Posted on Sep 21, 2018
Does an airborne/light infantry company have more infantry than a mechanized one?
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Just curious because I see the Army has been converting a lot of infantry brigades to mechanized which seems like a good idea.
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Infantry
Infantry
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 7
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Mech? Never served in 1, and I never saw one be wheels up in 14-18hrs tho either. They do pack more punch- once they get where they are going- if you have the logistics train to support them. Abn BN 730 troops- not counting their attached arty, ADA, etc.
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CW3 (Join to see)
Good call CSM. Speaking from the fires side, each BTRY (to include the FST Teams) has about 100 people times 3 BNs. Each of those BTRYs when I was an FA dude was trained for FA, but also as Light Infantry because if you jump and your guns don’t drop, you’re still forming up in LGOPs to complete a mission. We had to pass the same Infantry certifications as the line companies did when I was in the 82d.
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MSG Danny Mathers
CSM You are absolutely correct, it take mechanized units at least 18 hrs to mobolized and loadup. It takes a lot of assets to move Mech Units. Travel time and deployment is another issue. I spent 7 years in Mechanized Infantry which back in my day consisted of what they called Task Force consisting of Armor, ADA, Scouts and Arty; Pretty much like the Brigade Combat Teams The logistics and support are a major factor. Airborne, Air Assault and Light infantry are the best forces when time, speed and distance are major factors. Follow on support needs to be deployed in a timely manner. There will allways be a first in force to react to a conflict. Mechanized Units are best as follow on assets.
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SPC Anthony Schepis I'll answer your question with a question. Has anyone ever showed you how to use FMS Web before? Google FMS Web Login and it will be the first hit. You can look up in the US Army Force Management Agency's data base the MTOE for each of the company types and FMS web has a comparison tool. if you have a CAC card you can use it.
You can get a "recap" for personnel only and dump it into excel. You can then filter it by 11 series personnel.
You can get a "recap" for personnel only and dump it into excel. You can then filter it by 11 series personnel.
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Actually, they are converting them to mechanized because the pendulum swung too far the other direction in favor of light infantry because it was cheaper in the Pentagon budget year to year. It's not necessarily an issue of manpower in the unit as much as it is available equipment and firepower. Mech units are far more lethal than are light units because they can deliver more of a firepower punch. Additionally, this shift has to do with the United States seeing it's two main adversaries as China and the Soviet Union and the next conflict as likely conventional vs light insurgency.
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