PURPOSE
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The primary purpose of this circular is to provide the small unit commander a set of core drills that are critical to combat survival, defeat of the enemy, and accomplishment of tactical missions. As a leader, you have the ultimate responsibility of training your unit to execute these drills to EXACTING PERFOMANCE STANDARDS! And to instill into the members of the 45th S.O.D. a purpose of team work that will make the Lancers unique in combat against all foes that we engage in the battlefield in BattleForce. This manual is a guide to help us understand and become familiar with the aspects of battlefield tactics and their uses. The manual will define certain actions that each lance should use or have ready in the field to use against foes and to counter, protect and defeat them. Study these and learn them. The only way we can make us into a more effective fighting force is to practice together and learn how each of us fight. The day of individualism in combat is over. Team work is the only way we can insure our survivability, and victory. I trust that 'each of you will be able to learn and use these tactics to defeat our opponents we face.
SCOPE
Chapter
1 Drills and their uses:
A. Nature of Drills
1) There is a wide range of activities that could be labeled drills, and the current literature abounds with different categories of "drills"; examples are battle drills, immediate action drills, situational drills, crew drills and so forth. This document is not intended to be the medium for a solution of the drill definition issue, but instead focuses on operationally substantive, collective combat tasks organized by functional mission areas that can be trained and executed as drills. The core drills herein can be viewed as either as immediate action drills or tactical training drills, defined as follows:
(a) Immediate action battle drill. A rapid reflective response executed by a small unit (lance, company) based on a given command or stimuli in critical-'-combat situations (example: react to direct fire)
(b) Tactical training drill. A set series of collective actions/tasks, linked together by leader direction, executed to accomplish a tactical mission (example: hasty defense)
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The core drills are characterized by the following:
(a) they are critical collective tasks
(b) they support tactical missions
(c) they consist of standardized actions triggered by an initiating cue, supplemented, a required by rapid commands.
(d) they intergrate individual and collective tasks in a repetitive training mode
(e) they can be trained separately and/ or linked together in a tactical scenareo as a Situation Training Exercise
(STX explained later)
(f) They reinforce individual and collective task proficiency and prepare units for more complex tactical missions.
B
Importance of drill training.
1)The primary goal of training is to develop and sustain individual and unit proficiency to accomplish assigned combat missions and defeat the enemy. Drills, as TRAINING TOOLS inherently reinforce the following basic principles of the Unit Training Management System (UTMS):
(a) Based on unit mission and the specific tasks, conditions, and the standards
(b) Tactically and technically sound in structure.
(c) Builds from simple to complex and focuses on the basics first.
(d) Realistically trains the way the unit will fight
(e) Provides for continuous coaching and critiquing.
(f) Develops leaders and builds teamwork.
2. Additionally, drills, AS ENDS IN THEMSELVES, are critical for the following reasons:
(a) Enhance the individual/lance survival on the battlefield.
(b) Reduce the reaction time, increase speed of execution, and standardize combat actions in critical situations.
(c) Ensure that Mech-warriors master individual skills and that they know WHAT TO DO IN THE ABSENCE OF ORDERS!!!
(d) Instill unit discipline and operational standards during key battlefield situations
(e) Develop teamwork and cohesion under stress
C. Incorporation of drills into training.
(1)Select and sequence drills.
(a) Identify units critical tactical missions (Army training and Evaluation Program- ARTEP), mission training plan (MTP), full table of organization and equipment (TO&E) contingincy plans,
(b) Select critical activities that support specific tactical missions
(c) Identify individual, leader, and collective task that form a mission-specific drill.
(d) Sequentially integrate all tasks as key actions within a drill performance steps.
(e) Identify drills that support critical activities
(f) Establish standardized drill performance objectives.
(g) Prioritize drills within the training program based, as a minimum, upon,
1. mission priorities and mission accomplishment
2. Projected frequency of execution in combat.
3. Degree of difficulty for mastering and sustaining associated skills.
(2) Drill training
(a) Conduct prerequisite training with individuals and leader task. This is the first critical step in the building block approach and establishes a sound foundation for drill training. Mastery of associated skills is an essential precondition for effective drill training. LEADERS MUST ALSO MASTER INDIVIDUAL SKILLS BEFORE THEY CAN TRAIN THEIR SUBORINATES TO STANDARD!!
(b) Establish conditions and performance standards for each drill. initially, conditions are basic in nature until
a firm baseline of proficiency is attained. Increased difficulty and realism are incorporated as training progresses (limited visability, NBC, oppsing forces (OPFOR).
(c) Train drills in a progressively phased cycle.
1. Explanation/Demonstration phase. (Crawl)
(a) describes objectives and standards within the drill.
(b) Establishes clear aim of drill, roll of individual tasks within the drill, and the combat context of the drill execution.
(c) Identifies initiating cues, and/or commands for key actions within the drill
(d) Demonstrates tasks, if appropriate, by conducting a walk-through of the drill,
(e) Answers questions
2. Practice Phase. (walk) The leader performs the following:
(a) Coaches and critiques during each pra6tice run
(b) Stops drill, as required, provides correction, and continues drill
(c) Repeats drill until unit can perform to standards without coaching,
3. Perform Phase (run) The leader ensures that:
(a) the drill is performed in varying conditions of increased difficulty and realism.
(b) 0PFOR and multiple intergraded laser engagement system (MILES), are incorporated to assist sound performance feedback.
3. Linkage of drills into situational training exercises
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The final step in the sequential drill training process is to link selected drills together in a tactical scenario to form situational training exercises. These consist of tactical mission-oriented training exercises, drill like-in nature, that are designed to be trained repetitively in a realistic setting. These exercises serve as the final building block in unit training proficiency and can be incorporated into larger Field Training Exercises (FTX)as appropriate.
Chapter 2: Combat Drills
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Lances and companies are generally given it missions to move on the battlefield toward the enemy in order to make contact with the enemy or to occupying specific terrain feature. During these movements, the mission of the lance and company is to overcome enemy resistance within their capability--without stopping for long periods of time. In order to quickly overcome the enemy, it is necessary to go through certain sequential steps in order to reduce decisions down to essential critical points and to cause the enemy to fight you in two different directions at once. The Lance/Company combat drill is designed to accomplish this by building on tried and true drills, integrating a few new ones, and developing these into a set sequence to form the combat drill. This drill is so important to survivability and success in combat that it must be trained to perfection and executed automatically upon enemy contact. The drill must be aggressively,, swiftly, and completely executed to destroy or dislodge the enemy force.
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The steps of the combat drill are in the attachments. The task or action associated with each step 6.f the drill is outlined in detail later below. The individual steps for this drill should be trained separately, as required, before executing the entire combat drill.
a. The overall purpose of the mission is more important than the individual assigned tasks. Each subordinate commander must know why and how his assigned tasks relate to the overall concept of the operation. Then, if the situation changes and contact with higher headquarters is lost, the subordinate can use his initiative to achieve the desired end results
b. The battalion commander has a dual responsibility. He must understand the intent of the brigade and division commanders (two levels up) and must ensure his intent is understood at company and platoon levels (two levels down). The commander's intent paragraph in the OPORD should begin with the words, "My intent is..." so it can be understood and relayed to subordinates easily.
c. A clear commander's intent enhances agility, timing, and initiative at all levels. It helps in shifting the main effort on a fluid battlefield.
2-8 MISSION TACTICS
The purpose of command and control is to allow the commander to generate and apply combat power at the decisive point on the battlefield. Mission tactics is a method of directing military operations; subordinates are encouraged and expected to act alone in executing assigned missions, consistent with the intent of senior commanders. The commander must--
a. Anticipate a free-willed opponent; expect uncertainty. The enemy does not always follow his doctrine or act as IPB indicates he will. The commander must be flexible. War games, contingency plans, employment in depth, well-developed and rehearsed SOPS, and a reserve all contribute to flexibility.
b. Organize and direct operations to require minimum intervention. When precise control is required for synchronization, such as an on-order task, the commander should provide the subordinate with the criteria for making the decision.
c. Allow time for subordinate planning. The one-third/two-thirds rule applies not only to OPORDs but also to rehearsals, brief backs, or any other centralized events that reduce subordinates' preparation time.
d. Assign resources with as few restrictions on employment as possible. The commander allocates assets and support priorities to subordinate’s as specifies only the results he wants achieved.
e. Allow maximum freedom of action within the scope of his intent. Because battles often develop in unforeseen directions, leaders often must act with incomplete information or instructions. Failure to act quickly can result in a lack of superior combat power at critical times and places. Taking advantage of opportunities to accomplish the mission is allowed, encouraged, expected, and sometimes required. Higher commanders should be informed before action is taken, if feasible.
f. Structure communication to allow subordinates to command well forward. The commander must position himself on the battlefield where he can exert the greatest influence, both through subordinate leaders and directly. At the same time, he must retain the ability to shift the main effort of the battle. The commander can be forward with the lead elements in the command group, or he can be in the main CP. He must be able to command and control
all organic and supporting elements equally from either location.
2-9 MISSION ORDERS
AirLand Battle doctrine requires mission tactics. This decentralization provides latitude to subordinates to make decisions rapidly within the framework of the commander's concept and intent.
a. Mission orders address only the required information. They provide the framework of what the commander wants done--not how it is to be done. Such orders need only three important things. First, they must clearly state what the commander issuing the order wants accomplished. Second, they must point out limiting factors that must be observed for coordinating purposes. Third, they must state what resources are to be made available to the subordinate commander and what support he can expect outside his command.
b. Execution of mission tactics requires initiative, resourcefulness, and imagination. Commanders must be ready to adapt to situations as they are, not as they were expected or desired to be.
c. Subordinate leader initiative is based on mission orders and the commander's intent, which the subordinate has all the tools available to complete the task at hand.