Quote Originally Posted by tankersteve View Post
Gentlemen,

Fairly new to this forum so I'll keep it short.

In Iraq, a great amount of our deployed formations are heavy brigade combat teams. There are only 4 infantry companies in these brigades. These companies are relatively (key word) easy to 'organize' for COIN since they are robust and fairly large. However, there are also 4 tank companies (62 men, pure), 3 cav troops, and an engineer company, to list the maneuver companies. Any specific thoughts on how to maximize our manpower to achieve similar effects?

I will tell you from personal experience that the tank companies have to be significantly boosted through task/organization IOT maintain continual operations, even to include self security and a constant patrol presence.
Hey Steve, welcome. Just because I don't know, how common was it for MECH BDE to have the Tank Co "put away the M1s" and patrol in humvees or light? Did most of your convoys roll with a mix of vehicles; i.e., Brads, M1s and Humvees? How did your unit augment the Tank Co? Combining them or attaching Soldiers from other units? How much bigger (or smaller) are the Cav troops in comparison with the Tank Co?