daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
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I'm not so sure. I was part of the AMF(L) (with the dubious distinction that every time it went over to Norway I was off on a course - very frustrating) I thought AMF(L) was a good concept. The trouble with CAST was it wasn't prepositioned equipment. The ST part of CAST was not practical. BRAVE LION in 1986 proved that and the logistics of supporting a brigade in Germany and one in Norway was basically undoable.
I never knew if the plan was to preposition equipment for 5 Bde in Germany - it never came to that but I thought that an air -sea transportable role to Germany as impractical as for Norway even though the logistics situation would have been mitigated with the bde in Germany alongside 4 CMBG.
By that time I'd gone to the legal branch and wasn't really tracking this type of issue very much. I think we kept a battalion role in Norway and I thought that a good and feasible idea.
If I recall the decision to retire the MGS was made in late 2021 and to be complete by the end of 2022. What I haven't seen yet is confirmation that the divestiture has been completed seeing as the MPF won't start its roll out its LRIP models until mid 2024 for testing with the first battalion to be equipped with them in late 2025; four battalions by 2030; and the program completely rolled out in 2035.
I've yet to see what the plan for the SBCT cav squadron's weapons company is in the interim.
Interestingly I see no SBCTs where the MPF will exist. Some SBCTs are part of the basic armoured divisions (which do not have any MPF) and two separate cavalry regiments which are organized as SBCTs, and again have no MPF. The MPF battalions are basically part of only the light divisions' establishment. It makes me wonder, but I don't know, if the plan is to give SBCT cav squadrons a company of tanks to support their Strykers. tanks for the weapons company like they do for an ABCT cavalry squadron.
I did three AMF (L)/ NATO Winter deployments to Arctic Norway, and participated in a couple of long-ish exercises in Denmark.
Despite the hype, it was a pretty threadbare dismounted Brigade Group level effort especially when compared to the massive US contribution centred on the USN and USMC, who made us all look like we were kids playing in our sandboxes with slightly worn toys in comparison.
Also, an important lesson learned was when you are a British battalion brigaded with a Canadian and an Italian unit the enemy will always attack the Italians first, with stereotypically predictable results