The
Top 5 Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTP) for Reception, Staging, Onward
Movement & Integration (RSO&I)
Brigade RSO&I Techniques:
1. Establish your Command Posts with FM communications as early as possible. Then do a communications exercise (COMEX) to verify it all actually works.
2. When you design your tracking charts for the building of combat power, design them in such a way that you can use the same ones during the actual campaign.
3. Determine your commander's critical information requirements (CCIRs), then position personnel where they can observe your progress. Example: Lets say "tank screening" is one of your CCIR. Your tracking charts will tell you if you're falling behind in tank screening; however, you'll need an observation post (OP) at the range to tell you why.
4. Clearly articulate when task organization is in effect. Make units report combat power by task organization and not by habitual relationships.
5. Establish a glide path that starts at deployment and ends on RSO&I Day 05. The glide path should show where you want to be with respect to combat power at the end of each day during RSO&I week. Then make sure you are meeting your targets each day. If you don't reach a target, find out why. This way you can anticipate problems ahead of time.
Armor RSO&I Techniques:
1. RSO&I Draw. Units must concentrate on two areas: good maintenance and good MILES.
a. The unit must deploy with a well-defined and rehearsed plan to conduct a thorough maintenance check on the vehicles they will draw upon arrival at the draw yard. They should not accept anything that is not to -10-20 standards. Operators must continue to do PMCS by the book, including checks by first- and second-line supervisors.
b. Do not leave the yard until MILES has been installed, checked for operability, and verified by the training teams that system is tracking in the TAF.
2. Pre-Combat Checks/Pre-Combat Inspections (PCCs/PCIs). Units must start now, while still at Home Station, to enforce to standard PCCs/PCIs at crew and soldier levels. This will allow the unit to deploy to NTC and execute their campaign with a solid foundation to ensure they can execute the basic requirements to go to combat.
3. MILES Gunnery. Units must ensure they have a solid MILES gunnery plan and training program to ensure they can Boresight to standard, zero the weapon to standard, and achieve kill codes out to the maximum effective range of the weapon system. Units should incorporate the light bar early on in their program to ensure a tight Boresight of the weapon system.
4. Understanding the Live-Fire Rules of Engagement (ROE). Units must train the Live-Fire ROE at Home Station to arrive at NTC with a solid foundation to achieve success in the Live-Fire portion of their campaign. This includes surface danger zones (SDZs), weapons control status, and personnel accountability.
5. Understanding of Task Force-Level Defense and Breach Operations. Units must deploy to the NTC with well-rehearsed plans for defense and breach operations. Hopefully, they will have an opportunity to execute these two missions at task force level.
Mech Infantry RSO&I Techniques:
1. Develop a complete plan prior to deployment.
2. Have a plan to track progress continually--in terms of capabilities, not sheer numbers. Also, keep in mind that combat units are not capable of successfully executing combat operations without required CS and CSS assets.
3. Prioritize (front-load) C2and communications assets.
4. Brigade representatives must man critical nodes in key facilities (Vehicle draw yard, MILES Warehouse, ASP, etc.) to ensure smooth operations.
5. Maintain focus on end-state--combat readiness. As units are formed and completed, they must be immediately ready to finalize their preparation by conducting boresighting/zeroing, small unit training/rehearsals, etc.
Light Infantry RSO&I Techniques:
1. RSO&I. Focus on generating combat power to include equipment draw, maintenance (PCCs/PCIs), MILES zero/boresighting/gunnery, and tracking.
2. Air Assault. Conduct air assault certification to include sling-load certification, static load training, and PZ/LZ reconnaissance.
3. Trench Certification. Conduct Live-Fire ROE certification IAW ARTEP 7-8 Drill (drills 5/5A, 7/7A, and 8) Bravo Pass Leader's Reconnaissance, and Bravo Pass unit rehearsal.
4. NBC Training. Establish SOP at Home Station. Train and practice NBC drills, including use and maintenance of chemical detection equipment, establishment and dissemination of warning levels and associated MOPP levels, decontamination training, and casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) drills.
5. Combined Arms Breach Rehearsals. Units must deploy to the NTC with well-rehearsed plans for breach operations.
Artillery RSO&I Techniques:
1. Define Combat Ready down to section level. Define combat capability in terms of shoot, move, communicate, force protection, training, and crew status, and apply this down to section level. Simple, clearly defined tracking charts assist in tracking and building combat power. Conduct quality PMCS of vehicles prior to draw.
2. The Building of Combat Power. Integrate the plan with brigade. In the development of force packages, include radar, survey, metro, ammunition, and whoever is going to be the RSO&I headquarters. Establish a not-later-than (NLT) time that the force packages should be combat ready. The headquarters needs to be operational and start tracking the building of combat power on the first day.
3. Training Plan. Allocate resources and time. Conduct individual training during the early part of draw, moving toward collective training as units are built. Identify critical areas to train and prepare support personnel to execute. Observer gunnery training is one event that occurs on RSO&I-4. Recommend the battalion conduct registrations and additional fire missions as part of calibration.
4. Communications Exercise (COMMEX). Conduct long distance radio checks and establish digital nets prior to deploying to the field. Digital nets are essential to the counter-fire battle drill, fire mission processing, and the reconnaissance battle. Exercise all systems, e.g., EPLARS, AFATDS, IFSAS, AM, FM, and MSE. Include fire supporters as part of any COMMEX.
5. Development of Unit Basic Loads (UBLs). Units should have a clear understanding of their Class III, IIIP, IV, and V UBLs. Include UBLs as part of the unit SOP. Units should know what they will draw when they conduct RSO&I so their load plans will include all pertinent classes of supply. Appoint an OIC/NCOIC ("Czar") of each class of supply. Deploy a robust advance party that can open all accounts and begin draw. This will permit follow-on units to start loading their classes of supply as soon as they draw their vehicles. Drawing classes of supply is often the biggest stumbling block units face when building combat power.
Aviation RSO&I Techniques:
1. Environmental Training Program. Units must have a well-developed training plan that exercises all modes in which the crews will fly during the campaign (i.e., day, tactical, NVG, etc.).
2. Establish Maintenance Class IX(A) Accounts. During previous NG rotations, units relied totally on their Home-Station maintenance to provide parts, which proved very ineffective. Units need to consider using the DLA accounts from MCLB.
3. Forward Arming and Refueling Point (FARP) Operations. Units must set up and fully pressurize their FARPs. This needs to be done before moving to the field to find leaks and to ensure the system is operational prior to the first mission.
4. COMMEX. Conduct long range communications checks, considering the distances that the unit will be required to communicate during COLT/Scout insertions or other deep missions. This requires retransmission to support and verifies communication at extended distances from nap-of-the-earth (NOE) altitudes.
5. Rehearsals. RSO&I is an excellent time to rehearse CSAR, DART, QRFs, perimeter security, NBC operations, company-level battle drills, actions on contact, and calls for fire. Units should always take advantage of the time available.
Engineer RSO&I Techniques:
1. Set up command posts as soon as possible. Send them early, by line haul, if possible. Establish communications as soon as possible, to include some type of hand-held system, normal FM radio, and TACFAX.
2. Pre-plan and practice a detailed tracking system that enables the unit and commander to "see himself" as all of the various pieces of RSO&I are executed. The tracking system should commence immediately upon arrival.
3. Have a flexible, trackable training plan for execution during RSO&I. Training should include NTC-required events (roll-over drills, etc.), as well as requirements specific to the unit.
4. Immediately identify exactly what Class V is actually drawn and put into the field ASP, and analyze the delta between what was drawn versus what was originally required. This will help preclude emergency situations later in the rotation (such as discovering we don't have blasting caps).
5. Upon drawing Class IV in RSO&I, configure the materiel into unit-specific "combat-configured loads" in accordance with unit TACSOP. This will save large amounts of time later, when manpower is not so readily available.
Logistics RSO&I Techniques (Top Ten):
1. RSO&I Training. Units should identify theater requirements and unit specific tasks to train during RSO&I. Completion of theater requirements (such as rollover drills and ROE training) is mandatory prior to deployment or during RSO&I. Other tasks should focus on those critical CSS technical or survivability tasks that require sustainment training prior to movement to the TAA.
2. Identification of CSS assets that support the incremental buildup of the BCT's Combat Power. Before deployment, CSS assets that support the BCT's RRF, DRF1 and DRF2 forces must be identified and provisions made so that the equipment receives priority from the draw or Home-Station shipment. Personnel flow must also be prioritized to man this equipment.
3. Risk Management. The Army standard for Risk Management is the Force XXI Model. The proponent for this program is the U.S. Army Safety Center (MEDCOM PAM 385-5). The Force XXI Risk management process is a five-step process of identifying and controlling hazards to protect the force. It is applicable to any mission and environment. All units, down to the squad level, should conduct this training.
4. Combat Health Support Planning and Synchronization. The combat health support (CHS) planning team must actively participate in the brigade planning process. Key CHS planners are: FSB Support Operations Officer, Brigade S1, Brigade Surgeon, Medical Company Commander and MEDEVAC Team Leader (Brigade S3 Air if no MEDEVAC Team deploys). The planning team plus the TF Medical Platoon Leaders attend and participate in a brigade rehearsal. The end result is a CHS execution matrix which allocates assets (number of evacuation platforms) based on casualty estimates and positions these assets (ambulance exchange points or shuttle points) based on areas of expected casualty density and time/distance to these areas. These CHS assets are moved by operational events or "triggers;" for example, the TF crossing of phase lines. Reporting to supporting and supported units is critical. CHS leaders must know the current battlefield situation. Branches and sequels to the plan must be incorporated into the plan and rehearsed. Soldier's lives depend on a responsive treatment and evacuation system. For success, the brigade CHS system must be homogeneous from point of injury to Level II.
5. PCIs of Medical Equipment Sets (MES) and Combat Lifesaver Bags (CLBs). Complete a thorough inventory of MES (Ground and Trauma) and CLBs prior to deployment. Shortages should be ordered with enough lead time to affect the fill of these items before deployment. Additionally, units should ensure that they use the inventory list included in the most recent edition of the Combat Lifesaver Course to inventory the Combat Lifesaver Bags.
6. Conduct an Extensive "LOG RECON" of the Theater. Conduct an early mission analysis to determine the bulk needs of the BCT. Conduct face-to-face meetings with the Theater-level support agencies with whom the unit will interface. Ensure that the Theater support agencies CAN support your needs (to include weekends and holidays). Go "LOG Heavy" on the Torch and Advanced parties to set up the BCT's accounts, draw the critical systems to accomplish the early mission support requirements, and to set the conditions for success during the remainder of the RSO&I week.
7. Develop an internal plan. This is a plan for completing the building of the remainder of the functional companies. The plan should include at least the following two items:
a. Tracking of each asset within your control.
b. Build in the terms of the unit's capabilities.
8. Synchronize all logistical capabilities within the BCT. Include the following:
- Conduct mission analysis.
- Determine CSS "SPECIFIED" and "IMPLIED" tasks.
- Determine the priority of each task.
- Determine the CSS capabilities required to accomplish each task.
- Give each task to a tactical unit as a mission (Company or Platoon with a designated POC).
- Develop a method to track the building of these capabilities.
- Do not overtask (DO NOT BE OPTIMISTIC).
- Develop a method to track mission accomplishment (CONFIRM OR DENY REPORT PROCEDURE).
- Track mission accomplishment along with the progress of the supported tactical mission to anticipate shortcomings.
9. Supply. RSO&I-I Priority should go to 6,000-pound forklifts for lift support for the brigade. Also plan for lowboy or HET support for transporting MHE to the box during RSO&I week, immediately followed by the certification of water tankers by preventive medicine, and completion of the fuel filter effectiveness test. Focus on topping off both fuel and water tankers by RSO&I-II. Understand the water tankers will come from the MSB; however, immediate attachment is crucial for unit integration. Let the MSB provide retail fuel support in the Dust Bowl, and ensure everyone tops off their 400-gallon water trailers prior to leaving the Dust Bowl. If the task force HMMT fuelers are not able to receive fuel from the fuelpoint, have the MSB top the fuelers off. The objective is for the beginning balance of all FSB fuel and water tankers to be at maximum capability by RSO&I-5.
10. Logistical Battle Tracking. The Logistics community must track each facet of maintenance, supply, medical and transportation in a clear and concise manner that presents a picture of what their capability is at any one time. For example:
There are enabling tasks embedded in this simple example: a) qualified drivers certified in night operations, b) fuel tankers with a satisfactory fuel filter effectiveness test, c) a vehicle that is FMC, and d) completed pre-combat inspections with soldiers fully equipped. In short, the tracking system must be detailed enough to certify that a capability exists. The capability outlines what the logistics community can "add to the fight."
Preparing
for a Deliberate Defense
Unit
Training: Planning for Lane Training Exercises or Situational Training Exercises
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