Informing the Army’s Future Structure - CAMO Discussion

[Kirkhill]

Battle Group, Brigade Group, Division, Corps or Army, there always seems to be more space than troops. There are always open flanks and there is always the risk of envelopments.

Even with the great conscript armies it was not uncommon for whole armies to be encircled and scooped.

Guerilla warfare is the ultimate expression of adaptive disperzed operations. It is very hard to scoop a guerilla army.

There might be something to be said for small combined arms teams roving the field in medium armour defining the shape of the field and determining where it is best to bring the heavies into the fight.

Or where to bring the lights in when the terrain is appropriate and other troops can't reach.

I referenced Bill Slim elsewhere. His 14th Army supported in the Jungle at the heaviest scales he could arrange (light tanks and 25 pdrs) by air (fighter-bombers, STOLs and C47s), seems like a better starting point than Montgomery's 8th or Patton's 3rd.

Roving forces buried in their own personal clouds of UxVs and sustained by cargo drones and offset precision parachute drops might be a workable plan.

 

[Infanteer]

Foward Line of Own Troops - A line that indicates the most forward positions of friendly forces in any kind of military operation at a specific time.

If a picket line is the most forward position of your element, that is your FLOT.

 

[Kirkhill]

Battle Group, Brigade Group, Division, Corps or Army, there always seems to be more space than troops. There are always open flanks and there is always the risk of envelopments.

Even with the great conscript armies it was not uncommon for whole armies to be encircled and scooped.

Guerilla warfare is the ultimate expression of adaptive disperzed operations. It is very hard to scoop a guerilla army.

There might be something to be said for small combined arms teams roving the field in medium armour defining the shape of the field and determining where it is best to bring the heavies into the fight.

Or where to bring the lights in when the terrain is appropriate and other troops can't reach.

I referenced Bill Slim elsewhere. His 14th Army supported in the Jungle at the heaviest scales he could arrange, light tanks and 25 pdrs, by air, fighter-bombers, STOLs and C47s, seems like a better starting point than Montgomery's 8th or Patton's 3rd

Foward Line of Own Troops - A line that indicates the most forward positions of friendly forces in any kind of military operation at a specific time.

If a picket line is the most forward position of your element, that is your FLOT.

Given that then, and reports of those pickets moving through 10 to 20 km of contested ground to support, does that mean that the contested zone is actually 20 to 40 km deep when considering both sides?

 

[KevinB]

Given that then, and reports of those pickets moving through 10 to 20 km of contested ground to support, does that mean that the contested zone is actually 20 to 40 km deep when considering both sides?

Potentially. Every theatre will be different, and even areas of a theatre will be non symmetrical.

 

[Kirkhill]

Potentially. Every theatre will be different, and even areas of a theatre will be non symmetrical.

Agreed, even in Ukraine some positions are within a grenade toss of each other. On the other hand some places the OPs are 5 km apart and the FPV zone on either side of that 5 km is another 15 to 20 km making for a contested zone inhabited by pickets that is up to 50 km deep. Gun lines lie outside that zone meaning you need cannons with ranges greater than 50 km to reach meaningful targets. Thus the popularity of rockets and drones.

And the Pacific, and our North, will be worse.