The Briefing Room
General Category => World News => Topic started by: SPQR on November 23, 2013, 05:33:32 am
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Israel is reorganizing its tank battalions. Currently each battalion has three companies of tanks and one of light infantry. The infantry protect the tanks from enemy infantry (armed with anti-tank weapons) and scout ahead for enemy forces. The new organization will still have three tank companies, but the fourth company will be a support company consisting of a 120mm mortar platoon, a recon platoon, and a scout platoon. Armor battalions will also train on how to use one or more additional companies of infantry that can be added as needed.
Israel is retiring over a thousand older tanks and eliminating many of the reserve armor brigades that used them. Now one of the tank companies in each armor battalion will be a reserve unit, and many of the additional infantry companies needed to reinforce armor battalions will also be reserve units.
With all this the armor battalions will have more capabilities, but that will mean more training and that is expensive. Israel is also cutting its spending on training and trying to make up for that with greater use of simulations.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htarm/articles/20131122.aspx
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Sensible. Scout and recon are specialty groups. Going to increase the effectiveness of the battalion immensely and adding a mortar platoon will increase the safety of the tank crews.