Re: "Tanks, for the Memories"

Ryan M Gill wrote:

> > BTW it is M1 tanks they swapped out for not Bradleys. (A tank
battalion)  Now
> > before someone scratches their head and goes wtf? One of the new
wheeled tanks
> > selected, is gong to have main gun armament. However the task for
now with
> > this Initial Brigade is to	work out a whole slew of issues such as
> > deployability , field logistics, mobility and tactics, etc. So for
now the LAV
> > III's will do. You can rig them up with Miles to simulate any size
gun you
> > need. Then when the new tanks come on board they can focus on
gunnery and
> > whatnot.
>
> Who is getting them? The OPFOR guys or some other Btn? I'd love to
watch
> this sort of battle. Rommel would love it I think....

Third Brigade, Second Infantry Division is the first with a second
brigade at Ft
Lewis to follow. BTW there is no preconceived requirement that it be a
wheeled
vehicle I think My statement was misleading. But it has to fit on a
C130. There has
been some trepidation in the armor community about this, some feel it is
a move to
take away the tank. (Must be an infantry general in charge<grin>).

The intent of the new unit is to be able to put a full brigade into
combat anywhere
in the world within 96 hours of initial call-up,  a division within 5
days and 5
divisions within 30 days. The Initial Brigade  is to be operational by
October using
a mixture of loaner and surrogate equipment until the final decision is
made on how
to kit out the brigades. The whole thing is on a fast track.

For comparison, it takes the 82d Airborne Division ready force (a
battalion) 18
hours from the first knock on the door until wheels up and on the way
anywhere in
the world. The first battalion (IRB) is on 2 hour callup at all times
with the
second battalion on 6 hour and then the third and brigade slice on 8
hour. Which
means once those units are called in they go into the 18 hour cycle.
(Some of these
times might have changed one way or another a little bit since I was
there but I
know that the 18 hour cycle is still in force. So I guess instead of
worrying about
replacing sheridans we'll just give them a  whole brigade of armor to go
with them!
<grin>

Los