Bluezoo
05-23-2005, 11:16 AM
Canada Plans To Improve Light Infantry Units
By DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA
Experiences in Afghanistan and the battle against terrorism are spurring Canada’s Army to upgrade its three light infantry battalions so they can better support the country’s growing special operations force, in addition to providing troops to form the backbone for a new rapid-deployment unit.
The enhanced light units, along with the Army’s contribution to the rapid-deployment Standing Contingency Task Force, complement the service’s goal to become a medium-weight force capable of reacting quickly on the battlefield and using the latest technology for reconnaissance and surveillance.
Gen. Rick Hillier, chief of the Defence Staff, envisions the Standing Contingency Task Force as a high-readiness, rapid-deployment unit that could be pre-positioned near trouble spots using an amphibious assault ship the government plans to purchase. The Standing Contingency Task Force would be made up of infantry, special operations forces such as Joint Task Force Two (JTF2) and maritime and air assets.
Canadian military officials declined to give a detailed breakdown of costs. However, the government has committed 12.8 billion Canadian dollars ($10.2 billion) to revamp the Canadian Forces by 2010, including the purchase of an amphibious assault ship and aircraft, in addition to new equipment to support JTF2 and the light infantry battalions.
Hillier said improving the capability of the light infantry by creating what is known as Tier 2 forces will give the Army-dominated JTF2 the added muscle it needs. He said the Tier 2 light infantry will be well-trained, but not to the level of JTF2. Canadian officers use the example of U.S. Army Rangers to illustrate what they want to create. The U.S. Army has three light infantry battalions, each about 600 strong and with a small component capable of parachute operations. Hillier said he sees Canada’s light infantry as “enablers” to support JTF2 in its job.
Improvements in communications, mobility, firepower and support capabilities of the light forces will allow them to better integrate with a newly created Special Operations Group that includes JTF2. Among the new equipment to be purchased will be anti-armor missiles and automatic grenade launchers. A fleet of medium- to heavy-lift helicopters also will be acquired for troop transport, available both to regular Army units and special operations forces.
It will take several years to fully stand up the Special Operations Group and the Standing Contingency Task Force. Work is ongoing in designing the new structure for those groups as well as the enhancement of the light infantry battalions. Army officials did not respond to a request for more details on how the light infantry battalions would be upgraded or structured.
The size of JTF2 is classified but is generally believed to be around 600 personnel, including support troops. Hillier said he did not believe that Canada’s increased emphasis on special operations will drain units of their best troops.
“What we want to do is keep the special ops piece at the right size [so] that we’re not draining from units across the country, but we can actually generate sufficient numbers of those incredibly capable young men or women to do the job in special operations,” he said. “We think we’re pretty close to it right now.”
Hillier, who commanded NATO troops in Afghanistan in 2004, said the special operations capability is needed now more than ever for Canada to conduct missions around the world. “The missions are much more complex than ever, and for that you need a level of professionalism and expertise in operations that has never been demanded before in many cases here,” he said.
According to the government’s Defence Policy Statement, released April 19, the Army also will receive the bulk of 5,000 new recruits expected to be brought into the military over the next five years. That will allow the 19,000-strong Army to effectively support the Special Operations Group as well as the Standing Contingency Task Force, according to the 38-page document.
The plan is an about-face for the Army, whose commander last year said he wanted equipment improved for the light infantry battalions but did not see those units being used for special operations.
“We have plans to improve those aspects of the light infantry battalions, but we will not transform those as special forces,” Maj. Gen. Marc Caron, then acting commander of the Army, said last March. “The three light infantry battalions are part of the 12 maneuver units that we require for the rotation of sustaining at least two battlegroups outside of the country.”
Howie Marsh, a retired Army colonel, said Hillier’s plan to upgrade the light infantry units makes sense in that the 60,000-strong Canadian Forces can only produce about 300 “black” special operations troops, those soldiers who conduct counterterrorism and direct action missions. Because of that, there is a need for additional support from Ranger-type units, added Marsh, the Army’s former command inspector and now an analyst with the Conference of Defence Associations.
The Army is progressing on a plan to transform itself into a more agile force by the end of the decade. It is moving to almost an all-wheeled fleet, including replacing its Leopard tanks with the Mobile Gun System. It also will transfer its Air Defence Anti-Tank System, now on M113 carriers, to a light armored vehicle chassis....
For the full text, go to:
http://defensenews.com/story.php?F=832017&C=america
By DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA
Experiences in Afghanistan and the battle against terrorism are spurring Canada’s Army to upgrade its three light infantry battalions so they can better support the country’s growing special operations force, in addition to providing troops to form the backbone for a new rapid-deployment unit.
The enhanced light units, along with the Army’s contribution to the rapid-deployment Standing Contingency Task Force, complement the service’s goal to become a medium-weight force capable of reacting quickly on the battlefield and using the latest technology for reconnaissance and surveillance.
Gen. Rick Hillier, chief of the Defence Staff, envisions the Standing Contingency Task Force as a high-readiness, rapid-deployment unit that could be pre-positioned near trouble spots using an amphibious assault ship the government plans to purchase. The Standing Contingency Task Force would be made up of infantry, special operations forces such as Joint Task Force Two (JTF2) and maritime and air assets.
Canadian military officials declined to give a detailed breakdown of costs. However, the government has committed 12.8 billion Canadian dollars ($10.2 billion) to revamp the Canadian Forces by 2010, including the purchase of an amphibious assault ship and aircraft, in addition to new equipment to support JTF2 and the light infantry battalions.
Hillier said improving the capability of the light infantry by creating what is known as Tier 2 forces will give the Army-dominated JTF2 the added muscle it needs. He said the Tier 2 light infantry will be well-trained, but not to the level of JTF2. Canadian officers use the example of U.S. Army Rangers to illustrate what they want to create. The U.S. Army has three light infantry battalions, each about 600 strong and with a small component capable of parachute operations. Hillier said he sees Canada’s light infantry as “enablers” to support JTF2 in its job.
Improvements in communications, mobility, firepower and support capabilities of the light forces will allow them to better integrate with a newly created Special Operations Group that includes JTF2. Among the new equipment to be purchased will be anti-armor missiles and automatic grenade launchers. A fleet of medium- to heavy-lift helicopters also will be acquired for troop transport, available both to regular Army units and special operations forces.
It will take several years to fully stand up the Special Operations Group and the Standing Contingency Task Force. Work is ongoing in designing the new structure for those groups as well as the enhancement of the light infantry battalions. Army officials did not respond to a request for more details on how the light infantry battalions would be upgraded or structured.
The size of JTF2 is classified but is generally believed to be around 600 personnel, including support troops. Hillier said he did not believe that Canada’s increased emphasis on special operations will drain units of their best troops.
“What we want to do is keep the special ops piece at the right size [so] that we’re not draining from units across the country, but we can actually generate sufficient numbers of those incredibly capable young men or women to do the job in special operations,” he said. “We think we’re pretty close to it right now.”
Hillier, who commanded NATO troops in Afghanistan in 2004, said the special operations capability is needed now more than ever for Canada to conduct missions around the world. “The missions are much more complex than ever, and for that you need a level of professionalism and expertise in operations that has never been demanded before in many cases here,” he said.
According to the government’s Defence Policy Statement, released April 19, the Army also will receive the bulk of 5,000 new recruits expected to be brought into the military over the next five years. That will allow the 19,000-strong Army to effectively support the Special Operations Group as well as the Standing Contingency Task Force, according to the 38-page document.
The plan is an about-face for the Army, whose commander last year said he wanted equipment improved for the light infantry battalions but did not see those units being used for special operations.
“We have plans to improve those aspects of the light infantry battalions, but we will not transform those as special forces,” Maj. Gen. Marc Caron, then acting commander of the Army, said last March. “The three light infantry battalions are part of the 12 maneuver units that we require for the rotation of sustaining at least two battlegroups outside of the country.”
Howie Marsh, a retired Army colonel, said Hillier’s plan to upgrade the light infantry units makes sense in that the 60,000-strong Canadian Forces can only produce about 300 “black” special operations troops, those soldiers who conduct counterterrorism and direct action missions. Because of that, there is a need for additional support from Ranger-type units, added Marsh, the Army’s former command inspector and now an analyst with the Conference of Defence Associations.
The Army is progressing on a plan to transform itself into a more agile force by the end of the decade. It is moving to almost an all-wheeled fleet, including replacing its Leopard tanks with the Mobile Gun System. It also will transfer its Air Defence Anti-Tank System, now on M113 carriers, to a light armored vehicle chassis....
For the full text, go to:
http://defensenews.com/story.php?F=832017&C=america