Quote Originally Posted by Sabre View Post
In the long run, cutting batteries down to 4 from 6 (or to 6 from 8), while at the same time shedding artillery battalions from the OOB like fur from a furry cat on a hot day won't serve us well...
When I first heard about "Transformation" I was as excited as when I hear "Transformers" was being turned into a live-action film. Have to say I was dissapointed by both. IMO the U.S. artillery brigade (Like the old Soviet Artillery Division) and Div Regimental Artillery Group) is EXACTLY what the so-called "Transformed" army needs. All that emphasis on ISTAR, long-range precision engagement, etc. and yet you chaps disband the only organisation that didn't need to be disbanded to continue performing its mission. IMO it would have been better to allocated nothing larger than a battery of 6-8 120mm per manourve (damn it, never can spell that word) Bn. NO artillery spy for the brigade. Instead each 2-5 bde division or UX or whatever its new fancy name is should have been supported by an artillery bde with four 155mm bns (24 guns) and two MLRS Bns (54) AS STANDARD. The Arty bn could be detached to a brigade when necessry as per Div 86. But fire support would be co-ordinated like it used ot be under the Bde HQ not "distributed" throughour the network only to end up with its "signal stregth" eroded (friction is a constant element) and no way to mass fires (which IMO is always a requirement). Now the Russians were well on their way, theroeetically and doctrinally, to just such a "transformed" army with similar bde groups but never, I repeat never, would they, have they or are they considering disbanding their arty bdes... their bemused question would be ....WHY? They've even upraged their 240mm SPM with a laser guided round, in fact, the 240 was used extensivly in FIBUA during the last Chechen conflict and even in the Georgian war. You can't guarentee air-superiority or you'r GPS wont be jammed. Whether or not the force design pendulum swings back in favour of infantry-heavy vs armoured heavy forces is irrelevant. The need for arty is and will always be a constant.

So, why did the US Army disband the arty bde, perhaps the most lethal formation (especially with today's sensors/technology) in its arsenal next to the CAV regts?