• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Discussion:

Situation: A tank-heavy company team of a mechanized battalion task force was assigned the mission of establishing a lodgement area within a UN-designated zone of separation as a prelude to a Peace Enforcement operation. The team consisted of 103 tracked and wheeled vehicles. The company team had planned, backbriefed, and rehearsed in detail for a daylight occupation.

Problem: The convoy had encountered unexpected delays from unmarked minefields and illegal checkpoints enroute to the designated lodgement area. The movement was not completed before night fell and a steady rain became mixed with fog. The team commander did not have a contingency plan for a limited visibility occupation.

Identify the Hazard: The team commander who determined the operation entailed the following hazards:

Potential unmarked minefields in the lodgement area.
The lodgement area may be occupied by a potentially hostile force.
The unimproved roads leading into the lodgement area were becoming increasingly slick from the steady rain.
Most of the roads in the area were bordered by steep drainage ditches.
Fog was compounding the limited visibility brought on by sunset and the constant rain.
The team consisted of elements that had never worked under his command before departure from the tactical assembly area.
The terrain in the lodgement area was soaked from the steady rain and would quickly become rough and mired after the passage of the convoy.

Assess the Hazard: The team commander determined the potential for an accident leading to loss of time, damage to equipment, or injury to personnel was high. Moving the team into a restricted lodgement area in the dark is dangerous under the best of conditions. His situation was worsened by the weather and compounded by not having conducted a rehearsal at night. His subordinates were not accustomed to working together, and he was not certain how they would respond to his instructions.

Identify Control Options and Make Decisions: The team commander's first identified control option was to delay occupation until sunrise. He understood that the enemy threat was low to moderate. Civilian vehicle traffic on the route to the lodgement was extremely light. He was confident that he could halt the convoy on the road short of the lodgement area and establish local security to protect the force. He could then clear the area of mines and enemy quickly in daylight and continue the occupation as planned and rehearsed. The team commander believed this option would not jeopardize the battalion mission.

The team commander attempted to establish radio contact with battalion to discuss the situation. He intended to present his assessment and control option to the commander for a decision because he did not have the authority to change the occupation time to the following day. Direct radio contact failed. The battalion scouts attempted to relay the messages between the team and battalion commander. This process proved cumbersome, and the battalion commander finally directed the team commander to occupy the lodgement area because further delays would jeopardize the mission.

The team commander accepted this as the risk decision. He issued a FRAGO after building a plan based on control measures within his authority to direct and implement. He dispatched an element of scouts and engineers to the lodgement area too clear or mark any mines, and to determine if it was occupied by a hostile force. The FRAGO included a terrain sketch which identified control measures, hazards, and locations for each element.

Implement Controls: Each leader in the team made a copy of the commander's sketch for occupation of the lodgement. Each leader marked the entry point on his map and ensured he had positive radio communications with the team command post. All drivers and vehicle occupants were briefed on the FRAGO, and the team used the battalion SOP for a night occupation of an area.

Supervise: The controls required strict enforcement from the most junior leaders in the team. Everyone had to know what the plan was and what the control measures were. Iron discipline was required to ensure vehicles moved only when and where they were guided, and soldiers remained mounted until directed to occupy defensive positions.

The occupation was completed without incident before sunrise.

Lesson(s): Operations must be thoroughly wargamed during the planning process. In an operation such as this, rehearse for both a day and night occupation if time is available. Use the battalion SOP for occupation of an area. Hazards must be identified before rehearsals so that control measures for both day and night occupation can be in place for the rehearsal.

Concept