion to pull one guy out of the turret. A battalion in the Indian Army is commanded by a colonel. It offered HE, WP, smoke and illuminating bomb types. These are: At one end of the spectrum, Armoured infantry battalions are well-resourced with 732 soldiers, while Specialised Infantry battalions have just 267, but this is for training and mentoring, not a primary combat role. All infantry ideally would then become mechanised infantry. As noted above, there is no reason why other weapon types and combinations could not also be used. I agree fully that each section should have its own vehicle for so many reasons. The thing about 36 is that it divides neatly a number of ways 4 x 9, 3 x 12, 3 x 10 + 6, 4 x 8 +4. Signals Platoon If it isnt possible to reintroduce 51 mm, then a lightweight 60 mm mortar could be an option. These are only used in times of large-scale war, such as World War II. The central idea in proposing a universal battalion structure is to build it around platoons of 1 + 35 soldiers. Boxer and Bushmaster. . I have proposed just what you suggest in your comment. 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. The commander's staff coordinates and plans operations. @UKLP The GPMG Light Role and GPMG Sustained Fire are very different weapons with very different roles and capabilities. As you say Marcus part time Medics would not know what there about compared to full time regular army medics, I was told this many a time in my time in the TA/Army reserve/ what ever its called this week, a large number of which tend to work in the NHS and Private Health Care and although my abilities to get the shine of my boot to dazzle the sun, the razor sharp creases in my trousers to cut the RSMs eye balls is very poor, I did 12 years of medical training and working in A&E. You have robbed Peter to pay Paul. Rifle Squad consisted of 9-12 men lead by one NCO(Sergeant) and a This size of unit would do much to increase the deployability and resilience of UK infantry battalions, especially if we could field at least 18 out of 32 battalions with some form of organic protected mobility. Does it belong to WW1 and before ? General Creighton Abrams, from 1968 to 1972. Forgive me if this is obvious but I dont know how much youve seen/been in a Warrior. The HQ Company was equipped with. The battalion headquarters is supported by a headquarters and service company (battery). 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. 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). If Warrior was to go, is there a reason for not looking at the KF41 Lynx rather than Ajax? Four soldiers make up a team a noncommissioned officer and three junior enlisted soldiers. In my world it would be EAGLE 44 and 66 to have commonality in light and medium protected mobility. I know the 60 and LMG are going but if were doing something as radical as new infantry ORBAT then perhaps we can pretend it is done by enlightened headsheds. Every review mentions making increased use of the reserves which sets alarm bells ringing for me. If additional, theyll require their own wagon with the necessary extra personnel as crew. 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/. In this respect, the number 36 is important, because it allows a range of groupings: 3 x Rifle Sections with 10 soldiers each plus a Platoon HQ of 6 soldiers = 36 total, 3 x Rifle Sections of 9 soldiers each plus a Platoon HQ of 9 soldiers = 36 total, 2 x Rifle Sections of 12 soldiers each plus a Platoon HQ of 12 soldiers = 36 total. I appreciate, cause I found exactly what I was looking for. Various members of the platoon will also carry a 9 mm Glock 17 pistol. 6 Javelins for dismounts might be enough if we had them fitted to Warrior turrets or RWS, but we dont. It normally consists of a headquarters and three or more companies. The centerpiece of the Army's operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the infantry brigade combat team, is in danger of becoming obsolete in the face of near-peer opponents. 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. Are/were you Guards, Captain Nemo? So the question is does effective dismounted mass require an increase from four vehicles per platoon? Therefore, there may be a case to standardise all infantry battalions around a common structure with an identical headcount for each. Without the institutional Army, the operational side cant function. Perhaps theres an article to be written somewhere in there, UKLP, especially being an ex veg head? & Organizations of the Italian Campaign for brief history I know that the manning requirement is already verging on fantasy but maybe pushing it a bit further could give your battalion valuable additional potency? Italy. Given the requirement, identify the elements and generic employment missions of a . These new combined arms battalions are modular units, each consisting of a headquarters company, two mechanized infantry companies, two tank companies, and a forward support company attached from the battalion's parent brigade support battalion.