The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 955: Chapter 713: Army Reform_2

The number of people in the machine gun squads will vary, with the heavy machine gun squads having more personnel and the medium and light machine gun squads having fewer.

The infantry platoon has a total of 50 people: four infantry squads (calculated at a full complement of 11 people), 2 people for the platoon leader and deputy platoon leader, 2 communication troops, and 2 soldiers for the platoon headquarters.

The infantry company has a total of 196 people: three infantry platoons, 6 communication troops, 17 logistic support troops, 12 people in the company headquarters, and 11 people in the firepower support squad.

The infantry battalion has a total of 775 people: three infantry companies, 52 people in the battalion headquarters (officers, communication, and logistics included), an 80-person firepower support enhanced platoon, and a 55-person battalion direct support mixed transport platoon.

Thanks to such a large organization, each infantry regiment now already exceeds three thousand people, with three infantry battalions under its command, one mixed artillery battalion, and one cavalry company.

A mixed division possessing three infantry regiments, one artillery regiment, one mixed mobility regiment, one anti-tank company, and one anti-aircraft company now has a total strength of nearly 17,000 people.

Such total numbers have increased by about 1,000 people compared to before the restructure, but the firepower of each division has definitely increased by more than the simple addition of 1,000 people.

According to the military’s projected results, a division after the reform has at least 30% more combat effectiveness compared to before the reform.

However, looking at the budget proposed in the military reform, Arthur couldn’t help but give a wry smile, now understanding why the military personnel had such an uneasy expression when they presented this report.

According to the military’s report, the budget for restructuring each division is at least 1.9 million Australian dollars, and with Australasia having a total of 12 infantry divisions, the cost of restructuring these divisions is at least over 22 million Australian dollars.

And that’s not all. The army’s restructuring wouldn’t just target the infantry divisions; changes are also planned for the cavalry divisions, artillery divisions, and even tank divisions.

The reorganization of the cavalry division mainly involves an increase in the number of firearms and machine guns, which is also an enhancement of firepower.

The changes in the artillery division are quite significant. Artillery has also reduced the number of small-caliber guns significantly, greatly increasing the number of firearms with calibers of 75mm and above.

After all, since the infantry units are already equipped with small-caliber guns, it’s unnecessary for artillery divisions that specialize in firearms to waste firepower on them.

If one were to say which change in the artillery is the greatest, surely it would be the M1-105mm self-propelled gun, which has even amazed Arthur.

Self-propelled artillery is different from automatic artillery. Automatic artillery refers to the firing mode of the artillery, while self-propelled artillery is concerned with the artillery’s mobility.

The so-called self-propelled artillery, in its simplest concept, is about adding a tank’s chassis to a gun, thus granting the artillery the capability to move independently.

And this so-called M1 gun is naturally the result of a long period of research by the Royal Military Factory.

Why set the caliber of the M1 gun at 105mm? This is because a 105mm caliber firearm serves a unique purpose.

Firstly, the larger the caliber of the gun, the bigger and heavier the shells, which also means it’s often not a good thing if the gun’s caliber is too large because transporting such large shells can be quite troublesome.

But if the gun’s caliber is too small, its destructive power and lethality will also be reduced. Finding a balance in gun caliber that can inflict substantial damage to the enemy while keeping the logistics department satisfied is a major challenge for the military factory to overcome.

The killing power of a 105mm caliber gun far exceeds that of a 75mm, but its weight is also not as heavy as that of a 155mm gun.

Essentially, a 105mm gun is a balance found between 75mm and 155mm, meeting the demands of lethality and logistics.

Of course, with a long period of development, the killing power of a 105mm gun should naturally not be doubted.

One of the main functions of self-propelled artillery is its mobility, and given this mobility, a 105mm gun is already the best choice in terms of destructive power.

If the caliber were any larger, there would be certain difficulties in the transportation and firing of the gun. Besides, if attacking a fortress is required, there are naturally larger caliber guns available for the job.

The greatest advantage of the M1 gun is to use mobility to catch the enemy by surprise, and the current caliber is completely adequate for this purpose.

Fortunately, the number of cavalry divisions, artillery divisions, and tank divisions are not too many, and the budget for restructuring these military units is estimated to be around 8 million Australian dollars, which should be sufficient.

This also means that this round of military reform will cost at least 30 million Australian dollars, and the maintenance costs for the military will also increase substantially in the future.

After much thought, Arthur still decided to proceed with the military reforms.

First of all, an improvement in military firepower is a good thing; this is indisputable.

Second, the economic situation in Australasia is still decent, and the military can afford an extra few million Australian dollars in defense spending each year.

Thirdly, although the United States has been defeated, this does not mean that world peace will follow.

With the United States gone, Britain will ultimately face new challengers. This is something no country can change; the global political dynamics will always undergo new changes.

Currently, there are still many countries that can pose a threat to Britain, with France in Europe and the Island Nation in Asia.

Of course, from a cautious perspective, the British might also consider Australasia a potential competitor.

However, for now, it seems unlikely that the British will give up their alliance with Australasia. After all, due to its geographical location far from Europe, Australasia doesn’t have a significant influence over European Nations.

As long as Australasia’s naval power remains within a range acceptable to the British, the relationship between Britain and Australasia should not deteriorate in the short term.

It is worth noting that after the fall of the Americans, the only remaining naval superpowers are Britain, Australasia, France, and the Island Nation.