Habitual association versus modularity

[Norfolk]

The above pretty much lays down the new modular Heavy BCT's. Most of your comments seem based on knowledge of the Limited Conversion/Army of Excellence Division design, which is almost phased out. SBCT's and IBCT's have a different laydown, but have the same general structure of a recon bn, two maneuver bn's, a troops bn, fires bn, and a support bn.

As a final comment, in OIF my company tasked organized down to the platoon level, with four tank/infantry/engineer mixed platoons from a deployed task organization of two armor, one mech infantry, and a combat engineer platoon. More later on why.

I have been following not only the SBCT and IBCT, but also the HBCT as it develops, and have doubts. The perspective that I am coming from is informed by a few different things: 1. Coming from the Commonwealth, which does use some different tactical concepts; and 2. The new HBCT and its Heavy CAA Battalions seem a little understrength, especially considering that the Brigade reserve has to be formed out of hide and each of the two manoeuvre battalions only has two companies of tanks and infantry, respectively, to begin with. On the surface, it appears to be a case of stretching things a little too thinly - but I've never operated in such a Unit or Formation so that leaves me somewhat ill-equipped to comment on how it works in practice.

The US Army's preference for forming Company Teams by cross-attaching Tank and Infantry Platoons between Companies of the other Arm is different from the Commonwealth preference for pairing pure Companies of the two arms together to form a Combat Team when possible - different strokes for different folks - but we form Company Teams in the same manner as the US Army does when available forces render it impossible to form full-fledged Combat Teams. Even as far back as the 1950's, the Canadians would go so far as to form "Ploops" - a Rifle Platoon and a Tank Troop (Platoon) paired together - to perform infiltrations.

The problem with the Combat Team concept was that there often wasn't enough Armour to go around, so an Armoured Regiment or an Armoured/Mechanized Infantry Battalion would muster at most only 2 Combat Teams, leaving no Reserve at Battalion-level. The US Army Company Team concept (almost) always allows for a Reserve at Battalion-level. The HBCT and its two Heavy Combined Arms Battalions seem to impinge on that, as there is no third Battalion to form a Brigade Reserve; thus, companies from the two Battalions must be drawn off to form said Reserve. The 12-tube Arty Battalion also seems "light" - in fact, it almost seems "Pentomic" in concept.

Cavguy, the task organization that you mentioned, down to Platoon level within the Company, presumably finds a way around this - how?