ARTILLERY: US Sheds Most Non-Divisional Artillery

StrategyPage.com ^ | January 31, 2004

[Cannoneer No. 4]

January 31, 2004: The U.S. Army has decided that smart bombs and smart shells make a lot of its artillery units unnecessary. So two thirds of its non-divisional (those that that are not part of a combat division) artillery battalions will be converted to other uses (engineers, military police and civil affairs.) That's 36 artillery battalions containing nearly 10,000 troops. Most of these are National Guard units, who report to state governors until they are called up by the federal government. The governors won't mind having fewer artillery, and more engineer, military police and civil affairs battalions, as these units are more useful for the natural disasters the governors usually call upon National Guard units to help out with.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

First they came for the 13B's, but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a 13B.

[dagnabbit]

ROTFLOL!

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Redleg ping

[Stopislamnow]

This is a bad move.

[Busywhiskers]

I always figured 12B's were more useful than gunbunny's, now we have proof.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Field Artillery & Mortar Ping

[SAMWolf]

Looks like the 11C's are going be working a lot harder.

[I got the rope]

LMAO! So I guess the King of Battle will be tossed in the dustbin of history. BS...they'll be back. Hopefully with mini-nukes...hee hee.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Artillery, armor units training to deploy as MPs

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Satchel charge slingers have their uses, I suppose.

[U S Army EOD]

All you really need to win a war is Special Forces and Explosive Ordnance Disposal units. Once we get control of the local black market we will soon control the economy of the country.

[neverdem]

Anyone catch John French Kerry say in the last debate that he wanted to increase the size of the Army by two divisions, a "combat division and a support division".

[Cannoneer No. 4]

ping

[Live free or die]

I was an MLRS man for a very brief period (6 mos.) when my real unit closed shop. Thankfully I'm back with my infantry roots as an 11C in a light unit.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Are y'all done in Afghanistan? Got UBL in a freezer in Uzbekistan waiting for October?

[jpsb]

things sure have changed, when I was in we were taught that fire power won battles. Wonder what changed.

[I got the rope]

My thought too, but not every battle is going to be on wide open flat ground, and helicopters and jets can't fly 24/7. They cost a lot to maintain and fuel. They'll be back...and when they do...I wouldn't mind one last pull of the lanyard.

[Phsstpok]

This is a bad move.

They said the same thing when they did away with the massed cavalry charge. I suggest we deal with it. "Smart" mortars are more effective than howitzers. Rockets are more accurate and have more range. The "conventional" artillary that we do need isn't conventional and isn't suitable to weekend warriors as it is too complex and needs constant training and practice.

Of course, having said all that, I'd love to be able to call in a salvo from the 16 inch guns of Big Mo, even with her mechanical computer targeting system. There's something to be said for hitting a parking space sized target with a shell the mass of a volkswagen from 30 miles away.

What I really want, however, is a Sheva gun named Bun Bun. "That's what you get for letting rednecks play with Anti-Matter!"

[Cannoneer No. 4]

US Troops to pull out of Seoul has turned into an artillery thread. Thanks for pinging me to it.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

The mission changed. We used to kill people and break things. Now we deliver pizza.