Originally Posted by
ORAC
US army has 10 active divisions, each with a Brigade of 3 artillery battalions each equipped with around 24 howitzers (either self-propelled M109A7 or towed M777) & 9 MLRS or HIMARS. Thats 720 howitzers and 270 MLRS, for a total of around 1000 pieces.
The National Guard has a further 8 Brigades, making around another 800 pieces for a grand total of about 1800 pieces including about 500 MLRS..
That is, of course, only those currently assigned, not those held in reserve. The army having, over the years, bought over 990 MLRS.
A lot are mothballed, but a lot are also being refurbished and updated. e.g.
https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/m270.html
Not saying they can afford to give a lot away - but they have more than you suggest.
I suggest that you take it up with the author. I won't comment on your assumption of all divisions having a full complement of equipment. I don't share that assumption.
Your numbers are close enough
if all ten divisions were heavy divisions. (Mechanized infantry or armor).
But they are not.
Three of them are light divisions. (Granted, the 101st is loaded with helicopters).
101st Air Assault (Fort Campbell) and 82d Airborne (Fort Bragg) divisions are not heavy divisions, nor is the 10th Mountain Division. (Fort Drum)
I'll suggest that your overestimation is based on assuming that their complement of heavy artillery / MLRS matches that of the seven heavy divisions. (Cav/Armor/Mech Infantry). It does not.
(The last time I saw the 82d's ToE was a long time ago, but they didn't have a Heavy Division's complement of heavy artillery - while they may have had an upgrade since then, IIRC they used the 105mm howitzer which is air droppable).
101st's Divarty looks like this:
- 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery (18 × M102 105mm towed howitzer)
- 2d Battalion, 320th Field Artillery (18 × M102 105mm towed howitzer)
- 3d Battalion, 320th Field Artillery (18 × M102 105mm towed howitzer)
- Battery C, 5th Battalion, 8th Field Artillery (attached 18th Field Artillery Brigade M198 155mm towed howitzer unit)
10th Mountain Division's Divarty looks like this:
- Headquarters & Headquarters Battery
- 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery (18 × M101 105 mm towed howitzer)
- 2nd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery (18 × M101 105 mm towed howitzer)
- Battery E, 7th Field Artillery (8 × M198 155 mm towed howitzer)
With the above in mind, let's multiply your numbers by .7 by assuming that the 7 heavy divisions are equipped as you surmise:
3 artillery battalions each equipped with around 24 howitzers (either self-propelled M109A7 or towed M777) & 9 MLRS or HIMARS. Thats 720 howitzers and 270 MLRS, for a total of around 1000 pieces.
That's about
: 504 155mm howitzers and about 189 MLRS. (plus or minus a bit).
So yeah, he's still off by a bit.