[Webstral]

Rae, I agree that the nature of the conflict will provide a more uniformly satisfactory pool of candidates for rangers (lower case r) than the largely mechanized force that enters the Twilight War. The need for scrounging and improvising will produce a force that is more self-reliant than the force that entered the war, too. I wonder, though, whether the troops will be involved in distilling fuel and growing food. The transfer of administrative functions to civilians so that able-bodied troops can be freed for combat duties seems likely to extend itself throughout the CSS specialties and perhaps some CS specialties.

As always, my attention is more fixed on CONUS than Europe or other locations in the world. (Of course, I’m always eager to read what others are creating elsewhere in the world.) After a certain point in time, virtually every surviving body of armed men will have someone dedicated to light infantry operations. This function would entail recce at the minimum. More capable light forces would be able to ambush and raid. They might also serve to secure lines of communication for larger, less capable conventional forces that would be needed to tackle marauders in their dens.

I have tried to address this idea to some degree with the organization of forces in New England and SAMAD. The State of Vermont is served by the Green Jackets Regiment, which is a light infantry formation used extensively for patrolling inside and outside the area nominally under the control of the rump Vermont government. The Green Jackets operate in enhanced platoon-sized formations that can move by foot, truck, or skis. During the winter months, ski patrols aggressively move into other parts of Vermont, upstate New York, and New Hampshire to locate marauders for suitable attention when they are snowbound and most vulnerable to having their shelter burned down. Replacements come from the militia units also under the control of the state government. The existence of a body of much less capable troops as the foundation of the light fighters is an important component, I believe.

The Maritime Rifles of First District are light-ish infantry in that they conduct patrols well outside the boundaries of the District. However, they often fight in close coordination with truck-mounted mortars and with motorized resupply. Thus, the Maritime Rifles as a whole don’t really meet the definition of light infantry. The recon elements within the MR could be counted as rangers, though.

I don’t see the UBF Marines as being light infantry, though again they would have some recon elements that would count. Based on the very scanty evidence of The Last Submarine, I have the impression that the UBF Marines operate close to the water and close to whatever heavy weapons they have available. They probably would move by water very close to any target of a raid; and thus they would not be out of supply for an extended period. Without a doubt, the Marines are tough customers. I don’t see the majority of them being rangers in the sense we have been discussing.

The Granite Brigade of the State of New Hampshire definitely are not light infantry, though they too have a recon element that would count as light infantry. The graniteers are more like dismounted motorized infantry in that they fight with close support from one or more of their gun trucks. The Granite Brigade reflects a confidence in firepower over skill. Through early 2001, they have had the luxury of keeping a handful of gun trucks operable. What will happen when and if they can’t field their gun trucks anymore is an interesting question.

The 43rd MP Brigade seems to have some troops who can be classified as light infantry. In The Last Submarine, players may encounter a hunter-killer group of MPs in Boston. Boston and Springfield are not exactly adjacent—especially if you are taking the heel-and-toe express to move between them. While the majority of MPs may be line infantry, for all intents and purposes, the soldiers of the hunter-killer groups clearly are capable of doing all of the things a squad of rangers would do. (This begs an interesting question. Do the MPs move to Boston as a platoon, then send smaller groups out from the patrol base?)