From time to time, our inbox receive questions about deployed soldier’s and their carry load on combat missions. Despite, it’s hard to tell universal weight which varies from mission to mission, from unit to unit, we think we might have a right answer.
The regular infantry troops deployed to Afghanistan carry exactly one buttload of gear, which is a lot. If you still think it is not heavy enough, try to combine that unit of measurement with the thin, high-altitude mountain air and heat, that means you will suffer.
As we mentioned, different troops, units or missions are in charge of different gear depending on the requirements of the mission, or their role within the unit, but understand that nobody is getting off easier than another.
From medics to the mortarmen, everyone cares their mission essential gear plus their additional equipment related to their position on the team. For example, a medic man carries on regular gear plus aid bag, squad leaders as additional equipment needs to have a radio, binoculars, GPS, etc…
So it depends on ambush, the movement to contact, recon, raid, condone and search…what the type of mission is. Then that’s what the fighting man carries. Sometimes it’s too much, but you can never have too much ammo and water and other supplies which could save your or yours men life in combat.
Source Article from http://www.special-ops.org/16577/how-much-weight-does-a-soldier-carry-on-him-in-afghanistan.html
