2022/03/26

A militia for the 2020's (III)

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Training

The Russian blunders in Ukraine have reinforced the old insight that training is extremely important, for troops get hardly anything done without enough training.

Training can be divided into

  • basic soldiering training,
  • individual specialisation training (technical, NCO, officers)
  • small unit training
  • unit training
  • formation training

This is ideally also the approximate chronological sequence.

I wrote before that the militia could do away with all levels above small units, so the unit and formation level training can be cut. 

Minimised diversity of equipment and simple to use technology can cut the training demands even further.

My concept is

  • basic service / basic training 3...6 months*
  • first refresher training one week in cold season (basic was in warm seasons), ideally aligned such that university studies can do it in their holiday time**
  • annual refresher training 14...16 days or alternatively multiple weekends per year
  • promising volunteers continue after the basic service with another 3...6 months in a leadership course***
  • non-promising volunteers and leadership course dropouts get offered to participate in a specialisation training (duration depends on the training)

The basic training / basic service would happen mostly outdoors; no permanent lecture halls, no permanent barracks. Five days of continuous activity in the field (outdoor and using some sheds) in a row followed by a weekend for catching up with washing clothes and warm showers.

This basic training would include a realistic physical fitness plan that not only gets (almost) everyone fit enough within two months without major injuries, but also teaches a low effort fitness sustainment schedule that maybe some of the attendees continue with in civilian life****. Long road marches with weighted backpacks are not purposeful. The loads during all training shall not exceed actual wartime loads, and the latter have to be limited to what low fitness reservists can bear with a week after being called up.

The basic training / basic service would as a matter of principle also include at least one swimming event in which the recruits swim first in swimming clothes and then in full gear. Any detected non-swimmers get tasked to address the issue and provide evidence before they can be accepted as qualified militia members.

The list of specialisations would be rather brief to keep everything simple

  • forward observer
  • ManPADS operator
  • signaller
  • mortar crew

The leadership course would be special because it prepares for the absolute key job in the militia. The team leader needs to have learned what gets cut from the basic training:

  • maintaining morale
  • maintaining and enforcing discipline
  • tactics
  • radio use
  • target identification
  • casevac
  • keeping situational picture beyond line of sight
  • highly accurate navigation without electronics
  • understanding opposing forces tactics and capabilities
  • reporting
  • (simple) demolitions and (simple) EOD
  • dealing with firearms malfunctions
  • lockpicking
  • (...)

A week or two near the end of the leadership course would be reserved to repeat train what the individuals are least skilled at. A small group could be formed for navigation exercises, while another small group focuses on identification and another one on communication and situational awareness, for example. 'One [training plan] fits all' is too inefficient.

Training facilities should be within a reasonable radius, up to one hour drive by car:

  • small arms shooting range (ring and various pop-up silhouette targets) for 30...300 m
  • hand grenade throw training (including from behind and into windows)
  • anti-tank shooting range (open field with an actual vehicle driving realistically, shot at with subcalibre training munitions) for up to 300 m shot distance

The training facilities can make do with unheated simple cushioned bunk bed (no bedding) halls that don't heat up too much in summertime. No shooting training is necessary in wintertime.

Additionally, the militia should have access to army laser-based training facilities at least for basic service and leadership course. The mortar specialisation course should also have access to an army indirect fires shooting range. 

Community

The militia members could form a community (with closed or secret groups being forbidden) that keeps in touch outside of refresher trainings. This could include message groups (politics banned), hiking tours, barbecues, attending non-regulation courses together (first aid, exercises in allied country et cetera).

S O

defence_and_freedom@gmx.de

 

*: 6 months typically in frontier countries with conscription. 3 months is a decent basic training , 4 months is a minimum infantry training and 6 months is a decent infantry training (obviously not for all seasons or many special scenarios). 

**: In Germany this would be in late February, but it would still cut some days off preparations for tests.

***: The trainers would be retired army NCOs, so the regular army still doesn't get the opportunity to neglect the militia. 

****:  In my opinion 6x50 jumping jacks, 6x20 squats, 6x various curl bar exercises and 3x2 km runs (or frequent non-electric bicycling) are plenty per week. That's about 1.5...2 hours effort per week and only 3x some sweat.

 

edit: I edited the community part in and made some more minor changes while I was temporarily not aware that this part was already published. I'm still improving the later parts.

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9 comments:

  1. "The basic training / basic service would happen mostly outdoors; no permanent lecture halls, no permanent barracks. Five days of continuous activity in the field (outdoor and using some sheds) in a row followed by a weekend for catching up with washing clothes and warm showers."

    That is IMHO too much on the Starship Troopers side. :-)
    You most likely get a cruel attrition rate for both, the enlisted men and the trainers.

    If you want to train around 20.000 militia men per year, you have most likely to start with >50.000 even in a less demanding set-up.

    But one could of course test this issue without inflicting high costs.

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    Replies
    1. It's actually inspired by a proposal from v. Middelhoff based on WW2 training experiences. Sitting in barracks almost all the time is a very poor preparation for warfare. I adopted it here because it avoids almost all infrastructure investments.

      Also, keep in mind I limited the basic service to the warmer seasons.

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    2. Ulenspiegel:

      Moreover the homes of the militia members (as they are local units) would be neer so that they could rest at home if the necessity for that arrives.

      This point: living outdoors for longer periods of time is not only very useful for sparing infrastructure costs, but also for training and hardening. That has nothing to do with Starship Troopers.

      Everbody can adapt to such a living, if he gets the right training and the correct knowledge to do that. It can be even comfortable if you have the knowledge and skills.

      And exactly that skills make good soldiers. So you do not only spare costs, your soldiers will become better in a shorter period of time.

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    3. I lived this, not in tents, but in containers, working 10h per day on a construction site for several months. The problem is privacy. There are small groups of people who like each other and can keep chatting all day, but others want to rest and isolate themselves. Containers have an isolation element that tents don't have and offer spacious mealtime arrangements when it's raining and snowing, which can happen in April. If it's a non-routine event, which can go on for let's say 3 months, people can be fine, because something is happening all the time, but as routine comes in, people will at least want to live like in a Mongol yurt. So maybe the idea what constitutes a suitable tent has to be rethought, because people who spent their lives in tents designed their social spaces differently from what you find for military camping.

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    4. Part IV said no to tents or tarps.

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    5. "Everbody can adapt to such a living, if he gets the right training and the correct knowledge to do that. It can be even comfortable if you have the knowledge and skills."

      We are talking about highschool students who volunteer. We are NOT talking about draftees. A real shock will cause high attrition rate which I want to avoid. 6 months in such a setup is too much.

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    6. "It's actually inspired by a proposal from v. Middelhoff based on WW2 training experiences. Sitting in barracks almost all the time is a very poor preparation for warfare. I adopted it here because it avoids almost all infrastructure investments."

      I have absolute no problem with your definition of the final product and do not assume that people change - we have only a thin layer of culture.

      My issue is that the starting point of the socialisation of the soldier is today a different one in comparison to 1950. Today, most young people come from small families, often have not shared their room with other siblings, are physically relatively unfit, have less "useful" spare time occupations etc.

      I would give them time to adapt if we are really talking about 6 months service.

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  2. I have nothing against peroids in tents or barns. However, I would not begin with such a method, give the recruits, most will be 19 years old men/women coming from highschool,4 weeks to adapt in a more conventional environment. Then increase out door periods.

    6 months in your set up will IMHO most likely not work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Adaptation can be eased by carefully raising the intensity.

      The militia basic training would look like an adventure summer camp compared to the civilian to military break in lifestyle that a regular military basic training still is.

      Delete