MANEUVER
OBSERVATION: Units have difficulty establishing and operating lodgement areas.
DISCUSSION: Units had problems clearing lodgement areas of mines because the clearing element was not properly task organized with engineer support to identify, mark, and clear mines. Sentries did not understand their duties or have communications with the CP. Lodgement area security was not executed properly because no clearly defined responsibilities were designated.
LESSONS: That units establish SOPs for lodgement area occupation and operation. ARTEP 71-2-MTP Task # 7-1-3001 (Occupy Assembly Area) and the 7th ATC White Paper MTP for STABOPS Task: Establish Lodgement both provide applicable task, conditions, and standards for establishing and operating a lodgement. The unit SOP must designate responsibility for lodgement area security, including guard mount, communications, and dismounted patrols.
OBSERVATION: Units failed to aggressively conduct R&S.
DISCUSSION: Units did not conduct tailing patrols of factional dismounted patrols and suspicious vehicles and convoys. Tailing patrols follow the suspect element at a specified distance (based upon risk analysis and METT-T) for a specified distance (risk analysis and METT-T). The tailing patrol then reports on the activity of the suspect element and/or verifies the business conducted by the suspect element. A tailing patrol may be either mounted or dismounted.
LESSONS: That units conduct tailing patrols of factional dismounted patrols and suspicious vehicles and convoys.
OBSERVATION: Units should plan for the worst possible contingency that can happen on any given day of operations.
DISCUSSION: Units must identify and wargame contingencies, branches and sequels to critical events that may occur on any day or phase of an operation. A tendency is to anticipate a myriad of events and not be able to adequately plan, rehearse or allocate resources towards them.
LESSONS: Ask the question, "What is the worst thing that can happen to us today, tomorrow or the next day?" Focus the question to specific, critical events that are occurring, plan on how they can be overcome, allocate resources and rehearse the plan.
OBSERVATION: Units training in a stability operations environment have demonstrated a tendency to focus on the occupation of the zone of separation (ZOS).
DISCUSSION: Getting into the area of responsibility (AOR) is not the hardest part; it is just the first part of the mission. Units think it is the hardest part because this is what they have planned for and are most familiar with executing. This ZOS fixation is directly attributable to the planning and preparation done prior to deployment. Unknowns such as factional leader information, non-governmental organization (NGO)/private volunteer organization (PVO) presence in the AOR, ethnic composition and location of noncombatants, and identification of local leaders is considered only after the unit has deployed and occupation of the ZOS has begun.
LESSONS:
1. During planning, include assessments of all possible sources of information , including NGOs/PVOs, forces in the AOR, and open source material.
2. As with any military operation, once the operation begins, continue the assessment and evaluation of the tactical plan in order to ensure the best possible use of forces. Be willing the change the plan and associated subunit missions and AOR's based on the actual situation encountered.
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