Back to Basics…The Lost Art of Basic Combat Fundamentals

[Fuchs]

I do not think there are too many officers in command. It is the proliferation of officers in headquarters.

Since 2003 I have seen:

• Rank inflation (majors now do what captains did, LTCs do what majors did et al)
• Hyper-inflation of staff process
• A proliferation of HQs

The U.S. Army has always had a rather high officer share, similar to the even more extreme Soviets/Russians.

I observed rank inflation sine the mid-90's in Germany, and it was the result of two factors:
* a personnel system too inadequate to offer the right pay without promotion
* a shrinking of the force without laying off many 8- and 12-year volunteers of even professional soldiers (we could have done it, as evidenced by the firing of ten thousands of Eastern German officers and NCOs!).


Any hyper-inflation of staff processes in the U.S.army can probably be blamed on Air-Land Battle doctrine which defined a way of war that provokes such an inflation.

I don't know if its still the case (Fuchs?) but don't German NCOs command 2 of the 3 Platoons in a Company?

The ones I saw had anything from Feldwebel (SSgt) to Oberleutnant (1Lt) as leader. I don't recall a regulation or personnel slot rule for it.
In wartime everybody down to Unteroffizier (lowest NCO rank) could be called upon to lead a platoon to replace casualties. In peacetime practice Unteroffizier is more of an AFV driver job.

Btw, the standard path for officers requires them to run though several NCO ranks (named differently than normal NCOs, but still NCOs).

[Pete]

Btw, the standard path for officers requires them to run though several NCO ranks (named differently than normal NCOs, but still NCOs).

Here we see yet another example of the pervasive influence of that Karl Marx guy, even in that most reactionary of institutions, the German Army.

[slapout9]

Here we see yet another example of the pervasive influence of that Karl Marx guy, even in that most reactionary of institutions, the German Army.

Class Warfare is hell

[Fuchs]

Here we see yet another example of the pervasive influence of that Karl Marx guy, even in that most reactionary of institutions, the German Army.

The IDF uses a similar model afaik.