04-13-2014, 05:25 AM
LIC Force Structure Considerations
Units that are part of Combined Task Forces that are assigned the responsibilities of maintaining stability and order, while ferreting out the non-uniformed combatants, need the flexibility to Tailor the Force, which was a specific aspect of Army doctrine at one time. I would have to brush up on what direction they have gone with the doctrinal publications, but the reality is there isn't a one-size fits all solution to a lot of these problems, from a screening and initial entry process, MOS & leadership training, or weapons and equipment viewpoints.
For most of your soldiers, 5.56 NATO is going to be more than adequate for their specific duty positions, whether they are trekking the mountains of Central Asia, or chasing down hood rats in North Africa. Once you start looking at the DM's and Company or Battalion Snipers, requirements shift a bit, with accuracy, wind drift and terminal effects at distance being higher prioritizations than the general issue carbines.
DM Carbines
DM's may want a choice between two different caliber platforms, depending on METT-TC. Under the current calibers, they should have that option between an accurate, lightweight 7.62 NATO SASS carbine, or an even lighter 5.56 accurized carbine, with appropriate optics and match ammunition for each. That's a significant logistics burden to place on combat arms units in conventional units, while it is standard in most special operations units.
Snipers
Same with Company and Battalion Snipers. If I'm supporting the line in a more overt posture in a mobility role, I want 7.62 NATO semi-auto (given the current logistics structure). If I'm doing a stay-behind operation and the AOR has distances that frequently require 800-2000m, I'm going to have at least long gun chambered in .338 LM if I can, with support from a 7.62 SASS, as well as an M4A2 with Grenade Launcher, and more M4A2's.
It would be nice to be able to have the Grendel instead of the 7.62 SASS weapons, and even the M4/SPR/DMC type carbines, as we could have less calibers to contend with, while balancing out the combat endurance of smaller teams that might break off in autonomous roles. 9 mags of 6.5 Grendel per Scout/Sniper in a 3-6 man team plus the .338 LM long gun and 40mm grenades would be better than 7 mags of 7.62 with 2 guys, and 9 mags of 5.56 with the others, because we could cross load with a match-grade cartridge that is excellent at reaching out, while perfectly suitable for shooting people in the face when clearing in a CQB or chance contact scenario.
Perspective
We're talking about a very marginal number of weapons in the whole task force when focused on snipers, so it's hard to sell the idea to long-term planners and logisticians, and for very valid reasons. The only thing that really makes sense is phasing out 7.62 NATO, as long as we do it with our European NATO partners over a long-term plan, but 7.62 NATO is very entrenched when it comes to vehicle-mounted belt-feds, and works fairly well for its role. We could have had something marginally better with less weight, but that didn't happen, thanks to the .30 cal nazi's and Dr. Carten.
There is a great argument for the 6.5 Grendel when talking about sniper teams (which have gone drastically away from 2 or 3-man teams), and I have several buddies who were left out to dry with their guys in OIF in totally different years and AORs, where they literally had to fight for their lives in the face of significantly superior numbers who wanted to kill them badly. 7.62 NATO and its limitations on individual soldier load and his ability to sustain a fight can play a huge role in that, especially when you have a mix of 7.62 NATO and 5.56 NATO within a small element that has valid reasons for carrying both systems.
2-Caliber System for Snipers?
A 6.5 Grendel + .338 LM weapon mix would be a heaven-send for snipers, but they are still largely dependent on a massive log chain that dumps pallets of 5.56 and 7.62 into AORs, often not including Mk.262 or 7.62 Long Range, no matter how much you request it through your XO and supply guys. That leaves you with M855 and M80 ball, .50 BMG, and a mission to accomplish. The Grendel could very much provide a 2-caliber solution that is currently covered by 4 calibers for snipers, but is the rest of the force going to change because of that? Nope, which is why I talk so much about the 6.5 LMG.
Here are the current US Army Calibers being used by snipers:
* 5.56 NATO
* 7.62 NATO
* .300 Winchester Magnum
* .50 BMG
Units that are part of Combined Task Forces that are assigned the responsibilities of maintaining stability and order, while ferreting out the non-uniformed combatants, need the flexibility to Tailor the Force, which was a specific aspect of Army doctrine at one time. I would have to brush up on what direction they have gone with the doctrinal publications, but the reality is there isn't a one-size fits all solution to a lot of these problems, from a screening and initial entry process, MOS & leadership training, or weapons and equipment viewpoints.
For most of your soldiers, 5.56 NATO is going to be more than adequate for their specific duty positions, whether they are trekking the mountains of Central Asia, or chasing down hood rats in North Africa. Once you start looking at the DM's and Company or Battalion Snipers, requirements shift a bit, with accuracy, wind drift and terminal effects at distance being higher prioritizations than the general issue carbines.
DM Carbines
DM's may want a choice between two different caliber platforms, depending on METT-TC. Under the current calibers, they should have that option between an accurate, lightweight 7.62 NATO SASS carbine, or an even lighter 5.56 accurized carbine, with appropriate optics and match ammunition for each. That's a significant logistics burden to place on combat arms units in conventional units, while it is standard in most special operations units.
Snipers
Same with Company and Battalion Snipers. If I'm supporting the line in a more overt posture in a mobility role, I want 7.62 NATO semi-auto (given the current logistics structure). If I'm doing a stay-behind operation and the AOR has distances that frequently require 800-2000m, I'm going to have at least long gun chambered in .338 LM if I can, with support from a 7.62 SASS, as well as an M4A2 with Grenade Launcher, and more M4A2's.
It would be nice to be able to have the Grendel instead of the 7.62 SASS weapons, and even the M4/SPR/DMC type carbines, as we could have less calibers to contend with, while balancing out the combat endurance of smaller teams that might break off in autonomous roles. 9 mags of 6.5 Grendel per Scout/Sniper in a 3-6 man team plus the .338 LM long gun and 40mm grenades would be better than 7 mags of 7.62 with 2 guys, and 9 mags of 5.56 with the others, because we could cross load with a match-grade cartridge that is excellent at reaching out, while perfectly suitable for shooting people in the face when clearing in a CQB or chance contact scenario.
Perspective
We're talking about a very marginal number of weapons in the whole task force when focused on snipers, so it's hard to sell the idea to long-term planners and logisticians, and for very valid reasons. The only thing that really makes sense is phasing out 7.62 NATO, as long as we do it with our European NATO partners over a long-term plan, but 7.62 NATO is very entrenched when it comes to vehicle-mounted belt-feds, and works fairly well for its role. We could have had something marginally better with less weight, but that didn't happen, thanks to the .30 cal nazi's and Dr. Carten.
There is a great argument for the 6.5 Grendel when talking about sniper teams (which have gone drastically away from 2 or 3-man teams), and I have several buddies who were left out to dry with their guys in OIF in totally different years and AORs, where they literally had to fight for their lives in the face of significantly superior numbers who wanted to kill them badly. 7.62 NATO and its limitations on individual soldier load and his ability to sustain a fight can play a huge role in that, especially when you have a mix of 7.62 NATO and 5.56 NATO within a small element that has valid reasons for carrying both systems.
2-Caliber System for Snipers?
A 6.5 Grendel + .338 LM weapon mix would be a heaven-send for snipers, but they are still largely dependent on a massive log chain that dumps pallets of 5.56 and 7.62 into AORs, often not including Mk.262 or 7.62 Long Range, no matter how much you request it through your XO and supply guys. That leaves you with M855 and M80 ball, .50 BMG, and a mission to accomplish. The Grendel could very much provide a 2-caliber solution that is currently covered by 4 calibers for snipers, but is the rest of the force going to change because of that? Nope, which is why I talk so much about the 6.5 LMG.
Here are the current US Army Calibers being used by snipers:
* 5.56 NATO
* 7.62 NATO
* .300 Winchester Magnum
* .50 BMG