Quote Originally Posted by tankersteve View Post
I have noticed an infatuation (sorry for the potentially inflammatory word) with the cav construct...It seems that people forget that reconnaissance is a mission, not an organization. I think that a maneuver battalion could conduct effective reconnaissance, but these horribly undersized/undermanned squadrons, designed for reconnaissance, do not perform well as additional maneuver formations...we can get a 3d maneuver battalion back into the BCT, perhaps by cutting down the size of the RSTA squadron to a robust troop (it would help).
Totally agree on the three maneuver Battalions and only a Cav Troop per light or heavy Bde -- plus a RSTA company with UAV /UGV (the Cav Troop should not be encumbered with that very necessary stuff).

Understand the current design was, rightly or wrongly,selected as 'the best we can do with what we have' but it really needs a relook as we head into the future.

I also believe we not only forget reconnaissance is a mission, we don't even generally do reconnaissance. With the caveat that there are a few exceptions, the Infantry commanders, mostly, do not understand the concept of mounted reconnaissance and misuse their forces badly all too often. Armor units tend to believe in flash and dash rather than painstaking recon; there's a reason for the old "bypass, re-gas and haula$$" cliché. That also with only rare exceptions -- as is the generalization that entirely too many senior people in all branches do not have the patience to wait for the length of time required for effective and competent Recon so their alternative is to send an overly heavy, unstealthy, high speed and undermanned force out to hurry up and draw fire.

That's why current Cav units are too small, they're not scouts (or dragoons) nowadays, they're sacrificial lambs.