Military

* Commander/FSO integration: Commanders and fire support officers from brigade through company understand the importance of integrating fires to support the scheme of maneuver. They also are determining when fires are critical, where fires must be placed and understanding the restrictions for fires to ensure they do not interfere with the scheme of maneuver. Those units with a habitual relationship between fire supporters and maneuver units find that such a relationships work in helping to synchronize fire and maneuver.

Needs Emphasis

2.1 Process Ground Targets

* Clearance of fires: Timely clearance of fires (counterfire and targets of opportunity) remains one of the greatest challenges to units.

1. The inability to track subordinate elements
2. Pre-clearance matrixes often lack universal implementation throughout the brigade.

Techniques:

1. Develop, implement and train TOC drills and pre-clearance matrices, which should be employed throughout the brigade.
2. Train to establish and maintain effective communications as a means of reducing clearance time.
3. Devise and practice effective means of friendly battle tracking.

2.1.1 Select Target to Attack

* Targeting: The battle staff targeting process needs improvement.

1. Intel, operations and fire support personnel do not focus on the targeting process.
2. High Value Targets (HVTs) lists were rarely disseminated to subordinate units.
3. Subordinate units who did receive HVT lists, did not use them to produce High Payoff Target (HPT) lists during the target planning process.
4. Targeting meetings did not occur on a regular basis; when they were held, S2s did not present the current enemy situation.
5. S2s conduct insufficient enemy analysis during the "decide" phase of the targeting process.

Techniques:

1. Review FM 6-20-10, The Targeting Process, Chapters 1-4,7,8 to gain a better understanding of the targeting process.
2. During battle staff training, incorporate the targeting process.
3. Conduct target meetings with all necessary personnel.

2.2 Engage Ground Targets

* Effects of observed indirect fires: Units are not using adjust fire techniques to ensure accurate delivery of indirect fires.

1. Fire support teams are not well trained in the adjustment of indirect fires onto rapidly moving mounted and dismounted enemy forces.
2. Decentralized, "fast" fire missions are rarely used, particularly during offensive missions.
3. The volume of fire used in effect is usually too low to have the desired effect.

Techniques: The training goal - once the first round is on the ground, the observer must make a bold, accurate shift and fire for effect!

1. Use of priority targets and selected use of quick fire channels can assist the observer in completing "fast/accurate" fire missions.
2. At Home Station, use every training opportunity to train shifting fires using a fast moving OPFOR, such as during force-on-force missions.

Table of Contents
Section II: TA.1 Maneuver BOS Narratives
Section II: TA.3 Air Defense BOS Narratives