| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Tech |
| "Theater Opening Brigades" Created |
| 2004-12-30 |
| December 30, 2004: History is repeating itself again, as the army proposes to create logistics brigades for setting up airfields and ports, on short notice, to receive a flood of American troops and supplies. The U.S. Army was the original pioneer in this area, organizing Engineer Amphibious Brigades in 1942. The purpose of these units was to come in across the beach, right behind the combat units, and start setting up the roads, warehouses, airfields, railroads and truck transportation needed to get supplies off the beach, and to the fighting troops. The army brigades worked very well. Too well. The U.S. Navy had a fit when they discovered the existence of these engineer brigades. A rather unseemly spat followed, with the an eventual compromise. The army was allowed to keep the six, 7,400 man, brigades it had already created, and the navy was allowed to steal the idea and create as many more similar units as were needed for the rest of the war. This time around, the army doesn't see any arguments arising. The new "Theater Opening Brigades" (TOBs) would deal with airfields (which the army still builds for the air force) and port maintenance (which the army still handles.) In 1942, the navy was upset because they had just developed this nifty new amphibious doctrine (and a bunch of new ships and marine units to make it work), and it appeared that the army was poaching. No, this time around, the army is offering to take a job that no one really wants complete responsibility for. For the last half century, the three services would sort of muddle through the establishment of logistics facilities overseas. The army proposes to do it faster, and on shorter notice, with its TOBs. Oh, by the way, the army actually had more ships (albeit smaller and less well armed ones) than the navy, and conducted more amphibious operations than the marines, during World War II. But today, the army has only a handful of ships and transport aircraft. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #8 Sorry about this, but I can't get the image out of my head. Imagine the marching cadence a "Theatre Opening Brigade" uses: "O-ver-ture and curtain lights!" "O-ver-ture and curtain lights!" "This is it we'll hit the heights!" "This is it we'll hit the heights!" "Sound off!" "One, two!" "Sound off!" "Three, four!" "Curtain's up!" "One, two, three, four, one, two -- Three four!" |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-12-30 3:41:56 PM |
| #7 Logistics count, more than most non-military people appreciate. Absolutely! Amateurs think of tactics. Generals think of logistics. The UN thinks of Lunch. The Secretary General thinks of Lunch Logistics. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-12-30 12:39:10 PM |
| #6 "Two on the Dress Circle, please..." |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-12-30 11:50:08 AM |
| #5 In general, for every unit which is ready for deployment or actively engaged, you need one or two more which are not, engaged in recharging and preparing for deployment. (I had the same mental image as Mike when I first saw the headline here.) |
| Posted by: Steven Den Beste 2004-12-30 11:27:18 AM |
| #4 I suspect this is part of something much larger. It implies that light combat units have arrived and secured an area, which must now be prepped for the arrival of rear area units, supplies, and heavy combat units. These units, in turn, support much more extensive combat operations further afield. The question is: "where?" A single separate brigade would normally support a division group or corps-sized operation. So if you have more than one TOB, you are planning something big. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2004-12-30 10:38:45 AM |
| #3 This good stuff, without proper resources available, say on the way to Tehran, no force can last too long. Good Luck Brigade. |
| Posted by: Snath Ebbish7855 2004-12-30 10:28:24 AM |
| #2 The name "Theatre Opening Brigades" gave me a momentary vision of chorus girls, stagehands, makeup artists, and understudies, all decked out in olive drab, parading up Broadway. "Troops, we've got a show to put on!" In all seriousness, a good idea. Logistics count, more than most non-military people appreciate. |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-12-30 10:22:27 AM |
| #1 This looks similar to the "Bellhop, Waiter, and Hooker" brigades the UN sends in prior to one of their deployments. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-12-30 9:56:57 AM |