Quote Originally Posted by gute View Post
I believe this may have been addressed before and if so I apologize. This topic is of great interest to me so I have continued to study it. It's my understanding that the HBCT has three major flaws: 1) two Combined Arms Battalions instead of 3-4, 2) an under armored RSTA squadron, and 3) the belief that the RSTA squadron may serve as a third maneuver element.

I have two questions for the members with the experience with armored warfare and the HBCT. 1) Is the current structure of the HBCT sufficient for offensive operations such as what the 3ID did in the run up to Baghdad during OIF? 2) Are the criticisms of the HBCT and the IBCT based on a lack of performance during stability ops or the current structures are ill suited for offensive ops? I seemed to have the same question twice - It seems to me the major critisms of the BCT have more to do with a structure that is performing stability ops and not offensive ops or maybe it makes no difference. Thanks.
You know I always considered the old ROAD 1986 mech div to be pretty much an all-arms smorgasboard task and mission tailorable (is that even a word?) as and where required. The Div cavarly Sqn/Bn even had organic helicopters and an artillery brigade. IMO the BCT are good in principle but for their actual combat effectiveness is hampered by a logistics and CS slice that gives it a 50/50 troop to tail ratio. The old Div86 format could sustain bdes with greater oversight, IMO, and greater felxibility (especially if CS units had been made organic to Bdes, thus making the division an ad hoc HQ element much like the old Soviet WWII era Corps structure). Losing the artillery bde for a fashionable belief that precision is more important than volume merely sets one up for a bloody nose (BCT arty bns have, what, 12 tubes?) Still, the deficiencies(sp?) of the Stryker BCTs (i.e., including the need for a third manouevre bn) was diagnosed long ago. Which see;

LtC S. J. Townsend, Alternate Organisations for Stryker Brigade Combat Teams

Maj. A. L. Rocke, Is the Stryker Brigade Combat Team a Viable Concept

Maj F. R. Moss, The Costs and Benefits of Adding a Third Manoeuvre Battalion to the Brigade Combat Team