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Chapter V

HOME-STATION TRAINING

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This chapter is designed to provide you additional ideas to better prepare your unit for search and attacks. Most of these ideas require minimal resources and can be incorporated into your home station training program.

1. Begin by reviewing your mission-essential task list (METL). Crosswalk all the individual tasks associated with each METL task that supports the find, fix, and finish functions. Once all the individual tasks have been identified, soldiers should be trained and evaluated on their ability to execute the tasks. ARTEP 7-8 MTP provides a collective task-to-individual task matrix that will help you develop the foundation for individual training in preparation for search and attacks.

2. Develop and conduct situational training exercises (STXs) that incorporate the standard infantry squad and platoon battle drills. Squad and platoon external evaluations should focus on successful execution of these drills. If squads and platoons cannot conduct the drills to standard, retrain them. This will have the greatest impact on the ability to conduct search and attacks than any other single issue. As previously stated, success is often determined during the first minute of contact. It is through violent, immediate, and well-rehearsed execution of simple battle drills that conditions are set for success. (For example STXs, see Appendix C.)

3. Incorporate the use of both mortars and artillery into your squad and platoon STXs. This will help develop a better understanding of how squad and platoon leaders can incorporate supporting fires into their find, fix, or finish functions. Conduct training to familiarize all soldiers with the basic call-for-fire procedures.

4. When conducting your STX training, ensure the designated OPFOR understands and executes the tactics, techniques and procedures of a legitimate threat model. Your OPFOR must possess a thorough understanding of the intelligence indicators and enemy tactics and techniques to accurately portray the enemy. This also provides your soldiers a great opportunity to become intimately familiar with the enemy.

5. Develop a scripted master events list (MEL) and conduct a command post exercise (CPX). Use this CPX to exercise the TOC's battle-tracking skills and reporting procedures. Platoon leaders and company commanders can render reports at designated times throughout the day which can then generate commander and staff actions. This CPX can easily be conducted in garrison by setting up the TOC and using either existing phone lines or tactical communication systems. Developing the MEL is great training opportunity in itself. If developed collectively with all staff members, MEL development is essentially a wargaming session of all possible events a staff may face during a search and attack, as well as development of a staff action plan for each event.

6. Conduct professional development (PD) classes. Begin with the basics by teaching and discussing search and attack doctrine. Once the soldiers and leaders thoroughly understand the doctrinal implications of the search and attack, expand your PD classes. Additional recommendations include:

• Develop and reinforce existing unit standing operating procedures.

• Wargame unit and soldier actions when intelligence indicators are observed. Characteristics and pictures of the indicators and enemy targets should be posted on every company bulletin board. Soldiers should be able to recite from memory the characteristics, intelligence indicators, and enemy tactics for all potential targets.

• Wargame when reserves and QRFs should be committed. Identify what decision points trigger employment of these units.

• Discuss actions and coordination measures for the employment of attack aviation assets. This should be done down to the squad leader level. Identify the actions that must occur when a squad leader needs to direct attack aviation using a PRC 126 or how the communications are linked between the squad leader and platoon leader if contact cannot be established on the squad radio.

• Use terrain models to discuss the various movement techniques and formations that should be employed based on different METT-T conditions. Talk through the execution of a zone or area reconnaissance given those factors.

• Conduct map board discussions on likely locations of different types of enemy targets and the most effective methods to find, fix, and finish the enemy given those conditions.

• Conduct classes that present methods of how to destroy enemy equipment, ammunition, or supplies. These classes should discuss techniques to be used with, or without the use of demolitions.

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Chapter IV, Part 2
Appendix A: Example Targeting Meeting Agenda