Supply/Logistics Question

[kalos72]

So I have seen some numbers of 600000 M-16 in US Military stores...

From the best I can tell, we added maybe 60-70k in new "training" divisions during the war...leaving 500kish M-16's in US inventories.

Does the US store this level of weaponry? Where?

Do they have the same level of supplies for things like kit/clothes/battle gear?

How do people feel about the "us_army_build-up_and_mobilization" document? Seems like there is ALOT of possibilities for creating new light units if you can get the training organized post TDM. Assuming the supplies are there...some where.

[swaghauler]

Originally Posted by kalos72

So I have seen some numbers of 600000 M-16 in US Military stores...

From the best I can tell, we added maybe 60-70k in new "training" divisions during the war...leaving 500kish M-16's in US inventories.

Does the US store this level of weaponry? Where?

Do they have the same level of supplies for things like kit/clothes/battle gear?

How do people feel about the "us_army_build-up_and_mobilization" document? Seems like there is ALOT of possibilities for creating new light units if you can get the training organized post TDM. Assuming the supplies are there...some where.

TOO LOW. At last count, we had around 3 MILLION M16 rifles (of all types) in stockpiles. We still had around 400K M14 rifles when Rock Island began producing the M14 EBRs for the Army. They didn't even put a dent in the M16A1 supply when they built the M16A1 based SPR Rifles. This is why I find it funny when people talk about units equipped with shotguns being fielded by MILGOV. They have rifles stockpiled EVERYWHERE in battalional or Divisional sized numbers. I remember the 28th Division (PA National Guard) swapping out ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND M16A1s for the A2 in the 1990's. PA does NOT have 100,000 National Guardsmen under contract.

[dragoon500ly]

Figure that every Army base has a set of new small arms packed away. The original plan was that units deployed over seas, the "training" weapons would be exchanged for new weapons. The used weapons were to be either issued to training units, or refurbished as needed.

Would it have worked that way? Good question!

[kato13]

Originally Posted by kalos72

So I have seen some numbers of 600000 M-16 in US Military stores...

From the best I can tell, we added maybe 60-70k in new "training" divisions during the war...leaving 500kish M-16's in US inventories.

Does the US store this level of weaponry? Where?

Do they have the same level of supplies for things like kit/clothes/battle gear?

How do people feel about the "us_army_build-up_and_mobilization" document? Seems like there is ALOT of possibilities for creating new light units if you can get the training organized post TDM. Assuming the supplies are there...some where.

Regarding US stockpiles there is one quote which has stuck with me for literally 30 years. It was from an air force magazine article in 1987. The article was about an upcoming top to bottom inventory of US Military vehicles. Years of effort was to be put into the count and this is the line that stuck with me. "The final goal is to get an accurate count of the number of vehicles in the US Military plus or minus 50,000"

Ok I understand at that point you are still dealing with a ton of WWII surplus hanging around, and how exactly do you count a Willis Jeep frame sitting in a dusty corner of a warehouse, but that degree of uncertainty even after an extensive audit speaks volumes as to just how much, for lack of a better word, "Stuff" every army keeps lying around.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Considering the amount of A1 versions of the M16 sold for bargain basement prices as part of foreign military assistance from the 1980s on, I can easily believe that there were vast quantities of them in US military/government inventories.
Some of those military assistance sales certainly did not earn much money for the US government.

[Legbreaker]

Might be a somewhat minor point when talking about these sorts of numbers, but weapons do get damaged to beyond the point of repair, especially in war. Weapons are often "lost" by soldiers and also need replacing (in peace time soldiers are usually charged for losing their weapon or other equipment - not so much in war time).
Perhaps put aside 10% of the total to cover these replacements before considering how many new troops could be armed?