Tactics Flashcards
What is tactics?
The employment, ordered arrangement, and directed actions of forces in relation to
each other.
What is the the art of tactics?
The creative and flexible array of means to accomplish missions, decision making under conditions of uncertainty when faced with a thinking and adaptive enemy, and the understanding of the effects of combat on Soldiers.
What is the science of tactics?
The understanding of those military aspects of tactics—capabilities, techniques, and procedures—that can be measured and codified.
What is the difference between the art and science of tactics?
An art, as opposed to a science, requires exercising intuition based on operational experiences and cannot be learned solely by study.
What is unified action?
The synchronization, coordination, and/or integration of the activities of governmental and nongovernmental entities with military operations to achieve unity of effort.
What are some unified action partners?
Joint Forces
Multi-national forces
U.S. Government agencies
What is the Army’s contribution to unified action?
Unified land operations
What is unified land operations?
The simultaneous execution of offense, defense, stability, and defense support of civil authorities across multiple domains to shape operational environments, prevent conflict, prevail in large-scale ground combat, and consolidate gains as part of unified action.
What is the goal of unified land operations?
To establish conditions that achieve the JFC’s end state by applying landpower as part of a unified action to defeat the enemy.
What is the central idea of ULO?
How the Army applies combat power through:
1) simultaneous offensive, defensive, and stability, or DSCA, to
2) seize, retain, and exploit the initiative, and
3) consolidate gains.
What are the foundations of ULO?
Executed through decisive action
By means of Army core competencies
Guided by mission command
What are the beginning and end points of ULO?
The exercise of individual and operational initiative.
What is decisive action?
The continuous, simultaneous execution of offensive, defensive, and stability operations or defense support of civil authority tasks.
What is an offensive operation?
An operation to defeat or destroy enemy forces and gain control of terrain, resources, and population centers.
What is a defensive operation?
An operation to defeat an enemy attack, gain time, economize forces, and develop conditions favorable for offensive or stability operations.
What is Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA)?
Support provided by DOD personnel in response to requests for assistance from another primary agency, lead federal agency, or local authority.
Where does DSCA take place?
In the homeland and U.S. territories.
Who has lead responsibility for homeland defense?
The DOD
What are the four tenets of Army operations?
Simultaneity
Depth
Synchronization
Flexibility
What does the operations structure consist of?
Operations process
Combat power
Operational framework
The ________ provide a common organization for critical functions within the operations structure.
Warfighting functions
What is combat power?
The total means of destructive, constructive, and information capabilities that a military unit or formation can apply at a given time.
How do Army forces generate combat power?
By converting potential into effective action.
What are the eight elements of combat power?
Leadership Information Command and control Movement and maneuver Intelligence Fires Sustainment Protection
What are the six warfighting functions?
Command and control Movement and maneuver Intelligence Fires Sustainment Protection
How do commanders apply combat power through the warfighting functions?
Using Leadership and Information
Commanders apply ______ through mission command.
Leadership
_____ enables commanders to make informed decisions on how to best apply combat power.
Information
______ encourages the greatest possible freedom of action from subordinates.
Mission command
Movement and maneuver include what tasks?
Move Maneuver Employ direct fires Occupy an area Conduct mobility and counter-mobility operations Conduct reconnaissance and surveillance Employ battlefield obscuration
_____ includes understanding threats, adversaries, and weather; and synchronizes information collection with the primary tactical tasks.
Intelligence
What warfighting function includes delivering fires; integrating all form of Army, joint, and multi-national fires; and conducting targeting?
Fires
Sustainment includes what tasks?
Conduct logistics
Provide personnel services
Provide health service support
_____ determines the degree to which potential threats can disrupt operations and then counters or mitigates those threats.
Protection
______ is the process a small-unit leader goes through to prepare the unit to accomplish a mission.
Troop Leading Procedures
When do the TLPs begin?
When the leader is alerted
What are the TLPs?
Receive the mission Issue the WARNORD Make a tentative plan Initiate movement Conduct reconnaissance Complete the plan Issue the order Supervise and refine
What must happen after receiving the mission?
Mission analysis using METT-TC
What is METT-TC?
Mission Enemy Terrain and weather Troops available Time available Civilian considerations
What is the 1/3 - 2/3 rule?
Leaders use no more than 1/3 of available time for planning and issuing OPORD
Subordinates get 2/3 of available time to plan and prepare for operation
Use _______ to schedule preparation time.
Backwards planning
When is the WARNORD issued?
As soon as possible after receiving the mission
Things to cover in WARNORD:
Who is participating
Time of the operation
Time and place for OPORD
Use _____ as the basis for an estimate of the situation while developing a tentative plan.
METT-TC
When can movement be initiated?
Anytime throughout the
sequence of the TLPs.
What should a leader seek to do with a reconnaissance?
Confirm the PIR supporting their tentative plans.
What is the minimum reconnaissance a leader must conduct?
Map recon
The leader completes the plan based on ______ and _______.
Reconnaissance
Changes to the situation
During the OPORD, leaders must ensure all soldiers _________.
Understand the mission
At a minimum, each subordinate
leader should be able to back brief ______, _______, _______, and _______.
Unit mission and intent
Immediate higher commander’s intent
His own tasks and purpose
Time he will issue his unit’s OPORD
Supervise by conducting ______ and ______.
Rehearsals
PCCs/PCIs
What is a patrol?
A detachment sent out by a larger unit to conduct a specific mission that operates semi-independently and return to the main body upon completion of mission.
Patrolling fulfills the Infantry’s primary function of _______ or report his disposition, location, and actions.
Finding the enemy to engage him
Patrols act as ______ or ______ for larger units and the planned action determines the type of patrol.
Ground sensors
Early warnings
A patrol can consist of a unit as small as ______.
A fire team
Regardless of the type of patrol, the unit needs a clear ______.
Task and purpose
What are several specific purposes which can be accomplished by patrolling?
Gathering information on the enemy, on the terrain, or on the populace.
Regaining contact with the enemy or with adjacent friendly forces.
Engaging the enemy in combat to destroy him or inflict losses.
Reassuring or gaining the trust of a local population.
Preventing public disorder.
Deterring and disrupting insurgent or criminal activity.
Providing unit security.
Protecting essential infrastructure or bases.
What are the two types of patrols?
Combat
Reconnaissance
What are the three types of combat patrols?
Raid
Ambush
Security
What are the three types of reconnaissance patrols?
Area
Zone
Route
What are the elements of a patrol organization?
Headquarters element Aid and litter team Detainee teams Surveillance team En route recorder (RTO) Compass and pace man Assault team Support team Breach team Search team
Small unit leaders plan and prepare for patrols using ______.
Troop Leading Procedures
Because patrols act semi-independently, move beyond the supporting range of the parent unit, and often operate forward of friendly units, ______ must be thorough and detailed.
Coordination
What must the leader give when he or other individuals separate from the main body?
A five-point contingency plan (GOTWA)