- Joined
- 21 April 2009
- Messages
- 13,496
- Reaction score
- 6,986
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20131125/DEFREG02/311250013
WASHINGTON — For the US Army, everything is on the table.
During the service’s yearly senior leader seminar Nov. 20, the Army’s top uniformed leadership for the first time called for a look at cutting the size of the squad from nine soldiers to as low as six, while reminding subordinates that the service is shrinking and likely won’t be able to afford new leap-ahead technologies in the near future. And briefing slides referenced vehicles half the weight of the Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV), which enjoys dwindling support among the brass. Going smaller while focusing investments on increasing the combat punch a small unit can bring to bear will “make us more affordable, yet as capable” as the service is now, one leading general said. A key point is also to become faster and more expeditionary.
One senior leader said that in coming years, the Army will have to “reduce the size of our formations but increase the capability of our formations. ...If we can be more effective with less people it will make us more expeditionary.” A handful of reporters were allowed to sit in on the briefing under the condition that names not be used. This talk about moving faster comes in response to the fact that the Army will primarily be a domestically based force in the coming years. The idea that rapid deployability to hot spots around the world will be a key to future conflicts is one that the Army is taking very seriously. This new push has generated a new Army catchphrase: “Speed that matters.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think it opens up some potential for innovative concepts of operation as you'd have to increase firepower things like a Spike or Javelin carrier and/or a robotic LOSAT/CKEM vehicle or a mini-gun on the Crusher UGV would be cool. Could you put a couple of Javelins on a Big Dog UGV?
WASHINGTON — For the US Army, everything is on the table.
During the service’s yearly senior leader seminar Nov. 20, the Army’s top uniformed leadership for the first time called for a look at cutting the size of the squad from nine soldiers to as low as six, while reminding subordinates that the service is shrinking and likely won’t be able to afford new leap-ahead technologies in the near future. And briefing slides referenced vehicles half the weight of the Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV), which enjoys dwindling support among the brass. Going smaller while focusing investments on increasing the combat punch a small unit can bring to bear will “make us more affordable, yet as capable” as the service is now, one leading general said. A key point is also to become faster and more expeditionary.
One senior leader said that in coming years, the Army will have to “reduce the size of our formations but increase the capability of our formations. ...If we can be more effective with less people it will make us more expeditionary.” A handful of reporters were allowed to sit in on the briefing under the condition that names not be used. This talk about moving faster comes in response to the fact that the Army will primarily be a domestically based force in the coming years. The idea that rapid deployability to hot spots around the world will be a key to future conflicts is one that the Army is taking very seriously. This new push has generated a new Army catchphrase: “Speed that matters.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think it opens up some potential for innovative concepts of operation as you'd have to increase firepower things like a Spike or Javelin carrier and/or a robotic LOSAT/CKEM vehicle or a mini-gun on the Crusher UGV would be cool. Could you put a couple of Javelins on a Big Dog UGV?