"Kevin Brooks" wrote
"Paul Austin" wrote

You've waived away logistics loads in using SBCTs far from
litterals.
Can you support that?

No, I have not. But, unlike you, I realize that the SBCT is not the
*only* force structure design that requires log support. In order
for
the current LI force to acheive the same mobility on/over the ground
that Stryker offers, you have to either send in a boatload of soft,
less useful trucks to haul them around in, or helos--care to guess
how
much POL those helos will burn? The difference between the two
forces,
if you force both to acheive significant ground mobility, will be
insignificant in terms of log requirements. The *only* way the
current
force wins in this regard is if you send them in with *no* transport
capability--in which case congrats, you just forced us back to the
same rate of movement that we enjoyed during the Civil War (if that
much, since those poor grunts are going to be carrying about five
times the load that their 1860's counterparts were burdened with).

Now, one more time--given that urban combat scenario that you
snipped,
do you want to go in as a naked grunt, or with light armor support?
You *really* don't want to answer that question, do you???

I agree that light infantry needs heavier support. My dislike of the
Stryker concept comes from the concept's origins: Clintonian notions
that the primary use for US arms in the future would be constabulary
operations and peace keeping. The only force that combines strategic
manueverability and enough weight to operate against enemy mech
formations right now is the Marines and if you get too far from the
water's edge, they have to leave a lot of equipment on the boat. We
need strategic airlift that can insert and support forces with
something like the tonnage of a MEU a thousand miles for water and we
have no count them none under development to do that. The SBCT is in
fact better than nothing but does not serve our needs. We need
something heavier than SFOR. We_know_what happens when you use forces
too light for the mission. Just look at (former) Yugoslavia.