Currently, the combat load for soldiers is 145 lbs.
Since World War II, however, some armies have made drastic reductions in the combat load.
In addition to art supplies, I carry a 9-millimeter pistol with a combat load of 60 rounds.
But he has noted that Britain, Canada and Australia had met their commitments and carry their full combat load.
Thoughts of Rangers in Mogadishu running for miles in full combat load to get back to base kept me moving.
A full combat load of protective gear, weapon, and ammunition weighs in excess of 40 pounds, and this assumes all personal gear is vehicle-mobile.
Ultimately, a successful shift of the combat load from American forces to the Iraqi and Afghan armies depends on four things.
The unfortunate yin to this yang is that it seems if bullets don't kill me, the crushing weight of my combat load may just have my number.
With a typical combat load, the F-16 weighs approximately 23,000 pounds (10,000 kg), which is less than half the weight of the previous-generation F-4 Phantom II.
It had a maximum speed of 280 miles (450 km) per hour and a ceiling of 24,000 feet (7,300 metres), though the latter was substantially lower when carrying a full combat load.
However, doing so will require America's ground forces to provide at least 20,000 combat advisers for the duration of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — men and women specially equipped and trained to help foreign forces bear a greater share of the combat load.
