Quote Originally Posted by sixthree View Post
...The other things are a DM does not in general have the training or experience to call in accurate Mort/Arty/CAS and most importantly the ability to understand the higher commanders intent and his role in it.
but it is criminally stupid and can easily be remedied by dumping the 1914 training mentality prevalent in most Armies.
Some Platoons/sections are better than others but none can ever achieve the level of noise and field discipline expected of a Recon det, if they were capable of it they would be in Recon. The discipline required in Recon is the main thing that sets them apart from the rest of the Battalion. Remaining covert for a long period of time in adverse weather conditions or when the pucker factor is high is not easy. A lot of Soldiers can't cut it which is why there are courses to assess possible candidates.
Not true in my experience. You take what the system provides, you train it well and it will do what it is trained to do. There are certainly people who cannot adapt and therefor should not be in the Army at all -- you get rid of them -- but the bulk can be properly and acceptably trained by a good trainer. That entails the units sustaining that training to retain the cognitive and muscle skills. That last is the cause of many seeming failures of line units to perform (and a reason for 'elite' formations which are usually small due to their expense); they do not get adequate sustainment training because that's expensive. Particularly so for a too large force. Politicians would rather spend money to buy votes.
...I would say that 10% of the Soldiers in a Battalion are capable of doing the job well.
Probably true, though I'd go with 20%. Not the issue, though. The issue is how many can do it acceptably in combat. I believe that figure is about 80% with halfway decent training. Never been a perfect Army or unit and never will be. Having been in a large number of so-called elite units, I'm firmly convinced that Bill Slim had it right -- a good infantry battalion properly trained can do any mission with the possible exception of strategic reconnaissance. I also believe that carries through down to rifle Platoon and even Squad or Section level.

The key to 'good' units is better and more careful selection of ALL entrants for a professional peacetime force and acknowledgment that a war time force, bulked up, will have less exacting standards and must adjust slightly. Only slightly...