That's a really good question. I'm sure that there must be a mechanized way of doing that, but I have never seen one in my command (at the battalion level, at least). If there was one, I would imagine it was be a big industrial kind of factory set up, designed to link tens of thousands of rounds (military industrial complex, anyone?) The practicality of having a man portable mechanized linker for individual combatants is nil, I think. Linked ammo is not in short supply for military purposes.... in the 2070s however, anything is possible.

Actually, just remembered something...

Back in WWII, there was an Italian Machine Gun that would take the ammo off the belt in the breech, fire it, and then put the empty cartridge back onto the belt after it was done.

The soldiers would then have to unload the belt in order to send the belts and brass back to the factory for reloading. By hand.

That's God's own truth.

The infantry guys on Bragg ruck with 60-80 pound rucksacks for practice.

In full kit with a standard combat load, you are carrying some major weight. The current ensemble doesn't breathe well - when I peeled everything off after an easy guard shift, my ACU blouse and undershirt were soaked through. And that's just the weapon, ammo, armor and some very basic essentials - flashlight, multi-tool, etc. Running or other prolonged exertions in extreme conditions will take a harder toll on you than enemy contact.

Encumberance and environmental factors are rarely addressed in most game systems I've seen - if only because most people aren't trying to roleplay realism, for the most part.

-Siege

I guess no one wants their Troll Street Samurai to go down from heat stroke before they get to the objective... I can't imagine why you wouldn't want that realistic touch.

Pffft - the Excel sheets needed to build a samurai were bad enough.

-Siege

Practical is the art of the possible, or something...

For example, I could probably carry nearly a thousand rounds into combat if I left behind dead weight like helmet, armor, gas mask, canteen(s), rations, radio, rifle, etc.

But that would be dumb of me.

Likewise, I could just tack another 30 lbs of ammo on my existing load, but that would also be dumb.

Knowing the sweet spot for each mission is very important.

If you can stand, you're not carrying enough ammo.

~J

I think that having better environmental rules could be very interesting. It would add another dimension to planning. Environmental survival and physiological affects makes for a good game in and of itself.

Check this out: http://www.the-underdogs.info/game.php?id=1340

I used to play it for hours.

I think it is cute that the PDF of the manual is 16 times larger than the game itself.

That's one hell of a manual, actually. It tells you how to navigate by stars, how to contruct huts, how to build rafts, how to make small game traps...it's actually a legit wilderness survival manual in and of itself. You know the game is awesome when in the course of playing you're constantly referring back to the manual for actual information.

What you have to remember is, carrying a weapon and killing the enemy is probably only a relatively small part of your mission.

A big part is surviving the environment and conditions long enough to be able to kill your enemy.

If you can't function, your weapon with all that extra ammo is useless. Which means you need to balance your mission essentials - too much ammo, not enough water and you're dead. Too much water, not enough food - you're dead. No pro mask? Better hope it's tobasco you smell on the air. As ED says, it's all about the right balance.

Fun fact - more troops are incapacitated due to illness or environmental injury than hostile action.

-Siege

Dysentry and VD, the banes of Militaries!

Blisters, lower limb injuries, back injuries (I know half a dozen people invalided out of various arms with back injuries) and heat exhaustion, in these days of broad-spectrum antibiotics.

Seems like about the time you get a infantry guy trained up right, he starts having joint problems (from what he did to make him a good infantry guy) and happily goes off to become a REMF.

I don't know about happily.

Every former Combat Arms guy I've met in Support absolutely hates it.

-Siege

Which is why I got out instead of becoming a cripple by 40, or languishing in an admin or supply job.

And why I never joined the military. I already have bad joints from growing up.

Basic would have made me an REMF in constant pain in no time flat.

Somehow I am afraid that this thread has strayed... a tad.

all excelent and realistic points, but i guess moving back more onto topic (at least onto theme): logistic drones. i would assume 6th world militaries would employ some form of support drone that could mule much more ammo & gear much more securely than a soldier could. this would free up the rifleman's load for better operational performance. strength augmented full-body armor would help significantly, too.

Also great for reloading a MG Emplacement as well! Rather than sending out a trooper!

Yeah, definitely. I mean, talking about how on-topic the thread is, for example, is totally unrelated to the topic!

(But not as much as talking about how on-topic talking about on-topic the thread is is, though)

~J

That's part of why the military has NCO's and pre-mission inspections. To stop overly aggressive young troops from doing things that seem like a good idea, but have been shown to be a not good idea.

It's kind of annoying when your ARTEP goes to hell because one critical person can't do night land nav....

Ahhh Land Nav before GPS. I never needed it, but tell that to young buck who can't find his ass without it. Terrain association all the way.

"The most dangerous thing in the world is a second lieutenant with a map and a compass." - Murphy's Laws of Combat.

Funny part is, this is, seriously, part of the training at RMC!

You'd be surprised how critical a good supply or admin person can be - but I digress.

The Army is experimenting with robotic transport systems - you can get an idea of both robot resupply and aerial drone support for individual troopers in the game "Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter".

It's a long way from becoming practical or implemented, but the military is pushing the research.

As for Pre-Combat Checks (PCC) and Pre-Combat Inspections (PCI), it all depends on the NCO and the manual. The mission checklist were, in all probability, written by a REMF.

-Siege

No denying that, an Army runs on it's paperwork as much as it's stomache. After all, those bills go towards making sure the Troops GET the 3Bs! (Beans, Bullets, and Bandages!).



And therein lies the rub. "They claim this thing is 'Man-Portable', but that's only if you're sitting behind a desk, figuring out just how much weight a single man can carry." is one quote I wish I could remember where I got.