tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835455773953043846.post8616781122709419323..comments2024-01-12T18:59:05.080+00:00Comments on Defence With A "C": A review of Army 2020Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835455773953043846.post-82265718994090906702013-11-18T15:01:20.522+00:002013-11-18T15:01:20.522+00:00And if really, desperately needed, the AI could al...And if really, desperately needed, the AI could always leave the Warriors at home.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18182426936194426623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835455773953043846.post-9039355552257251802013-11-17T21:47:40.182+00:002013-11-17T21:47:40.182+00:002x things blew people's minds over this. And n...2x things blew people's minds over this. And neither is hard to grasp. First point: an armoured division in the Reaction Force. Days of armour are over, it can't get anywhere rapidly and so forth. I've argued before an armoured division is appropriate as it means we can make a powerful (relatively speaking) contribution to any operation and it takes a generation to re-generate a capability from scratch like that. Also, rapid is relative - you can have firepower and persistence, or you can have speed. You just can't have both at our level. Spookily enough we have light and rapid and slower and persistent forces in the RF. The second thing that blew people's mind was the Adaptable Force - it does not lend itself to nice ORBAT documents and it upsets the tidy minds of ORBAT collectors and internet wargamers. A pool of forces that can be deployed in adaptable packages? Exactly what the Army has been doing for decades but now its institutionalised it's messed with some people's heads. Nearly all the objections I have read about it concern people not liking it because they can't work out how it is organised or generates its forces. It's a wonderfully simple concept though to get your head around if you accept that the force generation process will by its nature remain mysterious. <br /><br />Phil<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835455773953043846.post-28121996473636734722013-11-16T18:38:22.078+00:002013-11-16T18:38:22.078+00:00Just thinking more on this Jed, I guess you could ...Just thinking more on this Jed, I guess you could work a bit of jiggery pokery with the composition of the SFSG. So you have at the minute the HQ company (1 PARA), 3x Para rifle coys, 1x para support coy, a Royal Marine coy and then some RAF Reg types as air controllers. <br /><br />You could keep one Para company and have the three battalions rotate members in and out. You keep the Royal Marine company. Bung in the Guards Para company to get them aboard. Stick the whole of 2sqdn RAF Reg in there (if they're gonna be para trained, might as well make use of that expense), with a Joint HQ. <br /><br />With the exception of the support coy, which could be Joint as well, you've got almost the whole thing back again, but now freed 1 PARA.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18182426936194426623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835455773953043846.post-78828032987060624322013-11-14T14:33:44.157+00:002013-11-14T14:33:44.157+00:00It's a possibility I guess, making the SFSG a ...It's a possibility I guess, making the SFSG a new cap badge with a modest entry requirement. It would be a nice break for the Paras to get a year off (or at least, a less intense year) every now and again. Do they need it though?Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18182426936194426623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835455773953043846.post-82787198150981729362013-11-14T14:19:48.147+00:002013-11-14T14:19:48.147+00:00The third battalion of the Para's needs to be ...The third battalion of the Para's needs to be released from the"Special Forces Support" role so as the "elite light infantry" rapid reaction capability can be on the same 3 year cycle as everyone else, including the 3 RN Commando's - that way the Rapid Reaction element of the Reaction Forces at any given time would be 1 Battalion of Para's and 1 Commando, with support from Para / Marine arty, engineer, signals and medical as required.<br /><br />Make SF Support a separate unit, and let them recruit from wherever, staff the army personnel budget as required. I really don't think the cost would cripple the defence budget, or the country !<br /><br />Jed (who just found out his Grandfathers brother was a Para who died at Arnhem !)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835455773953043846.post-23107515555672644452013-11-13T17:34:26.879+00:002013-11-13T17:34:26.879+00:00The equipment program makes sense I think. Not eve...The equipment program makes sense I think. Not everyone is going to be training at the same time so you don't need everyone to have large pools of kit. They can rotate through the available training vehicles, which themselves can be rotated in and out over time. That kind of fleet management should make the resources go for longer, which in this budget environment is pretty important. There really is no other prospect.<br /><br />The trouble with asking 2nd tier nations to do persistent stuff is that often their manpower and kit is poorly prepared and many have no interest in joining the club. It's like when people suggest that Germany should do the heavy lifting on land while we focus on air and sea. That's fine, until we want an armoured division to go somewhere and Germany decides it's not interested, as they so often do. At which point we become f**ked.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18182426936194426623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835455773953043846.post-66842045678015007082013-11-13T17:28:39.234+00:002013-11-13T17:28:39.234+00:00The problem is that you have 3 brigades doing year...The problem is that you have 3 brigades doing yearly cycles. So one is training, one contingency, one rest. Let's say you call up the contingency brigade first. After six months they're pulled out and the brigade in training is inserted, having only done six months of their planned annual cycle of training. Meanwhile the 3 brigade is due in six months time, but still has six months of their other tasks year to go. So their cycle has to be brought forward as well.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18182426936194426623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835455773953043846.post-40827656994706368242013-11-13T17:26:08.429+00:002013-11-13T17:26:08.429+00:00But what is Rapid? When you consider the wrangling...But what is Rapid? When you consider the wrangling that often takes place over things like UN approval, NATO structures etc, that gives you a time window to get the ball rolling. Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18182426936194426623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835455773953043846.post-17087379320914101702013-11-13T17:25:12.548+00:002013-11-13T17:25:12.548+00:00How many situations have we been in where it was &...How many situations have we been in where it was "respond in two days or its all over"? The Reaction Force should be fine.<br /><br />Force Troops Command will support Reaction forces as well, but most of they key logistic requirements are contained in 101 brigade.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18182426936194426623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835455773953043846.post-19862079222569064492013-11-13T15:28:57.038+00:002013-11-13T15:28:57.038+00:00A good job shining a light on the make up of Army ...A good job shining a light on the make up of Army 2020 and I agree on paper it seems to make sense. The Elephant in the room though os going to be weither the equipment programme if fully funded to allow units to be properly equipped for their roles and not just be given a mixed bag of left overs form Afghanistan. I especially abhor the idea of units using a pool of assets and only being fully equipped whrn on operations but I fear this may be where the MoD wants to go. It will provide short term savings but increased wear and tear will agian hurt the budget down the line.<br /><br />From a personnel stand point I believe we should refrain from persistent operations unless they are directly related to the UK's security. These sort of operations are ideally suited to the large number of 2nd tier nations with large manpower resources rather than 1st tier western forces which are becomming more and more restricted in available manpower.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835455773953043846.post-940572687980961392013-11-13T15:22:23.922+00:002013-11-13T15:22:23.922+00:00The only problem I see with it is that the 6 month...<i> The only problem I see with it is that the 6 month deployment cycles that we would expect from such an enduring operation will cause a lot of disruption to the 12 month based FORM cycles. </i><br /><br />Actually, I'd have thought they would fit fairly nicely. By the time you've been through beat-up training, six months on tour, then POTL, that's pretty much a year. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835455773953043846.post-60413096544568882122013-11-13T14:18:38.484+00:002013-11-13T14:18:38.484+00:00Yes - if I have one criticism is the reaction forc...Yes - if I have one criticism is the reaction force isn't exactly Rapid Reaction. The armoured units would take a month(?) to get into theartre (depends of course on where they're going) - Paras of course could be a lot faster but only one battalion?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10940535661399125656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835455773953043846.post-68396367981682409562013-11-13T10:07:41.485+00:002013-11-13T10:07:41.485+00:00The Reaction Force depends much on not just 1010 L...The Reaction Force depends much on not just 1010 Logistic Brigade, but Force Troops as well, both which contain a sizeable number of reserve units. And within the RF, only company-sized units can be placed on alert. The fully battalion and brigade can only respond a few days later.Jeneral28https://www.blogger.com/profile/16332640271661260029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835455773953043846.post-7199512941993569172013-11-12T22:14:26.850+00:002013-11-12T22:14:26.850+00:00An excellent summary - one of the best I've se...An excellent summary - one of the best I've seen. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10940535661399125656noreply@blogger.com