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Deploying to Iraq? Lessons from an infantry company commander
Infantry Magazine , Jan-Feb, 2004 by Daniel Morgan
I have spent 11 months in Iraq fighting this war as a company commander, starting from the berm in Kuwait to Mosul, Iraq. My Soldiers and I have learned a tremendous amount of lessons, shared many successes, and witnessed injuries on our fellow Soldiers. We never failed to conduct an after action review (AAR) or hotwash after an operation, despite the success, failure or casualties. I want to share some tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) and standing operating procedures (SOPs) with as many as possible because this fight ebbs and flows with short, shocking violence where "always being prepared" becomes more than just a cliche. You will never know when you will be attacked it just happens.
An explosion rocks the vehicle in front of you, throwing Soldiers onto the street. You see the vehicle rise up onto two wheels before settling and rolling to a stop. AK-47 fire and RPGs are heard almost simultaneously. Your Soldiers stagger about trying to shake off the effects of the concussion. Some fire wildly in different directions because the reports of the AK-47s are echoing off the buildings, so you cannot pinpoint the direction of fire. The battle drill says to clear the kill zone, but you have competing priorities. First, you have casualties that need to be secured, assessed and stabilized. Second, if you run, you won't kill the enemy or deter them. You must light back and hopefully kill them. Do you stay in the kill zone and fight?
This happened to me and my Soldiers. We fought back that day, killing one suspected enemy and detaining two more. This reaction occurred due to rehearsals, AARs, aggressive leadership at every level, and discipline.
A hunch tells me that not much will change how we do daily business in Iraq for a while. Operations will be basically broken down into four areas.
* First, you need to clear main supply routes (MSRs) of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
* Second, platoons will conduct cordon and searches against a neighborhood, store, market or house.
* Third, units will conduct patrols to provide a presence in an area, enhancing security.
* Finally, units will conduct civil-military operations simultaneously with the first three operations. These operations require patrolling in an urban environment, mounted and dismounted, leaving you vulnerable.
You MUST always be on the OFFENSIVE. You cannot assume that you are on a security presence patrol. It is always a MOVEMENT TO CONTACT. Company commanders must plan every patrol in this mindset and give specified tasks that accomplish the overall mission. For example, if yon are going to conduct a patrol down a heavily congested market street in order to distribute information, treat it as a movement to contact and be on the offensive. Give a subordinate unit the task to distribute newsletters or flyers and use the remaining elements to provide security--ready to fight. This offensive spirit increases force protection and prepares you to gain the initiative immediately upon contact.
I hope to provide leaders who come to Iraq, Afghanistan, or anywhere else in the future some ideas for training and preparing to fight in this environment. This environment consists of two factors--urban fighting and civil-military operations. The fight at the company level requires both skills and capabilities. Many factors are out of your control and many assets needed for stability and support operations (SASO) are not part of your division or brigade force structure, much less battalion. So, you must control what you can and that is urban patrolling, force protection, company level information operations, and home station training.
Urban Patrolling
The more a terrorist succeeds in wounding or killing U.S. Soldiers, the more he is emboldened to do it again. You must instill in your Soldiers that we will fight back into the ambush. Ninety-nine percent of the time you already have fire superiority, so use it immediately. Train your Soldiers to be scanning rooftops, looking across open fields (the enemy wants some stand off and the ability to run), and providing overwatch at every moment. These three factors are key whether you are conducting mounted or dismounted patrols. You must do a patrol brief every time you depart the gate and never cease communicating and crosstalking between each other.
The most important part of the urban patrol is the threat environment. The congestion and overpopulation in these areas endanger any U.S. patrol at any time. If you lack the number of boots on the ground, you could find yourself in a predicament where you get overwhelmed by an angry mob. For example, you are leading a three-vehicle convoy in the city center with just a squad when three enemy insurgents attack with AK-47s. You return effective fire, killing or wounding the attackers. You dismount and secure the area. However, your return fire upset many citizens, and now you are surrounded. This is the dilemma. You can never take a patrol for granted.
The urban patrol, dismounted or mounted, must have sufficient Soldiers to secure a casualty, set up an overwatch/ support by fire position, and maneuver. The challenge to this patrol is that, depending on the direction of the attack against you and where in your patrol you were attacked, every element must be prepared to assume each role. Leaders must establish standard formations with sectors of fire. If mounted, face out 360 degrees (do not have the Soldiers twist to look over their shoulders), ensure Soldiers alternate high-low in their sectors, and always attack into the enemy to kill or capture them.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IAV/is_1_93/ai_n6123804/
Infantry Magazine , Jan-Feb, 2004 by Daniel Morgan
I have spent 11 months in Iraq fighting this war as a company commander, starting from the berm in Kuwait to Mosul, Iraq. My Soldiers and I have learned a tremendous amount of lessons, shared many successes, and witnessed injuries on our fellow Soldiers. We never failed to conduct an after action review (AAR) or hotwash after an operation, despite the success, failure or casualties. I want to share some tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) and standing operating procedures (SOPs) with as many as possible because this fight ebbs and flows with short, shocking violence where "always being prepared" becomes more than just a cliche. You will never know when you will be attacked it just happens.
An explosion rocks the vehicle in front of you, throwing Soldiers onto the street. You see the vehicle rise up onto two wheels before settling and rolling to a stop. AK-47 fire and RPGs are heard almost simultaneously. Your Soldiers stagger about trying to shake off the effects of the concussion. Some fire wildly in different directions because the reports of the AK-47s are echoing off the buildings, so you cannot pinpoint the direction of fire. The battle drill says to clear the kill zone, but you have competing priorities. First, you have casualties that need to be secured, assessed and stabilized. Second, if you run, you won't kill the enemy or deter them. You must light back and hopefully kill them. Do you stay in the kill zone and fight?
This happened to me and my Soldiers. We fought back that day, killing one suspected enemy and detaining two more. This reaction occurred due to rehearsals, AARs, aggressive leadership at every level, and discipline.
A hunch tells me that not much will change how we do daily business in Iraq for a while. Operations will be basically broken down into four areas.
* First, you need to clear main supply routes (MSRs) of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
* Second, platoons will conduct cordon and searches against a neighborhood, store, market or house.
* Third, units will conduct patrols to provide a presence in an area, enhancing security.
* Finally, units will conduct civil-military operations simultaneously with the first three operations. These operations require patrolling in an urban environment, mounted and dismounted, leaving you vulnerable.
You MUST always be on the OFFENSIVE. You cannot assume that you are on a security presence patrol. It is always a MOVEMENT TO CONTACT. Company commanders must plan every patrol in this mindset and give specified tasks that accomplish the overall mission. For example, if yon are going to conduct a patrol down a heavily congested market street in order to distribute information, treat it as a movement to contact and be on the offensive. Give a subordinate unit the task to distribute newsletters or flyers and use the remaining elements to provide security--ready to fight. This offensive spirit increases force protection and prepares you to gain the initiative immediately upon contact.
I hope to provide leaders who come to Iraq, Afghanistan, or anywhere else in the future some ideas for training and preparing to fight in this environment. This environment consists of two factors--urban fighting and civil-military operations. The fight at the company level requires both skills and capabilities. Many factors are out of your control and many assets needed for stability and support operations (SASO) are not part of your division or brigade force structure, much less battalion. So, you must control what you can and that is urban patrolling, force protection, company level information operations, and home station training.
Urban Patrolling
The more a terrorist succeeds in wounding or killing U.S. Soldiers, the more he is emboldened to do it again. You must instill in your Soldiers that we will fight back into the ambush. Ninety-nine percent of the time you already have fire superiority, so use it immediately. Train your Soldiers to be scanning rooftops, looking across open fields (the enemy wants some stand off and the ability to run), and providing overwatch at every moment. These three factors are key whether you are conducting mounted or dismounted patrols. You must do a patrol brief every time you depart the gate and never cease communicating and crosstalking between each other.
The most important part of the urban patrol is the threat environment. The congestion and overpopulation in these areas endanger any U.S. patrol at any time. If you lack the number of boots on the ground, you could find yourself in a predicament where you get overwhelmed by an angry mob. For example, you are leading a three-vehicle convoy in the city center with just a squad when three enemy insurgents attack with AK-47s. You return effective fire, killing or wounding the attackers. You dismount and secure the area. However, your return fire upset many citizens, and now you are surrounded. This is the dilemma. You can never take a patrol for granted.
The urban patrol, dismounted or mounted, must have sufficient Soldiers to secure a casualty, set up an overwatch/ support by fire position, and maneuver. The challenge to this patrol is that, depending on the direction of the attack against you and where in your patrol you were attacked, every element must be prepared to assume each role. Leaders must establish standard formations with sectors of fire. If mounted, face out 360 degrees (do not have the Soldiers twist to look over their shoulders), ensure Soldiers alternate high-low in their sectors, and always attack into the enemy to kill or capture them.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IAV/is_1_93/ai_n6123804/
