- Reaction score
- 7,688
- Points
- 1,160
This may generate a tangent here but the thought occurs to me that one of the problems with both the Light Infantry and the Cavalry units and there searching for roles and clarification is actually the Mech Infantry Battalions.
The LIBs actually can justify their role fairly easily, the only real question is "how light is light" and what scale of kit can be transported to a particular location with them.
The Cavalry function should rightly be a no-brainer as an Armoured Corps job.
The problem seems to me to revolve around the Mech Infantry.
The Mech Infantry evolved from Light Infantry in trucks to keep up with the Cavalry, to Light Infantry in APCs to keep up with the Tanks in close combat and assaults. Perhaps the seeds of the problem can be found in the General Purpose, Multi-Functional Combat Arms decision to purchase the LAV-III.
As the Aussies and the USMCs can arguably demonstrate, it is a Cavalry vehicle with the dismounts being secondary to its primary missions.
The Mech Infantry has become the Cavalry.
SO.....if we take the Light Infantry out of the Vehicle mounted Light Infantry aspect of our General Purpose Mech Battalions and hand them to an "Elite" Light Infantry force, and we take the Cavalry aspects out of our GP Mech Bns and hand them back to the Armoured Corps - What exactly do we envisage the other 6 combat arms units (the current Mech Bns) doing?
Cavalry to the Armoured. All Infantry Light, 6 with vehicular support - maybe even some LAVs and 3 para-qualified airtransportable.
The LIBs actually can justify their role fairly easily, the only real question is "how light is light" and what scale of kit can be transported to a particular location with them.
The Cavalry function should rightly be a no-brainer as an Armoured Corps job.
The problem seems to me to revolve around the Mech Infantry.
The Mech Infantry evolved from Light Infantry in trucks to keep up with the Cavalry, to Light Infantry in APCs to keep up with the Tanks in close combat and assaults. Perhaps the seeds of the problem can be found in the General Purpose, Multi-Functional Combat Arms decision to purchase the LAV-III.
As the Aussies and the USMCs can arguably demonstrate, it is a Cavalry vehicle with the dismounts being secondary to its primary missions.
The Mech Infantry has become the Cavalry.
SO.....if we take the Light Infantry out of the Vehicle mounted Light Infantry aspect of our General Purpose Mech Battalions and hand them to an "Elite" Light Infantry force, and we take the Cavalry aspects out of our GP Mech Bns and hand them back to the Armoured Corps - What exactly do we envisage the other 6 combat arms units (the current Mech Bns) doing?
Cavalry to the Armoured. All Infantry Light, 6 with vehicular support - maybe even some LAVs and 3 para-qualified airtransportable.