一戰/二戰/冷戰/現代軍事 哥倫比亞的“新美式“裝甲兵 - 編制與戰術

Columbia's Medium Cavalry, despite the name, represents their army's heaviest armored units. They essentially have three primary functions. Conventional reconnaissance and security, offensive and defensive operations, and internal security operations. Recon and security basically entails gathering intelligence for their higher echelon, generally a brigade, and protecting it. The latter task could involve providing early warning, counter reconnaissance, guarding the unit's flanks, securing the unit's rear area from guerrillas and paratroopers, or conducting a cover mission when reinforced. Offensive and defensive operations encompass their role as an independent maneuver force, as the Columbian Army has no tank force to do it. Seizing and holding terrain is the classic mission, but their ability to act as a maneuver unit also enables them to conduct economy of force missions, basically doing a secondary mission that normally require a larger unit, so that larger unit can be prioritized for the primary mission. But due to Columbia's historical security situation dealing with insurgency, cavalry get more use in internal security roles. This would include patrolling major lines of communication like highways and rail lines, manning checkpoints, escorting military or private convoys, providing fire support for infantry and light cavalry units also conducting such operations, or acting as a mobile quick response force. 6x6 cavalry units were notably involved in the response to the 1985 Palace of Justice siege, where M19 guerrillas attacked Columbia's Supreme Court. Although ultimately, the mechanized force remains the cornerstone of its conventional deterrent against other states, such as Venezuela, which gets into on and off tensions with Columbia. To do their job, they're kitted out with a mix of Brazilian and American wheeled armored vehicles, including the EE-9 Cascavel, EE-11 Urutu, Textron Commando Advanced, and M1117 ASV, locally called the Pegaso or Pegasus. The Cascavel and Urutu are the legacy platforms contained in what they call 6x6 squadrons. The Cascavel is an armored car armed with a 90mm EC-90 rifled cannon, a Cockrell Mark III produced under license, as well as coaxial and optional pintle mount MAG-762 machine guns. The Urutu, meanwhile, is its armored personnel carrier companion based on the same chassis, and in this role, it's generally armed with a .50 cal. As of 2018, all 128 Cascavels originally procured from Brazil in 1982 were still technically in service, with three dedicated to the cavalry school. At their side, more or less 56 Urutus are in service. However, the readiness of those platforms has been called into question, and it may be changing with the influx of American designs. In the early 2010s, Colombia procured 67 Textron Commando Advanced armored vehicles by purchase, although today, only 66 remain due to a combat loss. While made by the same company as the US Army's M1117 ASV, the Commando Advanced is technically an ASV derivative and not an actual ASV. The initial 39 contracted in 2009 lacked the ASV's armed turret, instead equipped with a cupola mounting either a .50 cal machine gun or Mark 19 automatic grenade launcher. The following 28 contracted in 2013 did have the turrets, though, armed with both a .50 cal and a Mark 19. Additionally, it was announced in 2021 that Colombia would receive 145 surplus M1117 ASVs from the US under the Excess Defense Articles program. These would be procured in two phases. The first phase including 86 vehicles, and the second, 59. The first lot of 20 officially entered service in December 2021, and as of April of 2024, only the first 86 were in service. This year, it was also announced that Colombia would also procure an additional 55 on top of the original 145, maxing out the EDA grant authorization of 200 vehicles. The ASV has a similar or functionally identical turret to the 4050 Turreted Commandos, so in terms of capabilities, the main difference is passenger capacity. The M1117 ASV is capable of carrying 3 crew and 1 dismount, but the Turreted Commandos are capable of 4 dismounts and the cupola version of 7. The easiest way to tell apart the Turreted versions is the Commando Advanced is slightly longer, has a higher roof about the waist, and has a window forward of the side doors, while the M1117 does not. As for how they're structured, I'll start with the Brazilian version. The classic Colombian mechanized cavalry squadron consisted of 114 soldiers at full strength, split into 5 officers, 16 NCOs, and 93 enlisted. The squadron itself was split into a command section, 3 medium platoons, and an 81mm mortar platoon. The command section included the company commander as its sole officer, mounted in an Aru-2 APC. Each platoon, meanwhile, consisted of 4 vehicles, 3 Cascavel armored cars, each crewed by a commander, gunner, and driver, and 1 Aru-2 APC. The armored cars would be split into a command section with a platoon commander's car, and a fire support section with the other 2, each under an NCO. The EE-11, meanwhile, made up the scout section. While still crewed by 3 personnel, they also carried 9 dismounts. This provided both a dismounted scout capability in complex terrain, manpower to do stuff like man checkpoints, and a combat capability equivalent to an infantry squad. Generally speaking, if expecting enemy contact, the fire support section would take the lead in formations, while the scouts would be in the rear. When maneuvering in pairs, generally the platoon commander car and the scout APC would be buddies. The mortar platoon, meanwhile, consisted of 42 or 43 personnel and 6 Humvees. 2 armed variants, 1 for the commander and possibly the fire direction center, and 1 for forward observers. And 4 cargo variants, each carrying an 81mm mortar. The 4 mortars are controlled by 2 firing sections. Now, due to the Textrons having different capacities, and no big gun variants being procured, the 4x4 units are structured a little differently. The Coppola Commando Platoon consists of 4 APCs, each carrying 10 personnel, split into 3 crew, and 7 dismounts per vehicle. This resulted in a 40-man platoon, as opposed to the original 21-man with the Brazilian equipment. Although, despite being all the same vehicle now, they were still doctrinally split into those command, fire support, and scout sections. The turreted commando platoon, meanwhile, with less passenger capacity, would have 7 personnel per vehicle, but with no other changes. It's unclear how the introduction of the M1117 ASV has changed this structure, but I've seen one photo of a 4-vehicle platoon operating with 2 stretch commandos and 2 ASVs. So it's possible they're mixing them to make up for the ASV's lacking dismount capacity. In terms of overall force structure, squadrons are spread around Colombia, coming under the command of 9 Mechanized Cavalry Groups, the Medium Armored Cavalry Group, and the Medium Combined Arms Battalion. The lattermost formation is under Colombia's Medium Combined Arms Task Force, or FUTAM, and is probably Colombia's single most capable battalion as far as countering conventional threats. It was founded as part of a tonal shift shortly before the 2016 FARC peace deal, and its garrison on the border with Venezuela signals its purpose. Here,cavalry serve alongside mechanized infantry mounted on 13 M113 tracked APCs and 32 LAV-3 wheeled APCs procured from Canada, originally with Brazilian models, but now ASVs as well. They're supported by Humvees armed with Spike ATGMs and artillery. The Mechanized Cavalry Groups,meanwhile, are more conventional, essentially single-armed battalions with varying structures under a lieutenant colonel. While they're numbered, they also have honorary titles, usually named after historical military figures or places. For example, the 12th Mechanized Cavalry Group is named after General Ramon Arturo Recon Quiñones, so the abbreviation is GMRIN. One example of group structure was the 18th group in 2019, which at that time consisted of two 6x6 squadrons with Brazilian vehicles, one 4x4 squadron with commandos, and a motorcycle platoon, which under old doctrine would have 15 motorcycles and 2 Humvees. Augmentation by anti-tank and horse platoons is also possible. If you found this video interesting, I'd really appreciate if you checked out my Patreon. Sponsorship offers have gotten really scummy recently, and I'd rather be sponsored by my bro Archie than repackaged gambling. And you can learn more about Colombia with this video on their light highway cavalry units, including such oddities as 18-wheeler mounted infantry platoons. I'll see you over there.