tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post2721773686697988814..comments2024-03-29T13:09:31.522+01:00Comments on Defence and Freedom: Military theory of skirmishingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-88171395691868469402020-05-14T23:11:51.793+02:002020-05-14T23:11:51.793+02:00"Europe isn't going to be as full as it w..."Europe isn't going to be as full as it was during the cold war." That doesn't say the continent was going to be full. What that (is intended to) say[s] is that it is currently less full than it was during the cold war. So plenty of room on the flanks.<br /><br />All of this increasingly seems pointless.<br /><br />Where does conventional military power exist against nuclear armed great powers? What is the point of conventional strength? What is the point of conventional non nuclear military power? North Korea, Iran, Israel, Saudi, Pakistan. Stop playing games. Everyone nuke up, doesnt cost much relatively. The technology is no longer gated (despite the racist, revisionist, self regarding fetishisation of the yanks), Portugal could get nukes inside 9 months, Greece inside 6. Bulgaria has some decent universities, give them 7.5 months and some cases of Iron Brew and they'd get there. Screw it. Learn the lessons of the cold war.<br /><br />The Soviet battle plans are open source now (immediate nuclear prep strikes, poor Danes), same for the yanks (slightly delayed massive retaliation).<br /><br />I live inside the blast zone of a nuke aiming point so dont think I'm a disinterested party (and my father spent his entire childhood getting irradiated from 'our' nuclear weapons project).<br /><br />It's time for all great powers to get nukes. Screw the consequences. Building up conventional military power is a waste of time and money when it is supposedly postured to deter nuclear armed opponents.<br /><br />How the hell is a[n] (expensive) well trained, maintained and supplied pzh2000 cadre supposed to be anything but a joke to a leader who has topol launch buttons at their fingertips?<br /><br />Balance of terror 2.0. Slim Pickens was a genius.<br /><br />Whisper in the ear of Mutti and get her to swap the yankee bullcrap b61 for some tasty French fare. Save wasting forex on that black box compromised yank crap f18.<br /><br />I was terrible at predicting the future even before this virus, I'm even worse after it. Basic principles. Fight now. Fight in the past. Fight in the future. No retreat, no respite, no surrender. Eternal struggle. Come death, come sweet death.<br /><br />There is nothing else.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-58197598254867009922020-04-23T11:00:19.405+02:002020-04-23T11:00:19.405+02:00To some extent it comes down to how ATGM/Drone res...To some extent it comes down to how ATGM/Drone resistant the enemy's armour is. You have networked, non line of sight ATGW now with crazy ranges - even line of sight limited Javelin is pushing out to 4500 metres now with the latest lightweight CLUs. If you make the assumption that a fighting force ceases to be effective after 20-30% casualties, it is entirely possible that a fairly substantial attacking force could be neutralised before it even makes contact, and even in relatively open terrain. Someone above pointed to the need for effective wheeled SHORAD. Given lack of air supremacy by the defending side, something sensor agnostic, self homing and widely dispersed a good distance behind the line makes more sense than a vulnerable wheeled vehicle accompanying vehicle. The more dispersed the system is, the more survivable and the worse the tradeoff for enemies trying to neutralise it. Something like CAMM-L but with the addition of a passive imaging seeker version and individual, hidden launchers distributed and constantly re positioned by teams on trucks would fit the bill. That and something like LOSAT, only smaller, taking advantage of improved rocket technology, to overcome most of the vulnerability of imaging ATGW to various passive and active countermeasures.Chris Werbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12401452513193996839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-38420829588125959982020-04-21T10:30:16.822+02:002020-04-21T10:30:16.822+02:00Thus the two main issues with modern version of th...Thus the two main issues with modern version of the skirmisher at least up to the battalion scale is a decisive lack of firepower, lack of mobility (on feet or wheeled) in relative to contemporary problem (aircraft). <br /><br />Now if you were to get silly and arm the skirmishers with wheeled shorad in addition to tactical nuclear weapons (davy crocketts), a skirmishing force will overcome the two most pressing issues and now becomes a credible threat. <br /><br />Never say never after all.....we just woke up to negative oil prices and coronapocalypse this year. BenMazzarothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14273730273057506804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-4931266568874561282020-04-21T10:12:06.821+02:002020-04-21T10:12:06.821+02:00As far as high intensity warfare goes..... i.e. vs...As far as high intensity warfare goes..... i.e. vs China or Russia<br /><br />Skirmishers are probably only going to be only effective in mountainous terrain, forests, and urban areas in the modern day. In a sense they can only function if they can disengage, resupply, and re-engage at the time of their choosing. Any lightly armored force that is not under the protection of complimentary arms will be destroyed in short order. A case in point is how Wagner was systematically destroyed by airpower in Syria. <br /><br />Battlefield density also dictates the usage of skirmishers. In a highly packed area like a city with the commitment of tens if not hundreds of thousands of men there is no maneuver. Unlike formations that have the density, skirmishers cannot utilize the advantage of large skyscrapers or apartments in such a conflict as those would be leveled in the first week, or if they do there is no easy way to reposition or escape from well trained, well resourced, and numerous infantry.<br /><br />On the flip side in areas with too much opportunity for maneuver there is a lack of appreciable cover against modern sensor technology. At that point you are wagering that enemy electronic warfare is incompetent assuming you have the equipment to evade SWIR or FLIR. <br />BenMazzarothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14273730273057506804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-8953994594120109902020-04-18T20:29:15.551+02:002020-04-18T20:29:15.551+02:00Cheers! Cheers! ErGalimbanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-55340104099693628322020-04-18T20:21:18.657+02:002020-04-18T20:21:18.657+02:00I recommend Leonhard, "Principles of War for ...I recommend Leonhard, "Principles of War for the Information Age" for this.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-28665401557260230792020-04-18T19:44:39.412+02:002020-04-18T19:44:39.412+02:00Isn't the best way to defeat such a dispersed ...Isn't the best way to defeat such a dispersed skirmish force a determined thrust by your own skirmishers, and if that fails, from the follow on force? If carried out correctly e.g. with counter-battery artillery assigned it might actually work out to the favour of the attacker. <br /><br />Moreover, if the skirmishers are too dispersed they become very easy to pick off. You're always mentioning modern ISR - small units will not have much EW equipment, engineering equipment, mine dispensers, and such like to prevent enemy maneouvre forces from identifying them, boxing them in, and turning them to mincemeat. <br /><br />In fact, wheeled motorised units (such as the 8x8s mentioned above) with good support could bottle up your skirmishers and neutralise them while the heavy armoured units conclude the campaign. <br /><br />Or am I missing something? ErGalimbanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-42179872051512992962020-04-18T18:36:11.249+02:002020-04-18T18:36:11.249+02:00You are mistaken if you think WW3 would have been ...You are mistaken if you think WW3 would have been a high force density affair.<br />NATO had a mere 26 divisions on a 1,000 km front in West Germany. There were plenty of gaps, and not enough troops to even only keep an eye on all the forestry roads.<br /><br />Suwalki Gap offers much higher force density scenarios than almost all of Cold War Germany.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-21165302670595442932020-04-18T18:17:00.073+02:002020-04-18T18:17:00.073+02:00Europe isn't going to be as full as it was dur...Europe isn't going to be as full as it was during the cold war. Isolated pockets, isolated spearheads bypassing population centres. Plenty of room to manoeuvre.<br /><br />An all skirmisher land force may be viable. As self sufficient as possible, able to transit from relative safety and operate for 2-3 days before returning. COs capable of 'mission command' acting on initiative. Signature management, SIGINT, secure commo.<br /><br />This is where your hated gold plated 8x8s come in. The French proved they have the legs, have decent availability. The armament is sufficient for the task, armour allows them to operate where trucks would be suicidal. The French Jaguar 'armoured car' would seem suited in this task also.<br /><br />Problems? Fuel resupply, SHORAD. The Russians have rather a lot of helis.<br /><br />The wolfpack analogy may work on multiple levels. Large expanse to operate in. Meeting engagements rather than frontal operations. Satellites gone, air war stalemate rendering visibility close to zero. Unavoidably vulnerable 'fleet train'.<br /><br />Doesn't really hold up. But I cant see what a land barney between great powers would be like today. Missile exchange. Then the realisation that tin soldiers dont mean much when the entirety of your enemies critical infrastructure is vulnerable at all times.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com