Organization

• Type: Mechanized Infantry Platoon

• Origin: Royal Netherlands Army (Netherlands)

• Personnel: 1 Officers and 33 Enlisted

• Vehicles: 4 Boxer GNGPs

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​→ Platoon Headquarters (1 Officer and 1 Enlisted)

• 1× Platoon Commander*, 2nd Lieutenant or 1st Lieutenant (OF-1), armed with 1 C8NLD carbine and 1 Glock 17 pistol

• 1× Deputy Platoon Commander*, Sergeant 1st Class (OR-6), armed with 1 C8NLD carbine and 1 Glock 17 pistol

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​→ 4× Infantry Groups (6+2 Enlisted Each)

• Section 1 (3 men)

  • 1× Group Commander*, Sergeant (OR-5), armed with 1 N7NLD rifle and 1 Glock 17 pistol

  • 1× Light Support Weapon Gunner, Soldier 2nd Class/1st Class (OR-1), armed with 1 FN Minimi Para light machine gun and 1 Glock 17 pistol

  • 1× Rifleman, Soldier 2nd Class/1st Class (OR-1), armed with 1 C7NLD rifle, 1 AG-36 under-barrel grenade launcher, 1 Mossberg M590A1 shotgun and 1 Glock 17 pistol

• Section 2 (3 men)

  • 1× Deputy Group Commander, Corporal (OR-3) or Corporal 1st Class (OR-4), armed with 1 C7NLD rifle, 1 AG-36 under-barrel grenade launcher and 1 Glock 17 pistol

  • 1× Light Support Weapon Gunner, Soldier 2nd Class/1st Class (OR-1), armed with 1 FN Minimi Para light machine gun and 1 Glock 17 pistol

  • 1× Anti-Tank Rifleman**, Soldier 2nd Class/1st Class (OR-1), armed with 1 Panzerfaust 3, 1 C7NLD rifle and 1 Glock 17 pistol

• Vehicle Crew (2 men)​

  • 1× Vehicle Gunner, Corporal (OR-3) or Corporal 1st Class (OR-4), armed with 1 C8NLD carbine and 1 Glock 17 pistol

  • 1× Driver, Soldier 2nd Class/1st Class (OR-1), armed with 1 C8NLD carbine and 1 Glock 17 pistol

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• Additional Weapons Stowed in Vehicle: ​

  • 1 FN MAG general-purpose machine gun that can be employed by the group when needed

  • 2 Panzerfaust 3 reloads

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* Platoon Commander, Deputy Platoon Commander, and A and B Group Commanders act as vehicle commanders for the Boxers they man.​

** Also acts as the group's combat life saver (CLS).

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Mounted Configuration

→ Boxer GNGP (R Group) 

• 1× Platoon Commander

• R Infantry Group

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→ Boxer GNGP (E Group) 

• 1× Deputy Platoon Commander [A]

• E Infantry Group

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→ Boxer GNGP (A Group) ​

• A Infantry Group

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→ Boxer GNGP (B Group) ​

• B Infantry Group

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[A] The Deputy Platoon Commander typically does not dismount and takes command of the

mounted element if the Platoon Commander dismounts.

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Discussion

The Motorized Infantry Platoon (Dutch: Gemotoriseerd Pantserinfanteriepeloton) is a small-unit in the Royal Netherlands Army mounted in its relatively new Boxer armored personnel carriers. The platoon consists of a Platoon Headquarters, 4 Infantry Groups, and 4 Boxer GNGPs, comprised of 1 officer and 33 enlisted personnel.

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The platoon is mounted in the Boxer Geniegroep variant of the Boxer MRAV, abbreviated as Boxer GNGP. This is the engineering variant of the Boxer with a maximum capacity of 3 crew and 6 dismounts in the rear passenger compartment. The vehicles are armed with .50 caliber heavy machine guns, which are manned by a dedicated vehicle gunner.

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The Platoon Headquarters consists of the Platoon Commander (Pelotons Commandant) and Deputy Platoon Commander (Plaatsvervanger Pelotons Commandant). The Platoon Commander, a 1st or 2nd Lieutenant, sits in the vehicle commander seat of the R Group vehicle when mounted and may dismount with the platoon should the mission dictate. The Deputy Platoon Commander sits in the vehicle commander seat of the E Group and typically takes command of the vehicles when the Platoon Commander dismounts. The rationale for the naming of the groups are the Dutch parlance for commanders and deputies. "Romeo" is the callsign for commander, while "Echo" is the callsign for deputies. This is similar to how the Australians sometimes use the callsign "Sunray" to refer to ones commander or the commander of a unit and "Sunray Minor" for a 2IC. Both the commander and their deputy are armed with C8NLD carbines—updated Dutch order variants of the Colt Canada C8—and Glock 17 pistols. There is no integral radio operator/signaller, and the platoon relies mostly on the communications equipment in the vehicles and squad-level radios.

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Each Infantry Group (Infanteriegroep) consists of 6 dismounts and 2 vehicle crews commanded by a sergeant Group Commander (Groeps Commandant).

 

The vehicle crew consists of a Vehicle Gunner—a Corporal or Corporal 1st Class—and a Driver—and a Driver—a Soldier 2nd Class or 1st Class. Both are armed with C8NLD carbines and Glock 17 pistols. It should be noted that all billets prescribed to a Corporal may include a Corporal or Corporal 1st Class, as the latter is merely a time-in-service promotion after approximately 2 years. The same is true for the Soldier, or Soldaat, 1st and 2nd class ranks. The base Soldier, Soldaat or Soldaat 3e rank is a training rank by comparison.

 

The dismount group is divided into 2 sections each consisting of 3 enlisted personnel. The Group Commander commands Section 1 (Sectie 1) while the corporal Deputy Group Commander (Plaatsvervanger Groeps Commandant) commands Section 2 (Sectie 2). Section 1 typically consists of:

• Group Commander armed with a C7NLD rifle and Glock 17

• Light Support Weapon Gunner (Schutter Licht Ondersteunend Wapen) armed with an FN Minimi and Glock 17

• Rifleman (Schutter Geweer) armed with a C7NLD rifle, AG36 underbarrel grenade launcher, Glock 17 pistol and Mossberg M590A1 shotgun for breaching.

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Meanwhile, Section 2 consists of:

• Deputy Group Commander armed with a C7NLD rifle, AG36 and Glock 17

• Light Support Weapon Gunner armed with an FN Minimi and Glock 17

• Anti-Tank Rifleman (Schutter (V)SRAT) armed with a C7NLD rifle, Glock 17 pistol and Panzerfaust 3

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Each group's Anti-Tank Rifleman also acts as the designated combat life saver (CLS). There is no combat medic integral to the platoon.

 

The inclusion of a shotgun as integral to the infantry group is fairly unique, as the majority of other militaries consider it to be mission-dependent equipment. This perhaps owes to the urban-centered nature of the Dutch motorized infantry and the density of the Netherlands.

 

As the Panzerfaust 3 is partially disposable with a reusable fire control unit, the operator typically carries 1 tube/munition ready-to-fire, while 2 munitions are stowed in each group's vehicle for when they are needed. An FN MAG general-purpose machine gun is also available to each squad, stowed in the vehicle able to be deployed at the group commander's discretion (often in replacement of an LSW gunner's Minimi, but not always).

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The Group Commanders of A and B Groups act as vehicle commanders, while those of R and E Groups sit in the back with their groups (as the Platoon Commander and Deputy Platoon Commander command those vehicles). Generally in a road march, the platoon will be led and trailed by the A and B groups' vehicles so the formation is led by a combat vehicle. In Dutch doctrine, when dismounting, the LSW gunners are the first out of the vehicle, while the group commander and deputy group commander are last out.

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Generally speaking, the primary optic used on all combat weapons except for the shotgun, pistols and Panzerfaust is the non-magnified Aimpoint red dot sight. A 3x magnifier is often used—although not always based on photographic evidence—but has been included on weapons graphics in this article as it is available optional equipment. These replaced the C79 3.4x magnified optics standard on many Colt Canada weapons.

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It is uncertain why all personnel in the platoon are armed with Glock 17s, although the officer that the author talked to made the assumption that it was due to this type of unit's focus on urban engagements and their utility during guard/police duty and to have on base when deployed.

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Sources

• Manoeuver Bulletin 18-01 published January 2018 by the Royal Netherlands Army

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