US troops need less technology

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US Troops Need Less Technology

By Mike Haran
Feb. 9, 2007

Technology is not the answer when confronted with irregular troops.Time and time again the US has opted to rely upon technology on the battlefield rather than design infantry tactics to the weapons available to both it and the opponent.Take the newly introduced OI CW weapons system,the newly introduced infantry rifle for use by all US ground forces.This in effect a grenade launcher rifle with back up 5.56mm rounds .It will fire twenty grenades at 1000 meters or so and then when close in fighting occurs rely upon the 5.25mm.

At present US infantry are battling an untrained insurgency who knowing the limitations of the present M16 regarding range who attack with impunity at a range of 1000 meters or so knowing that they can not be hit by counter fire ,unless the attacking force is willing to run through 500 yards or so of enemy fire in order to use their AT10 or M-203 grenade launchers.

RP G's and such weapons have been around since the cold war built by the Russians and other East European countries since the 1970 or so.Now we have a situation where the US infantry man is in effect bait for the RP G's,their purpose to lure the insurgency out so as to let the helicopters and artillery kill them.This weeks tally of US helicopters bought down by ground fire suggests that someone high up in the insurgency has figured out the US weak spot and gotten hold of some type of advanced AA or have figured out a plan to bring helicopters down using conventional AA.

Here are the specs for the soon to put into service general infantry weapon costing 15k a pop and weighing 12 pounds.

Lethality Capability: 20MM High Explosive (Air
Bursting) projectiles and 5.56MM Kinetic Energy projectiles
Weapon Length: < 33 in
Weapon Weight: < 12 lbs
Rates of Fire: 20MM - 10 RPM, 5.56MM - equal to M16A2
Range: 20MM - 1,000 meters, 5.56MM equal to or better than M16A2.
Combination 5.56mm and 20mm HE
Single trigger control for both barrels Ambidextrous weapon and switches
Simple red dot day/night sighting system
Laser adjustment for targets in buildings and in defilade
Unique recoil mitigation and tactical operational awareness .

Infantry tactics most be learned ,a thing the insurgency is unable to, or incapable of due to the bombing of their training camps by the US.The new weapon is effective to 500 meters using 5.56mm rounds , not much better than the M16 ,and 30% effective to 1000 with the grenade laucncher.Sure there our all kinds of laser and heatseaking gizmos attached but as any infantry man ,past or present, will tell you, the more complicated a system is the more that can go wrong at the crucial moment.

Wouldnt it be easier to partially withdraw the M16 and in its place issue the old Garrand M1 of WWII vintage.This is a semi automatic with a range more than 1000 meters,and at least as accurate at this range as the M16 is at 500 meters.This will allow the squad to be able to engage PRG's at 1000 meters . The insurgency will of course then feel enbolden having the AK 47, its automatic fire being a winner at 500 meters or less,who will then attempt to get in close to US troops.If half of the US squad was issued with M16 this would be a plus as half a squad of trained men against a squad of similiary armed untrained men would most likely prevail.

Into the mix must be included the M1 armed soldiers.Nowadays all fire fights take place in the 50-200 meter range as this is the best range for automatic weapons.Tactics are based upon the fact that while there is no safe place on the battle field due to the other advanced weaponary this 50-200 meter range is the deciding factor ,after all you have to actually occupy the ground in order to take it.The M1 Garrand will have extended this area by several hundreds of meters giving the US squad an added advantage.

Infantry tactics now resemble chess .The man moves quickly to a positon giving the best cover and fields of fire,preferably so as to cover at least one of his own men.Crucial factors are the weight of the weapon, as this determines how fast the man can get to his position,the range of the weapon ,and its effectiveness at the range which it is to be used ,plus the number of rounds available.As most fire fights last from three to five minutes this in now not so important as previously but of course still a factor.

Now picture a soldier running with the new weapon twice as heavy as the M16 and delicate to boot.The increased effectivenss is more than off set by the way the weapon decreases the mans speed.The carrying of twenty grenades most surely severly cut down the number of 5.56mm rounds available.The thinking behind the weapon seems to be that it will not be used at less than 1000 meters as the grenade lauching capabilty will preclude any enemy coming into close range.Twnty grenades are still only twenty rounds no matter how effective and once they are gone the insurgency will feel free to come in close.

The indroduction of new technology in order to fight a primitive opponent is in my view wrong.I am of the opinion that the basic squad ,allowed to come to grips with the untrained insurgency, will decimate it if only by refusing to allow it to wage the kind of war it wants .If it wants to use hit and run tactics why should the US oblige it by leaving its troops vulnerable at long range?

For additional information Go to bottom portion of article

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About the author: Read Mike Haran's essays on history at http://www.geocities.com/manzikertca/

Email: manzikertca@yahoo.com

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