An alternate New World Order: beta

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Burton K Wheeler

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This timeline is still sketchy, but the idea of it is a radically different reorganization of the United States Army following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The POD is in 1988, but the first significant event is a coup in Iraq following Operation Desert Shield which necessitates a large-scale occupation which lasts for a significant amount of time. The Clinton administration decides that saving money by trimming major weapons procurement and having a larger more "people-smart" military is the way forward.

This thread is mostly for the US Army's 2015 organization, but any feedback would be welcome. The Marines have been worked on a bit, but I don't know much about other services.
 
Abhakhazia

Abhakhazia

Banned
Burton K Wheeler said:
This timeline is still sketchy, but the idea of it is a radically different reorganization of the United States Army following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The POD is in 1988, but the first significant event is a coup in Iraq following Operation Desert Shield which necessitates a large-scale occupation which lasts for a significant amount of time. The Clinton administration decides that saving money by trimming major weapons procurement and having a larger more "people-smart" military is the way forward.

This thread is mostly for the US Army's 2015 organization, but any feedback would be welcome. The Marines have been worked on a bit, but I don't know much about other services.
Click to expand...

Is this BKW actually doing AH? I am shocked.
 

Burton K Wheeler

Moderator
Active Army Units

The Active Army has 6 Field Forces and 24 Combat Commands, of which 8 are heavy, 8 medium, 4 light, 2 hybrid (a medium CC with a mix of heavy and light battalions) and 2 medium but with one light infantry battalion. In addition, four Combat Commands exist in TRADOC but require reserve component augmentation.

United States Army Forces Command -

I Field Force - Ft Lewis, Washington
*7th Infantry Combat Command (Medium)
*9th Infantry Combat Command (Medium)
*1st Force Support Command
*1st Strike Command

III Field Force - Ft Hood, Texas
*1st Cavalry Combat Command (heavy)
*2nd Armored Combat Command (heavy)
*3rd Infantry Combat Command (heavy)
*8th Infantry Combat Command (heavy)
*5th Infantry Combat Command (medium) -Ft Polk
*3rd Force Support Command - Ft Hood
*3rd Strike Command - Ft Sill, Oklahoma
*3rd Aviation Command - Ft Hood
*Combat Support Command - Ft Polk

VII Field Force - Ft Carson, Colorado
*3rd Armored Combat Command (heavy)- Ft Carson
*4th Infantry Combat Command (medium) - Ft Carson
*1st Infantry Combat Command (medium)-Riley
*2nd Cavalry Combat Command (heavy)-Riley
*1st Armored Combat Command (heavy)- Ft Bliss
*25th Infantry Combat Command (medium)- Ft Bliss
*7th Strike Command - Ft Bliss
*7th Force Support Command - Ft Carson
*Combat Support Command - Ft Riley
*Combat Support Command - Ft Bliss

XVIII Field Force (Airborne) - Ft Bragg, North Carolina
*82nd Airborne Combat Command (airborne)-Bragg
*17th Airborne Combat Command (airborne)-Bragg
*101st AirborneCombat Command (air assault)-Campbell
*11th Airborne Combat Command (air assault)-Campbell
*10th Mountain Combat Command (medium)-Drum
*24th Infantry Combat Command (heavy)-Stewart
*6th Infantry Combat Command (medium)-Stewart
*18th Force Support Command - Ft Bragg
*18th Aviation Command - Ft Campbell
*18th Strike Command - Ft Bragg
*Combat Support Command - Ft Stewart
*Combat Support Command - Ft Drum

Theater Functional Commands:
Fires Command - Ft Sill, Oklahoma
Air and Missile Defense Command - Ft Bliss, Texas
CBRNE Defense Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland
Engineer Command - Ft Leonard Wood, Missouri
Military Police Command -

United States Army Europe (7th Army)
V Field Force - , Germany
*173rd Infantry Combat Command (hybrid) - , Germany (This command consists of 2 heavy combined arms battalions, an airborne light infantry battalion, and a medium cavalry squadron)
*5th Strike Command -
7th Theater Support Command -


United States Army Pacific

US Army Alaska
* 172nd Infantry Combat Command (Medium) - Ft Greely, Alaska
* 171st Combat Support Command - Ft Richardson, Alaska
US Army Hawaii
*196th Infantry Combat Command (Medium) - Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
*198th Combat Support Command - Schofield Barracks
Theater Support Command - Ft Shafter, Hawaii
IX Field Force - , South Korea
*2nd Infantry Combat Command (hybrid) (This command consists of 2 heavy combined arms battalions, an air assault light infantry battalion, and a medium cavalry squadron)
*9th Strike Command - , South Korea
*9th Combat Support Command - , South Korea

United States Army South

Theater Support Command - Ft Sam Houston, Texas
United States Army Central

Theater Support Command - Camp Doha, Kuwait
United States Army Africa

Theater Support Command - somewhere CONUS

United States Army Special Operations Command

Special Forces Command - Ft Bragg
75th Combat Command (Ranger) - Ft Benning, GA
Combat Support Command (Special Operations) - Ft Bragg
160th Special Operations Aviation Group - Ft Campbell
Psychological Operations Command - Ft Bragg
Civil Affairs Command - Ft Bragg

Combat Commands Assigned to US Army Training And Doctrine Command
(These units have special organizations and missions but can be augmented with USAR units to be Combat Commands in case of war)

177th Armored Combat Command - Ft Irwin, California (This unit is the full time OPFOR at the National Training Center. It consists of one heavy combined arms battalion and one armored reconnaissance battalion)
193rd Infantry Combat Command - Ft Polk -JRTC OPFOR -(This unit is the full time OPFOR at the Joint Readiness Training Center. It consists of one airborne infantry battalion and one medium reconnaissance battalion)
194th Armored Combat Command - Ft Knox - (This unit is the Armor Center and School's test bed brigade. It consists of one heavy combined arms battalion, one armored reconnaissance battalion, and 155 SP battalion)
197th Infantry Combat Command - Ft Benning (This unit is the Infantry Center and School's test bed brigade. It consists of one airborne infantry battalion, one mobile infantry battalion, a light/medium cavalry reconnaissance battalion, and a 105 towed battalion)
 
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Burton K Wheeler

Moderator
US Army unit types

Command refers to a unit capable of controlling battlespace and commanded by a general officer. No matter their exact type, Commands have organic combat support and combat service support units and can control a varying number of battalions or groups of different types.
Groups are a functional unit commanded by a Colonel consisting of more than one battalion of the same type which cannot conduct independent operations except as part of a higher Command.
A Brigade is a group-sized unit commanded by Colonel but capable of independent operations. These mainly exist in the National Guard.

The Theater Army is a fixed nonexpeditionary unit which controls all Army units within a Global Combatant Command. It can directly control Field Forces and may have two-star functional commands attached. It has a two-star Theater Sustainment Command responsible for all Army logistics operations within the theater of operations.

The Field Force is a three-star tactical and operational command roughly comparable to the Cold War Corps. Its only organic unit is a headquarters support battalion. It can control up to six Combat and Combat Support Commands directly and has three two-star functional commands supporting.
The Force Support Command is responsible for force sustainment and commands various logistics and service support groups. It can also control one or more Combat Support Commands (or even, in certain circumstances, a Combat Command) for security and rear area operations.
The Strike Command is responsible for battlespace awareness and deep strike operations. It always contains Artillery and Military Intelligence groups, and each active duty Strike Command also has a Reconnaissance Group consisting of an infantry reconnaissance battalion and a cavalry reconnaissance squadron, detailed later. The Strike Command may also control an Air Defense Group, an Aviation Group, or even a Combat Command assigned to deep operations (like an Airborne or Air Assault unit).
The Force or Theater Army commander may also have a two-star Aviation Command which provides command and control of Aviation Groups.

The Combat Support Command is a one-star command which has a robust multifunctional headquarters capable of directing any mix of combat support or service support units. It has two DCOs and command posts, one each for Logistics and Mobility Assurance. In low intensity conflict, combat arms battalions may be assigned to a Combat Support Command. Its organic units consist one Troops Battalion with Signal, MI, and MP units and Service Support Battalion and in peacetime normally has all tactical units not part of another command on post assigned to it.

There are three types of Combat Command, Heavy, Medium, and Light.
All Combat Commands consist of three maneuver battalions, a cavalry squadron, an artillery battalion, an engineer battalion (which controls C2 assets) and a service support battalion.

The Combat Command (Heavy) consists of armored units.
The Combat Command (Medium) consists of motorized light infantry.
The Combat Command (Light) is a strategically mobile unit (either Airborne or Air Assault).

Battalion Organizations:

Combined Arms Battalion

Armored Cavalry Squadron

Mobile Infantry Battalion

Mechanized Cavalry Squadron

Light Infantry Battalion

Infantry Reconnaissance Battalion

Artillery Battalions all have 24 guns, organized into 3x8-gun batteries and a D (target acquisition) battery.
Heavy Artillery Battalions with , Medium Artillery Battalions with, and Light Artillery Battalions with

Combat Engineer Battalions are modular units that can command and sustain up to 7 companies of different types. They consist of one Sapper company, one Engineer Support company, an MP company, and the Brigade HHC (with Signal, MI, and security detachments)

The Command Service Support Battalion consists of a Supply & Distribution company, a Maintenance company, and a Medical company. It is a modular unit that can control a mix of service support elements.
 
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Burton K Wheeler

Moderator
US Army National Guard - The National Guard consists of operational-level units which serve as part of a Field Force in wartime and serve a state mission in peacetime. They have a training association with a parent Field Force.
It has six full-size Combat Commands (heavy), 30 infantry brigades with slightly varying organization generally equipped with obselete equipment (M113 and HMMWV), six armored reconnaissance groups, and six infantry reconnaissance groups.
If all these units were organized into Active Army-style Combat Commands there would probably be only 16 or so.

50th CC(H) NJNG->V Corps
30th CC(H) NCNG->XVIII Corps
79th CC(H) CANG->IX Corps
81st CC(H) WANG->I Corps
49th CC(H) TXNG->III Corps
155th CC(H) MSNG->VII Corps

26 Bde MANG
86 Bde VTNG
43 Bde CTNG
42 Bde NYNG
27 Bde NYNG

28 Bde PANG
55 Bde PANG
29 Bde VANG
58 Bde MDNG
149 Bde KYNG

40 Bde CANG
29 Bde HING
41 Bde ORNG
47 Bde MNNG
34 Bde IANG

32 Bde WING
46 Bde MING
33 Bde ILNG
73 Bde OHNG
38 Bde INNG

45 Bde OKNG
36 Bde TXNG
39 Bde ARNG
67 Bde NENG
35 Bde KSNG

53 Bde FLNG
92 Bde PRNG
218 Bde SCNG
31 Bde ALNG
48 Bde GANG

116 Cav Bde IDNG->Armored Recon Group
163 Cav Bde MTNG->Armored Recon Group
107 Cav Bde OHNG->Armored Recon Group
278 Cav TNNG->Armored Recon Group
256 Armd LANG->Armored Recon Group
56 Bde PANG->Armored Recon Group

207 Bde AKNG->Infantry Recon Group
76 Bde INNG->Infantry Recon Group
71 Bde TXNG->Infantry Recon Group
66 Bde ILNG->Infantry Recon Group
59 Bde GANG->Infantry Recon Group
69 Bde KSNG->Infantry Recon Group

Strike Command WYNG
Strike Command NMNG
Strike Command
Strike Command
Strike Command
Strike Command

Force Support Command
Force Support Command
Force Support Command
Force Support Command
Force Support Command
Force Support Command

Aviation Commands
Combat Support Commands

The following states have no Command or Brigade headquarters
AZ, CO, DE, ME, NV, NH, ND, RI, SD, UT, WV,

The following states have only a Group headquarters
AK, ID, LA, MT, TN

The following states have multiple 1-star CCs or brigades
NY, TX, PA, CA
 
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Burton K Wheeler

Moderator
US Army Reserve - The Reserve consists of theater-level and strategic units organized under functional commands.

Reserve combat units (replace and augment TRADOC units in wartime). These units are manned at cadre-level only and consist only of prior active duty troops. In wartime, they will be filled by inactive ready reservists)
205th Combat Command (medium/light) - Ft Snelling, MN
-2 light infantry battalions, 1 medium infantry battalion, 1 medium cavalry squadron, 1 105 towed artillery battalion, 1 medium engineer/combat support battalion, 1 service support battalion (units located west of the Mississippi)
157th Combat Command (heavy) - Horsham, PA
-3 heavy combined arms battalions, 1 heavy cavalry squadron, 1 155 SP artillery battalion, 1 heavy engineer battalion, 1 service support battalion (units located east of the Mississippi)
 
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Burton K Wheeler

Moderator
Heavy:

M1 Abrams

M2/M3/M4 Bradley Family of Vehicles

M113 family (obsolete)

Medium:

M8 AGS (being replaced by LAV-600 in active service)

LAV-150 Family of Vehicles

LAV-300/LAV-600 Family of Vehicles

M113 (obsolete)

Light:

HMMWV (obsolete)
 
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Burton K Wheeler

Moderator
By the way, and this may not be readily apparent yet, the National Guard is larger than OTL, and active Army is roughly the same size. These Combat Commands consist of around 5000 personnel compared to 10000-15000 in the Cold War division and 2500 in the modern BCT. The National Guard brigades are around 2500 personnel and the combat groups are less than 1500.
 
Derek Pullem

Derek Pullem

Donor
Hmmmmm........

How will the Neo-cons react to this - the "Project for a New American Century" is going to play quite strongly across this.
 

Burton K Wheeler

Moderator
Derek Pullem said:
Hmmmmm........

How will the Neo-cons react to this - the "Project for a New American Century" is going to play quite strongly across this.
Click to expand...

Air and sea power wind up being deemphasized by the Clinton Administration because of the occupation of Iraq (which, while not as "hot" a conflict as the 2003-2011 one OTL exposed many of the same weaknesses in the Army). The military emphasizes its ability to fight contingency operations rather than prepare for a full-scale war with a Soviet Union that's gone and a China that only exists in the fever dreams of defense contractors.
Honestly, the PNAC types would have preferred a military like this that's optimized for partnership and low-intensity operations rather than a technological gee-whiz Shock and Awe one. They didn't like the few positive things the Rumsfeld DoD did, like organize the Army to be more like this.
 

Burton K Wheeler

Moderator
Here's a really quick rundown of the Army's systems procurement which led us to the present day:

After the occupation of Iraq, the Army brass suddenly realizes that disbanding the 9th Infantry Division high-technology testbed is probably a bad idea, since something almost exactly like it is necessary in Iraq. A brigade from Germany is one of the first units to relocate to CONUS and it is sent to Ft Lewis to begin conversion into a Medium infantry brigade.
The Army begins the procurement of the Cadillac Gage LAV-300 as the IFV for Medium brigades. The three brigades at Ft Lewis begin equipping and evaluating a final MTOE, and meanwhile units deployed to Iraq, whether light, heavy, or the National Guard's Vietnam-era configuration, fall in on a mixture of LAV-300's, HMMWVs, and M113s, assigning them as they have personnel.
The Army then turns its attention to the Light Infantry Divisions (6th, 25th, 7th, and 10th Mountain), trying to figure out how to make them relevant to the 90's. The idea to replace the division with a brigade-plus Combat Command and enhancing its firepower and mobility while keeping its strategic deployability the same comes out of this. The new Combat Commands (light) each include a battalion of the M8 Buford Armored Gun system.
The idea is then floated for the 9th to converts itself from a full division to two Combat Commands, each with three battalions of LAV-300 mechanized infantry and one cavalry battalion of M8 AGS. In the mid-90's, the Clinton defense department commits to a radical reorganization of the military, eliminating the division as an echelon of combat and replacing it with Combat Commands, as seen above.
The Armor branch, desperately trying to stay relevant, creates the idea of the Combat Command (Heavy), based on the Armored Cavalry regiment, whose organization is seen above, equipped with the M1A2 Abrams and M2/M3 Bradley. In Iraq and other overseas contingencies, Combat Commands of either type prove their ability to control a mix of heavy and medium battalions.
The strategically mobile 82nd and 101st (plus the 17th and 11th) add M8 AGS battalions, but elect to remain foot-mobile. They replace their TOW HMMWV D companies with a rifle company and add a weapons platoon to all four rifle companies, which uses the GMV, built from HMMWV components but more similar in dimensions to the G-Wagen or Land Rover used by American special operations units. The M8 AGS battalions are replaced by GMV-mobile cavalry squadrons as the Army continues to transform.
 
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