Doctrine, Equipment and Organization for Reserve African Rifles in the Caribbean

[Icelander]

If it ever came down to it that the Commandos were deployed into actual battle against guerilla forces similar to Colombian FARC, Peruvian Sendero Luminoso, Mexican cartel forces or Haitian chimera, except under the influence of supernatural beings, how much mortar support would one Commando (company-sized) need?

As they might be infiltrated by sea or make a parachute jump or air assault, the three company-sized Commandos are lightly-armed. Well, in the tradition of elite shock troops everywhere, they'll carry heavy loads to ensure their section automatic weapons have lots of ammo, and they'll have plenty of grenades and grenade launchers, but how many 60mm mortars do you need to support a company of light infantry, hopefully fighting guerillas and not real soldiers?

The mortars are not organic to each Commando, they belong to the Support Commando, and mortar teams will be attached to a rifle Commando if and when needed, ideally with vehicles or at least open drop zones for resupply. I'm just considering how many I'll need and thus how many vehicles.

Does each Commando need organic Medium Machine Guns? I know MG3 machine guns are technically classed as GPMGs, but they are dramatically superior when used by experts as a MMG, and way too heavy and hard to control when used as a LMG when assaulting.

I'm seriously considering either just one Weapons Platoon per Commando, which will have expert machine gunners and plenty of RPGs, or concentrating the MG3 machine guns in Support Commando, while having the rifle Commandos just use RPDs and RPKs as LMGs and one of PKM, FN MAG or HK21A (or HK21E) as their GPMG (economy and simplicity says PKM).

One French innovation that I am considering, assuming that Rafael Villareal could influence the French establishment into selling their neighbours of Dominica and Saint Lucia their high-tech 52mm 'silent' commando mortars, is one such mini-mortar per section. It's almost as small as early grenade launchers, but with the newest SAFRAN laser-designation and trajectory calculation technology, it's pin-point accurate out to 600+ meters and the ordnance is actually heavy enough to do damage, unlike 20mm or 25mm grenade launchers.

There is something joyful in being armed only with efficiently economic ex-Soviet equipment, except when it comes to new capabilities that fundamentally change infantry capabilities. The side armed with AKM rifles and RPD light machine guns is not really at a disadvantage fighting in tropical jungle against enemies with M4 carbines and M249 SAWs. Being able to place a 52mm mortar round anywhere you can see, out to half a kilometer or more, that makes a difference, like snipers, but faster and with greater authority.

Another thing about mortars, are eight 60mm mortars better or worse than two 82mm mortars and four 60mm mortars?