Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1365706
general armies, and a single armored one. The 1st Guards Tank Army consists of two divisions - motorized infantry and armored divisions, along with two independent brigades, motorized and armored ones. 20th Guards Army consists of two motorized infantry divisions. The weakest, 6th Army consists of two motorized brigades. The aforesaid potential comes together with support forces - including artillery, rocket, air defense, reconnaissance, and communication elements - all at the division, army, and district levels. Here one should also include the potential of airborne and SOF components - three airborne divisions and one air-assault brigade, and one special airborne brigade, and two Spetsnaz brigades. All stationed in the Western Military District. The land forces and marines stationed in the Kaliningrad Oblast are a counterpart of a mechanized division. Furthermore, one should assume that the aforesaid forces will be reinforced in the event of a war. Especially when it comes to the 6th Army. Moving military elements from the Central Military District is not a far-fetched option here. Poland, for the sake of comparison, currently has three divisions, and fourth in the making, 12 mechanized and armored brigades, and two air-mobile brigades, with varying sizes. These are complemented by 15 different Territorial Defence brigades. The German Army, in peacetime, consists of two divisions and one quick reaction brigade. The above divisions comprise 6 armored and mechanized brigades and a single air-mobile brigade. Germany also has operational jurisdiction over two Dutch and a single French-German brigade. The French land component revolves around the core formed by two divisions, consisting of heavy and light brigades, including one air- mobile element. The Scandinavian military potential is a separate issue, with the conscription there being limited. The above translates into, potentially, a greater mobilization potential. Quantitatively, however, with Sweden only having 120 MBTs, light or mechanized infantry elements would form the core of the Scandinavian armed forces. Only some of the states have just recently launched MBT procurement or upgrade programs. The US forces that are permanently stationed in Europe include a single air- mobile brigade, an artillery brigade, and a heavy rotational brigade, along with an Army aviation brigade. This is just a fraction of the US potential - with the US forces including ten regular divisions, nine National Guard divisions, several independent brigades and regiments, four USMC divisions, including one in a reserve capacity. These forces cannot be employed in Europe alone though. In particular the above refers to the US Marines. Resigning from MBTs, the component is transforming itself into a branch of the military that would focus on the Asia and Pacific region. www.fragoutmag.com