Just some where to put the building blocks for my brigade structure while I work it all out.

Standard issue equipment and weapons

M23 - standard issue rifle
M23A - DMR version of standard rifle
M23B - PDW version of standard rifle
M23C -Automatic rifle version of standard rifle
M56 - Under barrel grenade launcher
Minerva IFV - eight wheeled APC with 30mm autocannon and AT missile in remote turret carries six dismounts crew of three (Driver, Gunner and Commander)
Athena MBT - main Battle tank 120mm smoothbore cannon
Prometheus ARV - Armoured recovery vehicle based on the Athena chassis
Raven Utility - HMMWV equivalent


Rifle platoon
........Platoon HQ
................Platoon Leader: M23/M56
................Platoon Sergeant: M23/M56
................Platoon Medic: (x2) M23B PDW
................Forward Observer: M23B PDW
.........Minerva IFV
................Driver: M23B PDW
.........Rifle squad
................Squad leader: M23/M56
................Fire team Alpha
........................Team Leader: M23/M56
........................Automatic Rifleman: M23C
........................Dedicated Marksmen: M23A
........................Assistant FT Leader: M23/M56
........................Automatic Rifleman: M23C
........................Rifleman: M23
................Minerva IFV
........................Driver: M23B PDW
........................Gunner: M23B PDW
................Fire team Bravo
................Fire team Charlie


Tank Company
Headquarters Platoon
.........Athena MBT
................Company CO: M23B PDW
................Driver: M23B PDW
................Gunner: M23B PDW
................Loader: M23B PDW
.........Athena MBT
................Company XO: M23B PDW
................Driver: M23B PDW
................Gunner: M23B PDW
................Loader: M23B PDW
.........Raven Utility
................Driver: M23B PDW
.........Raven Utility
................Driver: M23B PDW

MBT Platoon Alpha
.........Athena MBT
................Commander: M23B PDW
................Driver: M23B PDW
................Gunner: M23B PDW
................Loader: M23B PDW
.........Athena MBT
.........Athena MBT
.........Athena MBT
.........Athena MBT
.........Athena MBT
MBT Platoon Bravo
MBT Platoon Charlie
Recovery Platoon
.........Prometheus ARV
................Commander: M23B PDW
................Driver: M23B PDW
................Engineer: M23B PDW
.........Prometheus ARV
.........Prometheus ARV
.........Prometheus ARV

that's a really big rifle squad to have 19 men in it. You're spreading a rifle squad across three vehicles. How many squads in a platoon?

Three squads to a platoon. They are spread across three vehicles to reduce the number lost to a single vehicle kill.

The large squads are to provide manpower at the sharp end.

Got the basic structure on another forum from an active duty marine, was his best idea for a force structure based on experience. I liked what i saw and adapted to my use and flesh it out some.

Lose the Asst FTL and you have a more managable FT, and it trickles all the way up the chain. You really dont need him. It brings your Squad down to 16.

I'm guessing he's banking on a number of troops being gone for various reasons. This still calls for a very large formation, 19 men in a squad, 62 in a platoon, which works out at at least 200 in a company, probably 250.

Yep he reckoned after normal wear and tear with people ill, away on training, detached for other duties etc he'd be left with about two squads worth so would still be viable.

The Assistant FT is there because doctrine and tactics splits the Ft into to triples with the Ft leader the DMR and one automatic riflemen in one triple and the assistant FTL withe the other automatic rifle men and a normal riflemen in the second. Also means each leader has to think about a maximum of three people to give direct orders to.

Squad leader -> fire team leaders -> assistant fire team leader, two buddies

The IFV's take orders from the platoon sergeant if troops dismounted and they are operating seperately or the the fire team leader/squad Leader when mounted. They normally take the commanders position when mounted for its situational awareness and comm links.

So each fireteam is actually two fireteams.

More like combat pairs that currently happen with the four man fire team, it's a handling issue people can control only about three direct suborinates easily anymore taxes them leading to drop in efficiency hence 1:3 command ratio normally used.

Military studies show that number to be closer to seven subordinates(in a combat situation) at the edge of managibility 3 subordinates is actually considered undertasking and reduces efficiency(per the studies) just doesnt reduce it as much as overtasking.

Okay, got any links for those studies?

1. what Falls said. Fireteams of 5 aren't that unreasonable

2. The current 4-man fireteam is a unit. What you're describing is basically two independent units commanded by the fireteam leader, meaning that they're like a mini squad leader.

Okay I think I'm explaining badly, what I'm try to get across is the fire team is the smallest unit employed but in respect of tactics and how it is employed it is seen as two three man groups. Each can lay down a base of fire via the automatic rifles and UBGL's while one has precision capabilities due to the DMR the other doesn't.

A single three man group is never deployed alone but always as a fire team of six.

What you describe sounds like a squad w/fireteams to me.

Not really as fire teams can be split off for tasks without compromising them a fire team can't

I'm not conveying what I mean well though.

Taking Command - check it out at your local library.

"*Control. Three fire teams work to the advantage of the squad leader. However, a fire team leader with a maximum of three subordinates creates another problem: the fire team leader is underchallenged. The 1967 edition of Taking Command, edited by Col Samuel H. Hays, USA, which has been used as a leadership textbook in at least two service academies, points out that a unit leader needs a minimum of three subordinates to keep him busy. "


"*Control. The team leader's ability to control his unit should not be affected by the addition of two men. Col Hays established the maximum limit for control at seven men."
From the Marine Corp Gazette Article "Flexibility & the Fire Team"

the book itself is not available online for free, it is however cited in at least half of the leadership articles and papers Ive ever read as being a premier text on leadership-- anyone who told you 3 is even PEAK doesnt know shit about what they are talking about, let alone claiming that to be a maximum.

The basis for the 3 man fireteam has absolutely nothing to do with control.

Additionally ive read things by NCOs advocating 5 man teams as the standard.
The 3-man model is largely bureaucratic in origin.

Thanks, will look into that.

huh?

Sorry missing the word squad from that explaination.

A squad can split off fire teams for jobs and remain a viable unit.

While a fire team can't split off members to operate independently and still be a coherant and viable tactical unit. At least that's how it has been explained to me.

Clear as mud right?

I believe the purpose of a unit is to operate independently of the whole.

Dividing the smallest possible unit, and you'll have nuclear fission.

This is completely untrue--mind you our teams have balanced firepower (i.e. a SAW and a grenadier each).

would it make more sense to change the title of the assistant FT leader to grenadier and just have a six man FT?

I assume the difference between the automatic rifle and service rifle is that service rifle is semi-auto. Which tbh doesn't make much sense; if you have the chance of having a full auto rifle instead of a semi, go for it entirely; adds a lot of options and is simply more convinient then a semi-auto rifle.

I'd have thought Automatic rifle=M27 style auto rifle.

Yes M27 IAR style rifle, heavier barrel and larger capacity mags,