The New Military: Proposing change

The Times Herald Norristown, PA ^ | 11/28/2003 | KEITH PHUCAS

[hosepipe]

After Pastsy Schroder another re-invention of the armed services could be very destructive.. course if she were hanged for sedition as a start and then humilated, it might work, that is a de-volution...

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Who needs bridges?

All the bridges north and east of Casey had fords beside them. Most of the rivers up there are wide but not very deep. ROK Army uses them for wash racks.

[archy]

Who needs bridges?

Well, the A10 drivers need something to fly under....

All the bridges north and east of Casey had fords beside them. Most of the rivers up there are wide but not very deep. ROK Army uses them for wash racks.

I suspect after the first week to ten days of a Korean war, most of the bridges in Korea will be fords anyway, whether from airstrikes, artillery or overuse. And washracks will be the least of the maintenance concerns.

-archy-/-

[Darksheare]

But, buying 10 billion worth of airframe over 10 billion worth of cheesebox makes too mych sense.
Besides, there would end up being a fight over who actually owns and runs the planes.
If it makes too much sense, that's guaranteed to be the one thing they won't do.

[Darksheare]

SWEET!

[Darksheare]

Artillery: Operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Airpower: Only available if weather and threat conditions permit.

Eeeks, someone doing the planning toked too much.
Or, alternately, someone there has a real attitude against artillery.

[Darksheare]

*groans*
Makes me wish the guys in control over here had made better decisions..

[sauropod]

Double that. The Paladin has the FAASV as a companion resupply vehicle. Therefore, to compare apples to apples, Paladin/FAASV runs about 63-65 tons vice the Crusader at 81 tons. Paladin/Faasv doesn't have the same mobility capability either.

[sauropod]

See my no. 148.

[sauropod]

Last i heard, Copperhead was being used up and not replenished. IOW, not in the inventory.

[archy]

Last i heard, Copperhead was being used up and not replenished. IOW, not in the inventory.

I wouldn't be a bit surprised. We've got the technology; we know they can be made as needed if needed. The thing to do now is get a CGLP 120mm and maybe a 81mm mortar round in the hands of the troops, and hopefully, a pair of decent vehicles from which to use them- an 81mm towed behind a Humvee or a 120 tube and baseplate tied to the side of a Stryker is not exactly state-of-the art.

If needed, we can always resume production of Copperhead [and when it was first developed, it worked nicely with naval support gun fire as well; now, with nothing bigger than a 5-inch in the Navy toybox, why bother.] or better, a second-generation version, more responsive, maybe with more range- double would be nice. If the guided mortar rounds work, swell. If not, at least the 155s do.

I just flat hate having all eggs in one basket.

-archy-/-

[Cannoneer No. 4]

The New Military: Transforming the military

The final part of a three-part series on the United States evolving armed forces.

NORRISTOWN - Defense officials are working to transform the military into an ever more effective fighting force that will be able to respond quickly to future global trouble spots in the ongoing war on terrorism. For now, Iraq is the military's proving ground for its evolving capability to wage war and make peace.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

ping to Part III

[PsyOp]

Have you noticed How all the "good" press for the Stryker is coming from the civilian press who know nothing of ground combat? I've not noticed much from the professional journals.

[Darksheare]

Any press from the military that I've seen about it has been, well.. 'following the party line' as if they don't really like the thing, but will say what they have to to stay out of trouble with whoever would be angry over it.

[Darksheare]

"The soldiers can't do their jobs sitting in a Bradley (fighting vehicle) or a tank," said
"network-centric warfare" that utilized the Tactical Internet to digitally connect commanders to infantry troops on the ground and pilots hovering in the air.

Soldiers can't do their jobs sitting inside acardboard box on wheels that isn't even as capable as the Bradley..
And having all that info available via networking is nice but doesn't remove the need for artillery support.
Rather, it increases it if the vehicle itself is incapable of doing what they are asking it to do.
If the pilots in the air can't fly due to weather, enemy action, or what have you, then the guys on the ground are screwed without artillery support.

*UGH!*

[Cannoneer No. 4]

"The soldiers can't do their jobs sitting in a Bradley (fighting vehicle) or a tank," said U.S. Army reservist Col. Tom Collins, an East Norriton resident. It's essential to use lighter vehicles to get around Baghdad's city streets.

I think the good Colonel has it back-asswards. Mechanized Infantry and Armor soldiers CAN to the jobs they were trained to do sitting in a Bradley or a tank. The job of kicking down doors, carrying an AK becaue your unit TOE only gives you a pistol, doing the best they can do as ad hoc improvised Constabulary troopers is what is not so easy to do from those vehicles.

[Darksheare]

Exactly.
I seem to remember my section chief saying something about having one M-16 in his tank crew, for the whole crew.
But he was a tanker during the 80's, and this may not have been policy for all tank units.
So I don't know if that was just his unit or all units that did that.

I wouldn't mind using an AK, but having to *cough* requisition one from someone is a little tough, especially considering where they're at.
I'm sure the terrs aren't too willing to lend out their weapons like that.

Besides, doing police work is not what a soldier is for.
Going building to building killing everyone that is a threat is one thing.
Going and 'arresting' and 'detaining' bad guys is another.

[R. Scott]

Sounds like someone is passing the buck and making excuses to fund a pet project …

Much of our defense posture has the primary mission of funding the defense industry, not providing the most efficient military force possible. “High Tech” rules, and much like LBJ’s Best and Brightest the people who make the big decisions either have no idea what’s happening in combat or they are political animals trying their best to make The Party happy.

[Darksheare]

That sounds alot like the Russian military where the guys in charge were told what they wanted to hear rather than what the real deal was.
*ugh*
Russia folded in part due to that.