ORBAT of NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence mission as of October 2022. A 🧵 #Military#WeAreNATO
Most of the information used was found on various NATO websites and scouring MODs' official Twitter accounts for clues as to what kind of contribution countries made, so bear in mind that it probably does not fully represent the composition of the BGs
eFP was launched in 2016 to deploy 4 multinational battlegroups (battalion-strength) in Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to defend and deter any attacks from Russia and Belarus and to ensure an attack on one would be an attack on all
Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, 4 additional battlegroups were created in Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary. Bringing the entire force to an estimated 10000-11000 deployed troops.
Each battlegroup has a "lead nation" which commands all units within the formation. Italy (in the process of taking over command), the UK, Hungary, Canada, Germany, the US, France, and the Czech Republic are "lead nations".
BGs are not the only force protecting NATO's eastern flank. In reality, countries bordering Russia, Belarus and Ukraine provide the bulk of NATO troops. Here are some numbers from June:
As for the composition of the BGs themselves, there is no standardised unit composition. However, we can note a couple of things:
Firstly, the majority of BGs rely on mechanised infantry formations. No real surprise there.
Secondly, a high emphasis on tank formations in BGs deployed in the Baltic countries.
This makes sense since Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian armies do not have any tanks. Deploying MBTs bolsters capabilities and provides training opportunities for soldiers who would have to face Russian tank columns (or what's left of them).
Finally, a significant number of battalions or companies are "ad-hoc". Meaning, they were created by merging different units to form a reinforced company/battalion.
It enables armies to have task-specific and flexible formations or is the result of armies not having the capability to fully deploy and sustain a formation
abroad. Here is an example of what 🇫🇷 decided to bring to 🇪🇪 compared to their traditional tank squadron
cc:@battle_order
Every unit with this symbol ﹇ above the unit size is an "ad-hoc" formation. For logistics and support contributions, there is no detailed information on what each country brought, so I cannot confidently comment on that.
Similarly to my post on lend-leased vehicles to Ukraine, this ORBAT will quickly become outdated as BGs are reinforced and units rotated. Still, I think it is interesting to see what was deployed almost 8 months after the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
ORBAT of the French SGTIA deployed for the mission Lynx in Estonia between March and August 2023. This company-sized element is one of France’s contributions to the NATO eFP/eVA missions 🧵⬇️ #ORBATboys
1. I have made previous infographics on GTIA which are ad-hoc battalion task forces created for specific missions with the units available at one point in time. The SGTIA is very much the same idea but at the company level (like US Company Teams). Often SGTIAs make up a GTIA.
2. The French Army recently published a video with detailed information on the composition of the SGTIA. The core of the element is centred around an infantry company (1st) from the 13e Demi brigade de la Légion étrangère.
Infographic on Russian Assault Detachment (2022). It regroups the main visuals provided by the Russian manual.
The purpose of the assault detachment is to capture key strong points in urban and forested areas.
The detachment is customizable to mission requirements and consists of 2-3 assault companies, a command unit, artillery, and other support groups such as: recon, tank, EW, AD, fire support, UAV, Medevac, flamethrowing, assault engineering, reserve, equipment recovery vehicles…
Continuing on the French GTIAs. Today we are looking at the Armoured focused GTIA. #ARMY#frencharmy#Military
1. The Armour-focused GTIA is constituted of a core of 1 HQ + 3 Tank Companies or 2 Wheeled gun system companies, usually taken from the same regiment.
2. Additional complements that come in the form of infantry companies, recon and artillery are then directly integrated at the battalion level and additional engineer units are also added
Continuing on the GTIA series. Here is the Infantry-focused GTIA. This infographic is separated into 4 parts: The formation process, weapons and their effective range, the textbook/ideal infantry-focused GTIA and one concrete example taken from Serval Brigade. A 🧵
1. The Infantry-focused GTIA is constituted of a core of 1 HQ + 3 Infantry Companies usually taken from the same infantry regiment
2. Additional infantry complements that come in the form of weapon companies, recon and artillery are then directly integrated at the battalion level or within core companies to create SGTIA (equivalent to US company teams)
1.In 2017, the PLA launched a wave of expansion and reform for its Marine Corps. The aim is to transform the PLAMC into an all-domain operation capable force able to deploy on short notice and maintain a high level of readiness
2.The reforms are not made with only the Taiwan invasion scenario in mind but also China’s overseas interest. The PLAMC would play a dual role of securing China’s national interests abroad and assisting the PLAA’s amphibious forces in a cross-strait invasion
ORBAT of British Land Forces TF during the Falklands War. The sudden invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentinian Troops on the 2nd of April 1982 sparked an undeclared war with the United Kingdom. A 🧵 @EngageStrategy1@LawDavF@battle_order@WarDiaryF82#RoyalNavy
1. The British Government quickly created a Taskforce to retake the Falklands by force if diplomatic methods failed. The TF needed to travel 13,000 km and transport enough men, equipment, and supplies for an amphibious landing
2. The Land Forces were made up of two non-mechanised infantry brigades: 3 Commando Brigade and 5 Infantry Brigade. 3 Commando was constituted of x3 Royal Marine Commando battalions and x2 Parachute battalions. Together they made up the bulk of the infantry force of the brigade