New Regimental/battalion role specialization

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Subject: New Regimental/battalion role specialization
Worcester 2/2/2005 11:55:47 PM

Has anyone seen a breakdown of the ORBAT for the infantry battalion role specialization by light/medium/heavy? I note the CGS said last week that battalions within the Field Army brigade org would now increase from 19 to 23 presumable with the new fixed roles. It's fairly easy to figure out the slots available but I wondered if anyone knows who will go where precisely?

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Yimmy 12/20/2007 12:00:58 PM

According to Soldier Mag, UK Inf btns will be getting new 60mm Mortars. I

Just rumour, but I think all the new 60mm's have gone straight to theatre, with not even the mortar school over here having any.

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interestedamateur 12/20/2007 12:41:32 PM

[first posted to http://jdw.janes.com href="http://jdw.janes.com/" target=_blank rel=nofollow>jdw.janes.com - 29 June 2007]

UK trains for the launch of 60 mm mortars
The UK is currently training for the introduction of new 60 mm mortars with a range of fuzing options as part of an imminent Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) issued earlier this year for roughly 20 'Commando' mortars. This will see the official return of a platoon-level mortar after the L10A1 51 mm mortar was retired in favour of the Heckler & Koch AG36 40 mm Underbarrel Grenade Launcher (UGL) on the SA80 A2 rifle, which then became the L17 A2.

Enough for about 2 battalions.

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neutralizer 12/21/2007 2:28:28 AM

According to the British army website, we have stood up 6th Division. Presumably this will be a third deployable division HQ.

ww.army.mod.uk/unitsandorgs/divisions_brigades/index.htm

To be properly deployable like 1 and 3 (ie capable of commanding mobile operations) it would have to have a divisional signal regiment, or properly be '6 Divisíonal HQ and Signal Regiment'. No sign of this. The media release actually indicated is was to deploy as S Region HQ in Afg, this is a static HQ role, probably with a scratch signals element pulled from all over. Whether it has life after Afg is unclear (as is how long it will be there), its possible it may be retained after Afg as a nucleus for a similar role in future but I think this is unlikely, it'll reform if reqd. Note too that a month or so back MoD anounced a new bde HQ forming, to train a Helmand TF, deploy with it then disband after the tour. The pattern seems clear, Iraq uses armd & mech bde HQs (total 5 to give 24 months between tours), Afg uses light (3, 16, 19), regional (ie 52 bde) and ad hoc bde HQs (total 5)

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interestedamateur 12/21/2007 4:18:53 AM

Thanks Neutralizer - very interesting. It clearly makes sense for the Army/RM to have 5 light brigades - do you have a number for the new unit? By the way, you may remember that we discussed the status of 52 Inf Bde yonks ago, and whether it was getting a permanent signals unit. Well this is from 258 Bde Sig Sqn's web page:

"On 16 July 2007, 258 Signal Squadron assumed independence from 30th Signal Regiment in order to become the Close Support Signal Squadron for HQ 52 Inf Bde, and their imminent deployment on Op HERRICK 7, 15 Sep 07 ? 17 Mar 08, as HQ Task Force Helmand. Within twelve months the Squadron turned itself from a General Support (Cormorant) Squadron, with a clear Area Systems focus, to a Bowman-ready radio unit, and fully participated in the formation of the Brigade and its first pre-deployment FORM cycle. With an equal emphasis on core military skills and special-to-arm training, the Squadron saw a busy year, requiring nothing less than a radical change of skill sets, ORBAT and approach across all ranks.

The Squadron quickly established its identity and embraced its newly inherited lineage, without losing a sense of its history. Still administratively controlled by 30^th Signal Regiment and accommodated within GAMECOCK BARRACKS in Nuneaton near Coventry, the Squadron has to balance its commitments to the Brigade HQ in Edinburgh with its home duties, and the opportunities and limitations this arrangement inevitably brings.

258 Signal Squadron are looking forward to their official formation parade in Edinburgh when the Squadron returns from Operations in March 08, to being fully involved in the Brigade FORM cycle for Op HERRICK 12 in 2010, and to further establishing its identity and ethos as a newly formed R SIGNALS minor unit."

It seems to me that the implication from this is that 52 Bde will remain as a fully deployable light bde - all it needs now is some logistics, artillery and engineers!

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interestedamateur 1/7/2008 11:49:21 AM

Just in case anyone hasn't heard, the MoD have ordered another 10 Reapers (Predator type UAVs) with ground stations and spares etc for around £500 million.

Source: defence-aerospace.com

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cgi-bin/client/modele.pl?session=dae.17069172.1136893303.Q8Odd8Oa9dUAAHgRklM&modele=jdc_34

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interestedamateur 1/7/2008 12:00:16 PM

The new Brigade is 11 Light Brigade. See MoD press release below:

11 Brigade will provide vital support to Afghan operations

7 Nov 07

A temporary Brigade Headquarters has formed up which will command UK forces in Afghanistan between October 2009 and April 2010, it was announced today, Wednesday 7 November 2007.

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/DefencePolicyAndBusiness/GenerateThumbnail.aspx?imageURL=/NR/rdonlyres/CE2CAF12-B69A-4DC8-BB28-8FEBBB95C1F3/0/11brigadelogo.jpg&maxSize=210" border=1>

11 Brigade logo
[Picture: MOD]

The Brigade HQ, known as ?11 Light Brigade?, will be based in Aldershot.This commitment has been widely known for some time and illustrates the agility which the Army has shown previously in meeting the demands we face today.

It is expected to provide the command and control required to meet the demands of current operations, by taking existing manpower and organising it to best deliver our commitments in Afghanistan. HQ 11 Light Bde will disband on its return from Afghanistan in April 2010.

This new adjustment does not affect the Future Army Structure (FAS) of seven Brigades (two Armoured, three Mechanised and two Specialist brigades). Indeed the principles of FAS remain valid. This is an adjustment to fit the specific environment in which the Army currently finds itself, just as the Army has always adjusted its structure to meet the demands of operations:

The Brigade HQ will be formed now to take command and control of the force elements assigned to it, and to begin to direct their training for deployment. The Ministry of Defence undertakes sensible contingency planning to determine how commitments in both Iraq and Afghanistan will be met, and will continue to look at the extent to which other elements of the Army might need to temporarily adjust to meet the requirements of current operations.

Army spokesman Colonel Ben Bathurst said:

"11 Light Brigade has been formed to provide the ongoing command and control that our forces in Helmand will require. The fact that we have been able to take existing Army manpower and organise it to support directly our operations in Afghanistan shows that we are completely focussed on meeting the demands of current operations.

"As a result, 11 Light Brigade has been formed under the command of Brigadier James Cowan who will now train his Brigade Headquarters to command the force package for Operation HERRICK in Afghanistan from October 2009 ? April 2010."

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neutralizer 1/8/2008 2:37:31 AM

As the MoD statement says, there is no change to the 7 bdes established by FAS. It's also notable that the sig sqn supporting 52 bde is called a 'close sp sig sqn' (seems to be a new type of organisation) and is not co-located with HQ 52 bde in Scotland. It is clearly not a 'Bde HQ & Sig Sqn' which is what the 7 proper bdes have (just as 1 & 2 divs have their 'Div HQ & Sig Regt'. There's a world of difference between a bde HQ deploying into a static location with a DS sig sqn and a proper bde HQ designed for mobile ops, for starters the latter has a duplicated HQ facility so that the HQ can simultaneously occuppy both main and step-up sites.

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interestedamateur 3/5/2008 9:04:53 AM

These are the units that will be deployed to Afghanistan with 11 Lt Bde:

A New Brigade in Aldershot

A new Brigade has been formed for the next few years for deployment to Afghanistan and is called 11 Light Brigade.

The Brigades Commander Brigadier James Cowan joined Garrison FM's Richard Wyeth at Breakfast to explain all about.

11 Light Brigade has been formed as the Army needs a tenth Brigade to cover Iraq & Afghanistan deployments, (5 for each country) and is made up of existing units within the British Army with the HQ in Aldershot Garrison.

The units that are forming 11 Light Brigade are 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, The Household Cavalry, 3rd Battalion Rifles, 1st Battalion Royal Welsh, 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment, 1 Royal Horse Artillery, 28 Engineer Regiment and 10 Queens Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment.

After deployment 11 Light Brigade will disband in June 2010

(Source was Garrison FM radio Aldershot via arsse). All of the Infantry Btns are Light infantry.

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neutralizer 3/6/2008 3:14:53 AM

Ha ha, no shortage of spin in this BS. HCR and 1 RHA at least are already assigned to other brigades. And there aren't any spare recce or fd regts to replace them in those bdes.

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interestedamateur 3/6/2008 9:46:27 AM

They're pulling units from all over the place to man 11 Lt Bde.

3 of the 4 Inf btns are from 52 Bde, 28 Engr Regt is with 20 Armd Bde, I'm pretty sure 10 QOGTR is from 101 Log Bde, and the 4th Inf btn and 1 RHA are from 1 Mech Bde. Not that formal affiliations mean much - everything is so flexible!

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