The introduction of the so-called middle forces into the German army requires a reorganization. In the future, the army is to be divided into three categories of forces – the light, the medium and the heavy forces. The first changes of subordination of individual brigades and battalions are to take place gradually and taking into account ongoing operations and obligations from April 1st. This emerges from a report by the Bundeswehr.
The following associations are affected by the change of subordination:
- The 23rd Mountain Infantry Brigade changes from the 10th Panzer Division to the Rapid Forces Division.
- Panzer Battalion 363 changes from Panzergrenadierbrigade 37 to Panzerbrigade 12.
- The Panzergrenadier Battalion 212 changes from the Panzerbrigade 21 to the Panzergrenadierbrigade 37.
- The Jägerbataillon 91 changes from the Panzerlehrbrigade 9 to the Panzerbrigade 21
- The Jägerbataillon 413 changes from the Panzergrenadierbrigade 41 to the Panzerbrigade 21
With these changes of subordination, the heavy combat troops battalions will be divided among the future heavy brigades, i.e. the 12th Armored Brigade, the 9th Armored Training Brigade and the 37th Panzergrenadier Brigade. In addition, the fighter forces of the 1st Armored Division will be bundled in the 21st Armored Brigade, which will then no longer have any battle tanks or armored personnel carriers on track. According to the Bundeswehr report, it should form the first brigade of the medium forces.
In the future, the 1st Panzer Division will have one heavy and two medium German brigades, while the 10th Panzer Division will have two heavy and one medium. In addition, all future light forces, i.e. the paratroopers, the KSK and the 23rd mountain infantry brigade, will be combined in the Rapid Forces Division.
According to the Bundeswehr, the goal of reorganizing the army into light airmobile, medium wheeled and heavy chain-supported forces should serve to “make the army fit for war and to enable it to carry out the tasks in national and alliance defense as well as in international crisis and crisis management as best as possible to be able to perceive conflict management.”
The medium-sized forces to be set up, which are essentially made up of the Jägertruppe, should only be able to move on wheels in order to be able to ensure the ability to be deployed independently. This makes them more mobile than track-based forces that rely on trucks or the rail network for strategic deployment. Equipped with wheeled infantry fighting vehicles, wheeled howitzers, wheel-based mortar systems and wheeled engineer capabilities, the medium forces are said to be significantly more robust and assertive than the light forces.
The idea behind the Middle Forces, according to the report, is that they provide an effective and powerful combination of impact, mobility, and protection. In the event of a conflict, they could thus quickly and independently cover large distances, prevent allies from being cut off, enable a rapid shift in focus and give the heavy forces time to advance, as it is also said.
A scenario that inevitably brings to mind the Baltic States, which can only be reached by land via a narrow corridor between Belarus and Kaliningrad, the so-called Suwalki Gap.
In addition to this task in the scenario of national and alliance defense, the middle forces are also well suited for operations within the framework of international crisis and conflict management due to their infantry strength and the wheeled platforms, according to the Bundeswehr. A task that must continue to be fulfilled despite the refocusing on national and alliance defense.
In order to put the idea of the middle powers into practice, it is necessary to procure many new systems in addition to the reorganization. In addition, it is still unclear what kind of fighting is planned for the middle forces. Will this be based more on the Panzergrenadier or Jägertruppe?
Editorial staff / oh
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