troung

Were we to fight on our on soil we might have an RR or Assam Rifles, but we have no similar units because we don't fight COIN often and never at home. Nations with internal conflicts form units similar to them.

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Adux

But now you are faced with such a situation. Dont you think raising such units will bring you effective control. Unlike olden times, the vast majority of land and strategic center's are all populated areas. if India had to fight in Burma or anywhere else; for COIN operations IA will deploy RR or Assam Rifles not the regular army. But can US military find these extra personnel.

Stan187

An MEU is only a reinforced infantry battalion as far as boots on the ground goes. That's pretty tiny, sorry, it just would not suffice.

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Blademaster

Oh really, I thought it was an entire division. Last I recall, the Marines only has 3 MEUs.

troung

What can special COIN units do that regular light infantry units can't? That question would need to be answered. What special skills would we impart to a COIN brigade (which would be one less general purpose combat brigade for each COIN brigade) that we couldn't impart to a light infantry brigade?

The French who fight in LIC in Africa use regular motorized, cavalry and airborne regiments on operations (granted a French regiment has more infantry companies then an American battalion but less than an RR battalion). Their organization, formed out of the needs of a nuclear battlefield, was proven effective in Algeria but those are regular units.

America as a "super power" has interests all across the world thus the units would need to be able to fight in the jungles, mountains and deserts. And on top of that we might dodge conflicts like this for another twenty years once we finally bring the troops home (regardless of the outcome).

Blademaster

Just a different mentality mindset of how to do things. A conventional war is vastly different from COIN operations.