I was reading some official Army publications today and it appears as part of their Transformation to the Future Force they plan on dropping Airborne units (no pun intended) from their Order of Battle. Here are a couple of relevant passages:
The Army plans to redesign its current division headquarters into ten commonly-configured Units of Employment (UE) “X” which will have the capability to serve as headquarters for at least six UAs (both combat and support UAs). Corps and higher level Army headquarters will also be converted into a number of UE “Y”s which are intended to conduct theater and strategic level functions. The Army’s eight current brigade/regiment designs will be reduced to three kinds of UAs - Armored, Infantry, and Stryker. The Army National Guard will have the same common UA design as the active Army but will retain a separate Scout group in addition to its
Armored, Infantry, and Stryker UAs.
What Will the Brigade Units of Action Look Like?
The Army describes their proposed brigade UAs as “smaller and more lethal” than current brigades and it would benefit from having division-level artillery and reconnaissance assets as well as some assets from corps level as part of its organic structure.32 UAs could also receive an Army aviation package from redesigned aviation units of action if the mission requires aviation assets. Based on Army briefings and discussions with the Army Staff, the following paragraphs will provide a brief overview of what the ground combat brigade UAs will probably look like.
Armored UA. The Army envisions developing 20 to 22 Armored UAs in the active Army by 2007. By 2007, the Army also plans to develop up to 10 National Guard Armored UAs.34 At present, each Armored UA is planned to consist of approximately 3,800 soldiers, and will consist of the following subordinate units:
One Brigade Troops Battalion35 including the UA staff; military police (MP) and security platoons; a signal company;36 a military intelligence company; and a joint fire coordination cell (to coordinate Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps fires in support of the UA);
One Armed Reconnaissance Battalion consisting of three reconnaissance troops and one surveillance troop and a forward support company;
Two Combined Arms Battalions with two tank companies and two mechanized infantry companies in each battalion as well as an engineer and a forward support company each;
One Fires Battalion consisting of a target acquisition cell, and two batteries37 of self-propelled artillery and a forward support company; and
One Support Battalion.
All of these subordinate units are intended to be linked with a networked battle command system designed to enhance situational and terrain awareness, transmit orders and reports, and exchange other mission-related items of information. This battle command system is not only intended to permit the UA to operate independently, but also to plug directly into other U.S. forces.
Infantry UA. The Army plans to form between 20 to 22 active Army Infantry UAs and 5 Army National Guard UAs by 2007. There will be basic Infantry UA design although these units may be delivered by parachute or helicopter based on mission requirements. The Infantry UAs will consist of approximately 3,000 soldiers and will consist of the following subordinate units:
One Brigade Troops Battalion including the UA staff; a military police (MP) platoon; a signal company; an intelligence company, an engineer company; and a joint fires cell;
One Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) Battalion with both motorized and dismounted reconnaissance units, a surveillance unit including ground radars, sensors, and unmanned aerial vehicles; and a forward support company;
Two Infantry Battalions consisting of three rifle companies and one combat support company each; and a forward support company capable of moving one company by truck;
One Strike Battalion consisting of a target acquisition platoon, an unmanned aerial vehicle unit, and two batteries of towed artillery; a forward support company; and
One Support Battalion consisting of a transport platoon capable of moving almost an entire infantry battalion by truck. Like the Armored UA, the Infantry UA will also be equipped with a network battle command system and will also receive augmentation from an Aviation UA
when the mission dictates. Because the Infantry UAs lack the organic ground transport found in the Armored UAs, aviation augmentation will likely play a crucial role in providing the Infantry UAs with rapid battlefield mobility.
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There you have it: Three types of Combat Brigades: Armored, Stryker, Infantry
No cavalry, no light infantry, no airborne.
Just basic modular Infantry batallions, which can be delivered by parachute or helicopter.