Part 19 (2/2)
When the vehicle stopped, Morse got out to open the door. Carrera and Kuralski came to attention and saluted although no one was in uniform. After Parilla returned the salute, Carrera walked down the steps to greet him.
”General Parilla, it is good to see you again.” The two smiled conspiratorially.
After shaking hands, Carrera escorted the party down to the briefing room. The rest of his staff was already there. Lourdes served drinks while Carrera introduced Parilla to the staff. Then Carrera began the briefing.
”General Parilla, I have asked you here today to get your approval for a plan for raising, equipping and training an expeditionary force, roughly brigade sized, to partic.i.p.ate in the war against the terrorists. I thank you personally for coming out of your way to meet with me here at my home. The Estado Mayor would once have been a more appropriate spot for this but, since this house is air conditioned and the Estado Mayor has been demolished, I thought you might prefer to be brought up to date here.”
”And besides that,” Parilla added, ”this place is secure. There probably isn't another quite so safe in the country.”
”This first item of business is the shape of the organization we have planned.” Carrera gestured for a slide to be shown on the screen in the front of the briefing room.
”As you can see, General, we've named it a legion. It should be obvious enough why.”
Parilla looked confused but let it go. ”I confess I don't know, but do you think, do your people think, that this is a good design, Patricio? It seems odd to me.”
Carrera frowned, not at Parilla but at circ.u.mstance and fate. He shrugged. ”Honestly, in some ways it's a c.r.a.ppy design. But it has some serious good points. It actually is not designed for use so much as for expansion. In the expanded form, with every cohort grown to the size of a small regiment of about one thousand to fourteen hundred men, and the legion grown to the size of a division, it would would be fairly optimal for the kind of war we expect to fight. As is, it is as much as we can afford, as much as we have the personnel to lead, and as much as we have time to train those leaders for. Matthias, explain to the General, would you?” be fairly optimal for the kind of war we expect to fight. As is, it is as much as we can afford, as much as we have the personnel to lead, and as much as we have time to train those leaders for. Matthias, explain to the General, would you?”
Esterhazy nodded and went over the finances. He didn't need to remind Parilla who was paying for everything.
Carrera interjected, ”Basically, Raul, the hit my family's fortunes took in the TNTO attack has not been made good. The value of our a.s.sets is down to about forty-seven percent of what it had been.”
”Ja,” Esterhazy agreed. ”If he vere to cash out a.s.sets now ze loss vould be enormous. His family vould object and he might lose control in a shareholders' fight. As is, if Patrick can vait, zere is no reason for ze a.s.sets not to return to zere prior value...in a couple of years.”
”Matt's used his contacts to arrange loans secured by my holdings, Raul,” Carrera added. ”We have a line of credit for seven hundred and fifty million FSD, a personal loan, really, secured by me, er, rather secured by what will be my personal share once the estate is finally probated. That's all we have to count on.”
Carrera sighed, a bit wistfully. ”I'd have gone for a full division, anyway, and just used s.h.i.+t for equipment until we could afford better but the personnel and training issues make that more than a little problematic. As is, not only are we going out smaller than I'd like, and not organized the way I'd like; we're not going to be able to afford the best equipment either.
”There is no telling exactly how the war will roll out. It could be that Sumer folds immediately and we go right into a counter-insurgency war.”
Seeing Parilla's somewhat quizzical look, Carrera stated, ”Oh, yes; no matter what, there will will be an insurgency, though I have reason to suspect the FSC is not even considering the possibility. be an insurgency, though I have reason to suspect the FSC is not even considering the possibility.
”It could be that there will be a major conventional fight, something like the last Petro War, though on a lesser scale, because Sumer has not managed to make good its losses. What we really expect though, is a campaign more or less conventional of about three to seven weeks' duration, followed by an insurgency.”
Triste, sitting in the left rear corner, added, ”You got that right. Those idiots in the War Department, to say nothing of that king of idiots, Ron Campos that's the FSC's Secretary of War, General are really being obtuse about this. I don't think I've ever even heard of anyone engaging in such wishful thinking since the FSC got itself into that dumb-a.s.sed war in Cochin, forty years back.”
Carrera scowled a bit. This was Campos' second stint as SecWar. Carrera had not thought the first sufficiently impressive to justify a second.
He continued. ”Anyway, the legion is based in large part around the needs of counterinsurgency. Thus there are four infantry cohorts, each with four infantry centuries, plus combat support and headquarters and support, because a square organization is more suitable for controlling an area and the people on it than a triangular one is. Note though, that triangular is clearly better for maneuver warfare. There are Cazador and mechanized cohorts because the one is critical, and the other useful, for counter-insurgency. The rest is fairly self explanatory except except for the size and shape of the aviation for the size and shape of the aviation ala ala.”
”Ala?” Parilla asked.
”Latin for 'wing,' as in 'cavalry wing'. But all the real cavalry is in the air now, so...”
”Bring up the aviation slide, would you, Mitch?” Carrera asked.
When the slide was shown, Carrera frowned. ”General, this one makes only limited sense except except in terms of its being a training vehicle for a cadre for a much larger air organization. It's the largest group after the service support cohort. It has fifty aircraft including remotely piloted vehicles. That doesn't include medical evacuation aircraft. Of those fifty, it has sixteen helicopters, twelve medium and four heavy. We don't know yet which medium and heavy lift helicopter we will choose or what we can afford. I am inclined towards Volgan and there are a sufficient number for sale, usually used and rebuilt, at an acceptable price. We are probably going to use modified crop-dusters built in the FSC for the close air support role.” Carrera saw Parilla's smile and hastily added, ”No, sir, don't laugh. They have impressive capabilities over two tons of ordnance, thirteen hardpoints and can turn on a dime and have already been combat tested in the close support role in Santander.” in terms of its being a training vehicle for a cadre for a much larger air organization. It's the largest group after the service support cohort. It has fifty aircraft including remotely piloted vehicles. That doesn't include medical evacuation aircraft. Of those fifty, it has sixteen helicopters, twelve medium and four heavy. We don't know yet which medium and heavy lift helicopter we will choose or what we can afford. I am inclined towards Volgan and there are a sufficient number for sale, usually used and rebuilt, at an acceptable price. We are probably going to use modified crop-dusters built in the FSC for the close air support role.” Carrera saw Parilla's smile and hastily added, ”No, sir, don't laugh. They have impressive capabilities over two tons of ordnance, thirteen hardpoints and can turn on a dime and have already been combat tested in the close support role in Santander.”
”In any case, in designing the air ala ala, our twin goals were: every a.s.set that would be in divisional level air support wing must be there, and it must be able to lift the combat elements of one infantry cohort plus the Cazador cohort in not more than two lifts with eighty-five percent of the helicopters operationally ready. This does that but the personnel inefficiency when dealing with numbers of aircraft this low is just appalling appalling.
”Naval slide, Mitch.”
Parilla looked that over and saw a few light wars.h.i.+ps plus a number of merchant s.h.i.+ps. He shrugged. Soldiers were soldiers and didn't care about s.h.i.+ps. One thing did catch his eye, though.
”What's this intelligence collection s.h.i.+p?”
Omar Fernandez, sitting next to Triste in the left rear of the room piped in, ”That one's for me, General.”
”We need to have a long talk about that, Fernandez,” Carrera said, his eyes narrowing to slits. ”And soon. Like, say, after this meeting is over.”
”Anyway, General, that's it. You have detailed diagrams of the tables of organization in your packet. Pending your questions...”
Carrera stopped to sip at a cup of coffee. Parilla sat digesting the rest of the chart of the Headquarters. Parilla asked about the unusual staff set up.
”A good question, General. There are basically four staff arrangements in use in the civilized world. The FSC's system of four equal sections, which is what you are used to, and which they inherited from the Gauls in the Great Global War, is designed to be something of a committee. I believe it has a number of defects, chief among them being that these staffs inject an equality into the planning and conduct of military operations that has no place in battle. The Anglian system is needlessly complex and badly over officered; we don't have enough trained officers to hope to emulate it anyway. The Volgans could be said not to really have much of a staff structure below division level.
”Instead, the model we have chosen is the same staff form that the Sachsen used with great success in the Great Global War and before. Historical experience says that this is much the best form for a highly mobile force. To some extent I expect this to make up, partially, for the fact that our organization is not really geared to highly mobile warfare. This staff form also does not suffer the defect of permitting the rear echelon to act as a dead weight upon the fighting line. Instead, everything goes to support the front. Lastly, this form for the staff does not permit the personnel managers to have much of a say in operations. It locates the clerks so that they cannot hara.s.s the line with constant demands for timely information that no personnel management system can do anything useful with in a timely manner.”
Parilla chewed his lower lip for a few moments before saying, ”I don't think I like that, Patricio. Armies are composed of people; hence personnel management is a critical component of the force. It's as important as, maybe more important than, logistics.”
Carrera jerked his chin slightly sideways, then chewed his own lip for a bit. ”I am put in mind of a story I read once,” he said, ”a true story, about a day in August, 1944, Old Earth Year, when the American Army in France had a total infantry replacement pool of one rifleman for perhaps twenty or so divisions. Imagine, if you will, General, a situation where thousands of personnel managers are in a position to manage one poor rifleman. How privileged that man must have felt! I have always thought that if those personnel managers had been mostly infantry themselves they wouldn't have been managed quite so thoroughly, but there would have been more than one man to replace the hundreds killed and wounded that August day. Computers, by the way, do not seem to help this problem much once the shooting starts.”
Parilla thought about that for a minute and decided Carrera was probably right. His face said as much. He thumbed through his hand-out packet and said, ”I note you have General Abogado in charge of our foreign trainers. How is old Ken doing?” He remembered Abogado rather fondly from his days as commander of F.S. Army troops in Balboa.
Carrera smiled. ”He's fine and raring to go last I saw him, Raul, which was here, two days ago. He asked about you. In any case, he says he'll be ready within six weeks to begin the first course he is going to be running for our senior officers, a sort of truncated CGSC, a command and general staff course. He'll also be running a number of other courses to train and select lower leaders and technicians.”
”Good, good,” said Parilla. ”I remember with envy, too, I admit the way he used to train the FSC troops here. A fine old soldier.”
”He was that,” Carrera agreed. Pity about having feet of clay. Still, Abogado is superb at what he does provided you keep him away from women. Pity about having feet of clay. Still, Abogado is superb at what he does provided you keep him away from women.
”Where are we going to train the troops, by the way, Patricio? Most of the old FS facilities have been sold off. The Civil Force lacks facilities, generally.”
”Mitch, bring up the Fort Cameron slide, please.”
The previous slide disappeared to be replaced by a map of a small area well known to Parilla from his days as commander of the Guardia Nacional. Guardia Nacional.
”Sometime, someday when we can afford it, Raul, I hope to buy the Isla Real outright and turn it into a base for us,” Carrera explained. The Isla Real, or Royal Island, was about eighty kilometers north of Ciudad Balboa and was about two hundred and seventy square kilometers in area. ”But that alone will cost twice our total budget now to buy and build up. It will have to wait. In the interim...”
He pointed at the slide. ”This is a map of the old Centro de Instruccion Militar Centro de Instruccion Militar at Fuerte Cameron. As you can see, it is sufficient to our current purposes, with enough range s.p.a.ce and well-drained, open, flat areas for tentage. Most of the buildings will go for housing cadre, offices, and school rooms.” at Fuerte Cameron. As you can see, it is sufficient to our current purposes, with enough range s.p.a.ce and well-drained, open, flat areas for tentage. Most of the buildings will go for housing cadre, offices, and school rooms.”
Again, Parilla accepted that. He asked, ”What about rank structure? I see lots of old Roman military t.i.tles, few modern. Is there a reason?”
Carrera nodded. ”We'll be working mostly with the Army of the Federated States and the Anglians. They are extremely rank conscious. I simply do not want them, initially, to have the slightest clue as to the ranks of our people they are dealing with. Thus, signifers are roughly second lieutenants, but could be considered first lieutenants or captains. Tribunes I through III are, for our purposes, 1st lieutenants through majors, but could be considered majors through colonels. Legates 3 lieutenants through majors, but could be considered majors through colonels. Legates 3rd through 1 through 1st are lieutenants colonel through brigadiers. On the other hand, in Latin ”legate” means lieutenant general, three stars, or amba.s.sador, which is a four star equivalent. The sole are lieutenants colonel through brigadiers. On the other hand, in Latin ”legate” means lieutenant general, three stars, or amba.s.sador, which is a four star equivalent. The sole dux dux, or duce duce, is yourself. The centurionate runs from optio, basically a platoon sergeant, through 1st centurion, the senior non-com of a cohort, and on to sergeant major, of which centurion, the senior non-com of a cohort, and on to sergeant major, of which this this expeditionary force needs only one at this time, Sergeant Major McNamara.” expeditionary force needs only one at this time, Sergeant Major McNamara.”
”Seems silly to me, Patricio.”
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