SECTION
XIII
PLANNING LESSON LEARNED: SURVEY MUST BE PLANNED AND CLOSELY SUPERVISED IF THE FIELD ARTILLERY IS TO ESTABLISH CONTROL ON A COMMON GRID
A FA battalion must aggressively manage and supervise the survey plan. Establishing and maintaining survey control on a common grid within the zone of action is critical to massing fires. The survey plan must address:
- Starting control. Each PADS unit must be initialized at the same location. If available the point should be a continuation from a known point established from higher order survey.
- Priority
of work. If not clearly established and enforced by the FSCOORD, the limited
survey assets of the battalion will be diverted to accomplish an unimportant
or unintended task. (Many FA battalions at the NTC have found their PADS teams
relegated to leading a maneuver unit around the desert.) Survey priorities
vary with the operation, but should generally follow in this order:
- Firing battery positions.
- Weapons locating radar positions.
- G/VLLD positions.
- Moving target locating and ground surveillance radar positions.
- Mortar positions.
- Target areas, including obstacles.
- Survey methods. Battalions rely on PADS and hasty survey to the exclusion of conventional methods. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this, but even PADS has limitations and requires management. It has a maximum mission time, requires zero velocity checks, and must close out its surveys.
Table
of Contents
Section
XII: Management of FIREFINDER Radar When Attached to a Field Artillery Battalion
Section
XIV: FSO and FOs Must Verify the Locations of Obstacles and Plan Fires on or
Around Them
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