ARTICLES

to producing plunging or indirect fires, which not only means a lack of lethal indirect fires to
complement sustained direct fires, but also an inability to blind or screen the enemy to
movement or augment night fighting capabilities through illumination. The divestment of the
60‐mm mortar stripped this vital capability away, one the C16 GMG is unable to make up for.
The requirement exists for a man-portable, lightweight indirect fire system for small infantry
units, and procurement of a new system should be made a priority requirement.
The employment of crew-served weapons to enable manoeuvre is a fundamental factor in
platoon and company organization. Crew-served weapons should be concentrated in a
company weapons platoon. The reasons for this are threefold. First, the delivery of crew-served
weapons effects is most effective when fires are massed; the current concept of weapons detachments
generally means singular (and thus less effective) employment. Second, we have determined
that the likely scenario for offensive and defensive operations is in a company context
where such systems will need to be massed to either enable the platoons to manoeuvre onto
the objective or to hold terrain. In the event of independent platoon operations, crew-served
weapon fire teams can be detached to platoons and sections as required. Lastly, consolidation
of these weapons under a single commander allows for optimum training on their employment.
If crew-served weapons are to be concentrated in a weapons platoon, then the organization of
a rifle platoon is straightforward, consisting of three rifle sections and a platoon headquarters
with commander, 2IC, signaller and runner (who adds versatility to the platoon HQ through
acting as security for the HQ, as a signaller to the 2IC or as a platoon designated marksman).
Aside from the small arms mentioned for the section and fire team organization, the platoon
should have a small “arms room” of a C6 GPMG and an 84‐mm Carl Gustav available for
the platoon commander to assign to the sections based upon mission requirements.
This organization suits a transition to a doctrinal patrolling organization with sections assigned
as security, support and assault elements.
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PlHQ
Pl Comd (Lt)
Pl 2IC (WO)
Pl Signaller (C-P)
Pl Runner (C-P)
Figure 2: Rifle platoon organization
64 THE CANADIAN ARMY JOURNAL VOLUME 16.2 2016