Rifle Platoon in the Offense Flashcards
2 Types of attack are
Hasty
Deliberate
MCDP 1-0 defines a hasty attack as
“an attack when the commander decides to trade preparation time for speed to exploit an opportunity.”
A hasty attack is used when
a fleeting opportunity must be rapidly exploited.
To be successful, hasty attack plans must be
simple and flexible, and execution will rely heavily on unit SOPs and battle drills to replace the lack of detail in the order
MCDP 1-0 defines a deliberate attack as
“a type of offensive action characterized by pre-planned and coordinated employment of firepower and maneuver to close with and destroy the enemy.”
Deliberate attacks are used when
there is no need to rapidly exploit an enemy weakness, or when a hasty attack will not defeat the enemy.
Planning begins when the commander receives
the warning order or operations order from higher
At the platoon level, attacks will be
frontal or flanking
A frontal attack is used to
rapidly destroy a weak enemy force, or to fix an enemy in place to support a flanking attack.
A flanking attack uses
fire and maneuver in order to gain a position of advantage against an enemy vulnerability.
A flanking attack usually uses a
support by fire position that diverts attention away from the main effort and uses fires to fix the enemy in place, preventing them from reorienting on the main effort.
After his initial estimate of the situation, a platoon commander must develop a
tentative plan, based off of the EMLCOA that is derived from the Tactical Planning Process (METT-TC).
The foundation of a Platoon Commander’s tactical thought must be based upon
The Maneuver Warfare Concepts discussed in MCDP-1, Warfighting The tactical tenets presented in MCDP 1-3, Tactics The principals of war that you were taught in B2F2737 Tactical Fundamentals Mass Objective Offensive Security Economy of Force Maneuver Unity of Command Surprise Simplicity
The warning order allows subordinate leaders to begin
their own planning while the commander writes the full order
COC coordination can provide
updates to all aspects of a commander’s METT-TC analysis, but is especially useful for completing the picture on Troops and Fire Support Available.
a few items for S-2 to consider when planning COC Coordination
Ground, signal, and human intelligence sources may be able to provide information on the terrain and enemy. Check debriefs from units that may have patrolled the area before for information on terrain. UAVs can recon the route and the objective and provide real-time information on terrain and enemy. The intelligence officer can better support you if he or she knows what information you need to plan your mission.
a few items for S-3 to consider when planning COC Coordination
If available and requested, aviation assets can recon the route and objective to provide real-time information on terrain and enemy. The battalion may also use aviation assets as part of preparatory fires. Submit list of targets to support leader’s recon. Submit list of targets to support the attack. Confirm the locations and missions of adjacent and supporting units, to include CASEVAC assets, reinforcements, and fire support.
a few things for S-4 to consider when planning COC Coordination
Request logistics necessary to accomplish the mission, to include ammunition, chow, water, specialized equipment such as breach kits, transportation, fuel, etc. Try to anticipate what missions might follow the attack and what logistics they might require. Carry extra logistics into the attack or coordinate a resupply to be delivered immediately on consolidation if follow-on missions are known.
a few items for S-6 to consider when planning COC Coordination
Get updated CEOI and challenges/passwords. Check fills and timing on encrypted radios. A platoon will need a minimum of two radios (one for support by fire, one for maneuver) to ensure the best command and control in a flanking attack.
A leader’s recon is
a small, leadership-heavy reconnaissance patrol that will operate in close proximity to the enemy.
Priorities of recon should
work from the enemy back to friendly—picking an assault position first is a waste of time if the patrol discovers later that the enemy is in a different location or has a different orientation.
When choosing a support by fire position, the commander should consider the following
The support by fire position should ideally be located on the enemy frontage
The support by fire position’s direction of fire should ideally be located 90 degrees offset from the maneuver element’s direction of assault
Should have cover and concealment
Some Tactical Control Measures that will be useful in controlling a platoon attack are
Boundary Assembly Area Attack Position Line of Departure Checkpoint Phase Line Release Point Target Reference Point Assault Position Objective Limit of Advance Linkup Point
The commander updates his estimate of the situation (METT-TC analysis) in several ways:
higher’s order, COC coordination, and the leader’s recon
A detailed fire support plan will support the
scheme of maneuver
Fires in the attack are broken into what three categories:
Preparatory fires
Fires in support of conduct
Fires in support of consolidation
Tasks provide subordinate units with
their missions
Ensure that supporting effort tasking statements are worded so that
supporting efforts understand how they support the main effort.
Detailed coordinating instructions support what
the rest of the order. They coordinate actions between two or more units, and include any of higher’s coordinating instructions that pertain to your unit.
Administration and Logistics ensures the platoon has what
the platoon has enough ammunition, chow, water, batteries, special equipment, transportation, fuel, etc. to accomplish the mission and plan resupply for any known follow-on missions.
Some additional signals necessary for an attack using a support by fire are:
Commence: When to begin firing
Shift (sometimes)
Cease
Displace
Displacement criteria are:
Method:
Objective: Where the unit is going
Route: Most direct or most covered and concealed.
Time: The displacement signal.
The platoon commander will issue the order to the platoon. If time permits the platoon commander will issue the order to the entire platoon over a
terrain model large enough to accommodate all three squads and attachments.
Supervision that the commander should conduct in the preparatory phase includes, but is not limited to:
Rehearsals:
Pre-Combat Checks
Pre-Combat Inspections
Supervision in the conduct and consolidation phases involves the commander ensuring that
subordinates are adhering to his orders and intent
During movement to the objective, terrain is the
primary cover
Formations during movement to the objective are based on METT-TC, and will reflect the
relative importance of speed/control versus security/deployability
Column provides the best
speed and control, and is ideal when conducting night operations or moving through thick vegetation and canalizing terrain
Wedge is a flexible formation that provides good
speed and control and good all-around security and deployability. It is used when the enemy situation is uncertain
Echelon is slower and more
difficult to control than many formations. It provides excellent security and deployability to the front and in the direction of the echelon. It is typically used to guard an exposed flank.
Vee is slow and difficult to control because
there are two lead elements
Vee is typically used when the enemy is to the front or when crossing a large open area.
Line movement is
Slowest and most difficult to control
Line is typically used in the assault once oriented on a known enemy
Actions on the objective begin when
terrain no longer covers our normal movement from enemy main body fires.
Only EFFECTIVE fires allow this
maneuver
Rates of fire typically used by the
support by fire position are sustained and rapid
Support by Fire Considerations are
The sustained rate of fire provides average suppression and conserves ammunition—in most cases, a round on target every five seconds will keep the enemy’s head down as effectively as two or three rounds every five seconds
The rapid rate of fire provides more suppression, but uses double the ammunition. This will cause weapons to overheat and malfunction more often, and begins to affect soldiers’ load—a machinegun squad will go through 14 pounds of ammunition per minute at the rapid rate.
The commander must take this into account when planning for the assault
time/distance into account when planning for the assault.
During the assault, the commander and the support by fire element leader are both responsible for maintaining
situational awareness on how much ammunition remains in the support by fire position versus the maneuver element’s distance from the objective
Placing automatic weapons on the flank the maneuver element is assaulting provides better suppression on
targets that affect the maneuver element most, as well as better geometries of fire.
Placing the support by fire element leader in the center of the position provides the best overall
control of fires
During actions on the objective, the platoon commander has several responsibilities:
The platoon commander must ensure that the objective is effectively suppressed and isolated before exposing his maneuver element to the enemy fields of fire.
Control the maneuver element. To do this, the platoon commander will use his base unit.
Coordinate with higher and adjacent. This may involve requesting casualty evacuation or reinforcement, or updating them on a changing situation (such as enemy withdrawing into an adjacent unit AO).
As the attack culminates on the objective and the determination is made to transition into
consolidation, the platoon commander’s primary focus becomes establishing local security in order to prepare for a potential enemy counter-attack or reinforcement and provide the opportunity to reconstitute his forces.
The squad leaders are the primary executors of what process
SAFE process
SAFE stands for what
Security
Automatic weapons on avenues of approach
Fields of fire and Entrenchment
Prior to any other events occurring, the platoon commander must next determine his capabilities and level of combat effectiveness following the attack. This can be done by analyzing the information collected from the subordinate leaders utilizing what reports
ACE
ACE stands for
Ammunition
Casualties
Equipment
The platoon commander should also submit reports to
higher; at the minimum, this should include a SITREP. It may also include specialized reports as required, as well as any resupply requests that the platoon needs to accomplish follow-on missions.
At this point, the platoon commander should plan—execute pre-planned—follow-on operations. Follow-on operations may be
offensive, defensive, or retrograde
