Informing the Army’s Future Structure - CAMO Discussion

[MilEME09]

It's an easy mindset to maintain and operate equipment What would a basic armoured vehicle cost today?

Depends what you are looking for, a senator can be around $600k, a EBRC Jaguar is about 5 million. What we need is something like the M113, something super cheap, and easy to maintain off a college mechanics diploma. With an optional turret or RWS.

 

[dapaterson]

It's funny isn't it how at one time Militia units could maintain and operate tanks and self propelled guns.

Except they didn't maintain them.

The Army has chosen repeatedly to order trigger pullers to maintainers.

The Army could absorb a couple thousand maintainers and related sustainment troops immediately, before thinking about any more.combat arms soldiers, regular or reserve.

Indeed, the Army's growth plan should be sustainment forces being prioritized well before any combat arms.

I have no faith that it will be.

 

[FJAG]

I am no RCEME guy but the tech back then was a lot simpler. Their was very little if any FCS in the AFVs. Certainly not much in the way of comms.

Ever seen the inside of a C 42 radio

Modern AFVs and the comms/fire control is a hell of a lot more advanced and needs the proper techs to maintain them.

Hell, I am an M113 guy and I will come out and say even those could have been looked after by P Res units but you start looking at the current crop of AFVs, and you will need a much larger number of RCEME

I agree entirely

and Class B troops to keep them Op ready.

You ought to know my attitude about Class Bs by now. IMHO a full-time job that needs to be done continuously is he job for a RegF person and not a class B. The reserves need a lot more RegF people allocated to those jobs that need to be done full-time.

Except they didn't maintain them.

The Army has chosen repeatedly to order trigger pullers to maintainers.

Agreed. And we all know that's wrong. What do you call it if what you've done before doesn't work and yet you choose to repeat it?

The Army could absorb a couple thousand maintainers and related sustainment troops immediately, before thinking about any more.combat arms soldiers, regular or reserve.

Indeed, the Army's growth plan should be sustainment forces being prioritized well before any combat arms.

Again and again we agree on this issue. And I think leveraging trade schools and providing funding assistance for individuals to attend while they get red sealed coupled with summertime military trades training in exchange for periods of obligatory RegF or ARes service could go a long way to attracting the right folks to the jobs.

I have no faith that it will be.

Neither do I. Particulalry for 2 Div. 1 Div at least sees four additional svc/log/maint battalions which is a good start. I think that's still short for providing what I term "theatre support" for any deployed force. I have zero knowledge as to what the plan is for the future Support Division and its relationship with 2 Div.