Light infantry versus light infantry

Light in one context (movement) implies not heavily burdened. Although
this
is never explicity defined, one would take this to mean lacking in vast
heavy ass packs, lacking in piles of very heavy weapons (HMGs, GMS/L,
etc),
lacking in very heavy hardshell armour. This probably merits an 8"
movement
rate... although the better training and toughness of the force, the
more
you can probably carry and sustain this as a combat speed. 

My Gurkhas (for instance) move 8" because they are tough little fellahs,
but
they basically have D4 armour (which hurts when you get shot up). They
have
packs and IAVRs but they have a very rigorous selection program and are
very
used to burdens.

The other context of "light" infantry does not refer at all to movement
rates, rather to how they are deployed. Light infantry in this context
implies limited support so they tend to have no armour and perhaps less
arty
to back them up. The one thing this tends to do is mean they end up
carrying
more stuff themselves (kinda like the Gurkhas). They are not really
designed
for 1 on 1 fights with very very tough opponents - this kind of light
infantry often is a rapid reaction force - whose job it is to get in and
hold some ground until the regs arrive. This kind of force is more used
to
using the Two-Step Black Cadillacs as mobility than are conventional
forces.

Someone quipped once on this list "Why is it the _light_ infantry always
are
carrying the huge ass packs?". That's because that's the place they
carry a
lot of what they might need - since the support train is smaller for
these
forces. "Light" infantry is (in one sense) a misnomer. 

So, some forces are "light" (in terms of easily mobile) infantry such as
scouts, skirmishers, snipers, etc. Some forces are "light" in terms of
external support and their mobility type such as LRRPs, rapid reaction
forces, etc. 
Some classify as _both_ such as (IMO) the Gurkhas and many SF units.... 

That probably only muddies the whole issue I realize..... ;) 

(And of course, "Full Metal" Atkinson  <*Hi Jon!*> with his D4 diplomacy
and
D8 or D10 actual knowledge may well tell me I'm raving.... and be quite
right... this is only my own limited observation of these matters - my
infantry unit was never "light" in either sense unless you count the
Canadian lack of budget to supply us with wazoo kit and loads of ammo as
being "light" (a third definition creeps in....) - we didn't move like
the
wind often and we always felt like we were carrying rocks which only
turned
out to be true sometimes....)