Erik,
Firstly, I agree with everything you say (except perhaps that the article
mentions a squadron of 120 folks, not 150 - which would be 60 manning the 15
tanks plus an equal number of echelon and first line combat service support
types.) There is no doubt they would need to adjust the profiles of the
maintainers in the support base to provide second line support.
My first thoughts were, however, on the problems of providing qualified
Leopard crewman over a deployment period extending into 2009, now that the
Corps is largely a reconnaissance organization. We need to hear more, I
think.
Lastly, I also agree with you when you say that "armour has been justified
in the ORBAT".
BTW: the comments attached to the G&M article make for amusing reading,
don't they?
Cheers,
Norm
-----Original Message-----
From: rcd-association-bounces(a)rootsweb.com
[mailto:rcd-association-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Eric Lusk
Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 7:14 PM
To: rcd-association(a)rootsweb.com
Subject: Re: [DragNet] Canadian Tanks in Afghanistan?
Norm,
I read the same article WRT to sending a squadron of Strathconas to
Afghanistan. It makes sense.........tanks could lead convoys to outposts
and it would take one hell of a roadside mine to damage a Leopard. Of
course, it goes without saying that tanks could wade through mud walls in
villages with no problems whatever and taking out Taliban should not be a
problem, given that they're lightly armed.
The article in the Globe and Mail stated that Canada would provide an
additional 150 troops to man the tanks. What hasn't been stated is that to
send a squadron to Afghanistan would require at least an additional 100
support troops to do first and second line maintenance on the tanks, to say
nothing of the requirement for special equipment, tooling, spare parts and
ammunition.
While I applaud the decision to send tanks to Afghanistan, because it will
provide a lot of protection for our troops, I question the cost in
personnel. An additional 150 troops will be sufficient to man the squardron
in an operational role, but there are hidden costs in terms of support for
the tanks. Whether this comes to light is a moot point..............the
main point is that armour has finally been justified in the ORBAT. And
that's a good thing.
Regards,
Eric Lusk
MWO (Ret'd)
Former ETQMS RCD
1989-1992
----- Original Message -----
From: "Norman Ashton" <norm_ashton(a)rogers.com>
To: "RCD-ASSOCIATION-L(a)rootsweb." <RCD-ASSOCIATION-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 12:01 PM
Subject: [DragNet] Canadian Tanks in Afghanistan?
I would like to draw our subscriber's attention to a recent
article in the
Globe and Mail, entitled "Canada sending 15 tanks, 120 more troops".
The entire article may be viewed at:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com//servlet/story/RTGAM.20060911.wxtankssb11/BNS
tory/National/home
I'm sure many of us have wondered how long it was going to take before the
'powers that be' recognized that leaving tanks off of a battlefield that
is
becoming less and less asymmetrical may not be a good idea.
The article poses several interesting question and the unstated one,
"Where
will all the trained Leopard crewmen needed until 2009 come from?" I know
the Corps still possesses an abundance of Leopard-qualified crewmen, but
many, if not most, of them are currently in reconnaissance regiments, in
some cases regiments programmed for deployment. Are we now in for a period
of posting instability as this new requirement is managed? Or is the Corps
about to be expanded or re-configured once more?
I think that this is a topic that will keep keep our attention for the
next
while.
Food for thought.
Norm Ashton
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