COMMAR - Thank you for the heads up. The overall concept makes my heat sing. In the wide land wooly boondocks of Afgahanistan, Small infantry outposts, linked to modern support assets seems to fit.
I, like the cannon cocker in Quantico's take on the placement of a battery of a platoon of 155's with a Company base camp. I am a little concerned with the application of a artillery platoon attached to a company who's squads and even fireteams as dispursed over a large area. Is the Artillery for HQ protection or for support of the disbursed units?
Back in the day - Quemoy and Matsu! My platoon provided battery security for a Marine 8" Howitzer unit that was on loan to the Nationalist Chinese.
I'm in full accord with the training and assisting friendly nations, in odd places. Marines have done it forever. Lt. Presley O'Bannion probably started that whole trend.
I discovered recently that Marine Helo. Squardrons were in Vietnam two years before the first Marine BLT waded ashore in 1965. They were training South. Vietnam Forces in the vertical enveloment concept.
I know that there are some rocket assisted tube support that may range out to 40 miles, but I doubt a 155 unit could reach half that far. The 100 mile to 250 mile concept of DO needs a fair amount of air support for supply and protection. What are the downsides of putting eyes and ears that far out into indian country?
I like the fact the Corps is still pushing the envelope and with the new giszmoos and communications that allow a small unit set up in a high place could control a lot of land. I suspect Afgahanistan is a place where the terrain dictates movement through valleys and over passes. A little like Korea, but a lot broader in land mass. It is a very large nation, but a lot of it is vertical.
I can sense compression in the mountains will work for the folks who have the high ground looking down on the travel routes. Hardened OP can exist in the middle of the enemy, but they need extrodinary support 24/7 and a realistic rotation schedule.
I see the Right Guide is history. Ken hit the nail on the head. Replacement Platoon Sgt. was always the idea in the 50's thru the 70's for that position. gathering beans and bullets was always a tough job. Right Guides also operated as arbiter of personnel problems and father confessor for the troops.
Is the Marine Squad still 13 men? Squad Leader 3 fireteam leaders and and AR per fireteam?
A fireteam is too small a unit to handle OP and patrol work if detatched from the Squad. Hanging a 4 man team out on the end of the supply line, deep in enemy controlled country seems a reduction in force too far. Small special Operations units, fine. But a fireteam that is part of a multiple disbursement of Fireteams might be too complicated to support. A fireteam as a base for that 5 man Recon unit might work, but 4 guys and a radio a 100 miles of more in the Hindu Kush. I'm not comfortable with that picture.
Just an old platoon Sgt.s 2 cents.
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