Support: July 13, 2001

Archives

The U.S. Army engineers are, like the other combat arms, reducing the number of distinct skill categories (MOS or Military Occupational Specialty) . This is running into some problems. The engineers have more equipment to deal with and smaller crews. While the basic infantry units are a squad (8-11 men), and tanks have a crew of four, many engineer vehicles have a crew of two. The engineer vehicles (self propelled bridges, armored bulldozers and so on) are not, themselves, as complex as a tank, but in use they are. Operators of self-propelled bridges must know a lot about the geography of the streams and gullies they use their bridge to get other vehicles across. While a tank has an experienced vehicle commander to teach the new crewman, a two man engineer vehicle doesn't. This put more of a training load on NCOs in engineer units and will reduce the overall skill levels of engineer units. 

X

ad

Help keep us a float!

Your support helps us keep our ship a float. We appreciate anyway you chose to help out. Visit us daily, subscribe, donate, and tell your friends.

You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  2. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
  3. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on X.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close