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Tactics101:008.Areviewofcombatmultipliersandotherconcepts|ArmchairGeneral|ArmchairGeneralMagazineWePutYOUinCommand!

Tactics101:008.Areviewofcombatmultipliersand
otherconcepts
ByRickBaillergeonandJohnSutherland

NineTenthsofTacticsarecertainandtaughtinbooks,buttheirrationaltenthislikethe
kingfisherflashingacrossthepoolandthatisthetestofgenerals.Itcanonlybeensuredby
instinct,sharpenedbythought,practicingthestrokesooftenthatatthecrisisitisnatural
asreflex.T.E.LAWRENCE
Wearemorethansixmonthsintotheseriesandwethoughtagoodreviewwasinorder.Sointhis
article,wewillkeyonsomepriorconceptswecoveredthatareespeciallyimportant.Wealsowant
to take our discussion on combat multipliers to the step. What follows is a simple scenario that
focuses on mission analysis and utilizing combat multipliers (click on each thumbnail for a larger
image).

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Question:Howdoyoueatanelephant?Answer:Onebiteatatime.
Thisanecdoteisntaboutwhatyoueat.Itisabouthowyoueatit.Ifonetriestoeatanelephantall
in one or two bites, hell choke. This is true with most complex problems and battle planning is
complex. Solutions are not intuitively obvious. You have to roll up your sleeves, no matter how
brilliantyouare,anddosopreliminaryworkifyouaregoingtoemployallyourforcestotheirbest
advantage. This is especially true with your combat multipliers since these assets are non
standard. They provide niche capabilities. They are unforgiving. They can cause your downfall
rapidlywhenappliedimproperly.Inotherwordsmisuseyoursupportunitsandwatchyourselfgo
fromgreentoredlikeafroginablender!
Toillustratetheapplicationofcombatmultiplierswearegoingtogowithasimple,static,company
level,areadefense.Yourunitisamodernmechanizedinfantrycompanyteam(10BFVs,4M1s,6
INSquadsandyourcombatmultipliers).
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The enemy is coming at your unit from the north with the goal of seizing the east west hardball
road at the back of your sector. The kneejerk tactician will immediately begin placing maneuver
unitsonthefieldandthatwouldbetheabsolutelywrongwaytogo!

**Thisisnotintendedtobeafullrenditionofthemilitarydecisionmakingprocess(MDMP).Thisis
a cut out. It focuses on combat multipliers. Many other steps are left out for the purpose of this
illustration.

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Oneofthefirstthingsyoudowhenyoureceiveyourareaofoperations(AO)isgetagriponthe
battlefield physics. This is done on the map usually before you do a ground recon. Knowing the
physicsisthefirststeptounderstandingtheenvironmentandhowitcanbeusedbyanyattacker
ordefender.Rememberthatthegrounddoesnttakesides.Itfavorshewhobestunderstandsand
exploitsitscharacteristics.
ThefirstobvioustaskistocapturethedimensionsofyourAO.Howbigisitfronttorearandright
to left? Compare these distances to your weapons capabilities and you will come to the quick
conclusion that you wont be able to put lead in every corner of your box. You have to organize.
You also have to consider how physical space accommodates enemy formations and weapons
systems.

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You will have to use this space to emplace all your stuff your
combat trains, your medics, your maneuver, and your
maintenanceamongothers.Youneedasecurespottotherear
foralotofthisstuff.
Youneedtoknowwhoisonyourrightandleftandwhattheyare
up to. How can enemy forces in his area influence your area?
Rememberthatenemyunitgraphicsdontnecessarilyalignwith
ours!

NowthatweknowthedimensionsofourAO,wecanbegintopredicthowouropponentcanuseit.
Howcantheenemyapproachusandwhatisheafter?
Well look for all the ways the enemy can get into your AO and determine where he would be
headed. The avenues of approach are judged by their size in that an avenue for troops on the
groundisntthesameasonefortanksandIFVs.Thelatterarenottiedtoroads,buttheywillpay
acostforusingsecondaryroutesandtrails.Wehavetoseetheenemyentryintoyourarea,how
hewillmovethroughit,andhowhewillgobeyondtowardshisobjective.Wealsomustremember
toassesshowtheflanksplayintotheequationaswell.Avenuesofapproach(AOA)youconsider
are:
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DismountedInfantrybothforconventionalattackandinfiltration
ArmorandIFVonroadandoffroad
Reconbothmountedanddismounted
RotaryWingforcombatsupportandinfantry/deepreconteam(DRT)insertion
FixedwingnottiedtoconventionalAOAsbutusuallyfollowlandmarksfornavigation
Nowthatwehaveanideaabouthowtheenemycangetin,wecanbegintoarrayourassetsin
ordertocanalizethemtowherewewantthemtogo.
Remember, this isnt a full MDMP so we havent taken task and purpose into account. For this
illustrationsufficeittosaythatwewanttodenytheenemyaccesstotheroadnetworktotherear
ofourarea.

We dont want to keep the enemy out of our AO. Pushing the enemy into someone elses battle
spaceisnotthewaytowin.WewanttheenemytocomeintoourAOsowecanlockhornswith
him.Weneedtodeterminewherewewanttheenemytodie.

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A good rule of thumb is to look at areas where AOAs converge. Assess the AOAs that best
accommodate the bulk of the enemys combat power while providing a reasonable path to their
perceivedobjective.TheAOAshouldallowthemtoapproximatetheirpreferredformationsandrate
ofmarchalthoughrestrictivealternativesmustneverbeignored.Wearesimplylookingatwhere
wedgoifwewerehim.WealsoconsiderchokepointsandcrosscompartmentsbetweenAOAs.
Inthiscase,theenemyismechanized.TheAOAintheNortheastfavorsthebulkofthesetypesof
forces.ThelinesofdriftarefromtheNorthwesttotheSoutheastwithsignificantwaterobstaclesin
thewest,atrueimpedimenttoarmor.Thereisalsoarivertocrossandnoobviousfordsites.The
generally poor AOAs in the west are not without value when we consider enemy recon and
dismountedinfantryinfiltration.

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TherearelateralAOAs,butitwouldseemthattheywouldfeeda
general movement to the east. There are two flank AOAs to
consideraswell.Itwouldseemthattherearethreeareaswhere
enemy forces converge or are forced to mass. We should
considerbuildinganengagementareaaroundthese.
We now know the physical layout of the area. We see enemy
optionsforentryandpenetration.Wealsoknowwherewewould
liketogethimtogoandwhereitseemswecanmasseffectson
him.Allthisiswellandgood,butwemustmakesurewearein
position to confirm or deny what we think might happen. We
havetoseehimcoming.

Wemustconsiderourfirstcombatmultiplierintelligence,surveillance,andreconnaissance(ISR).
At company level, ISR boils down to battalion scouts, our patrols and our listening posts /
observationposts(LP/OP),andperhapsagroundsurveillanceradar(GSR).Thequestionishow
canwetellwhattheenemyisdoing?
Wehavetoconsiderwherewehavetobeinordertoseetheenemysapproachandascertainhis
intent.Seeingtheenemy30kmoutisinteresting,butuseless.Itwouldbemuchbettertoseehim
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10km out or see him go through a key pass or intersection. What were looking for is his
telegraphingofintent.
Wealsohavetoconsiderhisrecon.Wemustdecidewhatwewanthimtoseeandwhatwewantto
denyhimfromseeing.Ifweblockallhisreconwewonthavedonemuchtohelpourcause.We
wanttotellhisreconastorythatlureshimdownthepathwhereweintendtonailhim.Oftenthisis
hisbestroutetobeginwith,theonehewouldliketochoose.Ifwecanshowapparentweakness
there,wecandrawhimin.WecanalsoshowstrengthontherestrictedAOAswhereheisalready
reluctanttogothusfurtherinducinghimtocomeourway.
Our recon / counter recon compliments one another. Recon provides early warning and counter
reconleadshimdownourchosenpath.Weleveragetheseeffortsby:
Conducting false preparation and showing tanks where we dont want him to go, moving them
latertowhereweexpect/wanthimtogo
Bystayingoutofholesuntilafterhesonthemove.Recontendstolookatvehicleswhichcan
move while ignoring holes which cannot. The latter are a far more accurate indicator of the
defenders intent. In the diagram above we have woven scouts and OPS into a tentative recon /
counterreconplan.

Buildingoneverythingwevedoneuptothispoint,letsarrayourdirectfiremaneuversystems.By
theway,wereviseandrevisitourplansthroughouttheentireprocess.Forexample,wemayre
shuffletherecon/counterrecondeckoncewecompletethisstep.However,rememberitiskeyto
gettheISRinplacequickly.Failingtodosoistobeginprepwithouteyesandearlywarning.

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WelluseourAOA/KillZoneanalysistodeterminewherewewanttomassfiresinordertoget
steelontarget.Thegoalistodesignanengagementareawheretheenemywillbetrappedand
killed.Asaruleofthumbwewant2/3rdsofourdirectfiretobeabletohitanywhereinthebox.We
cover gaps and seams with artillery and build obstacles that invite the enemy to go the way we
wantthemtogo.
Themethodforthisisthecircularweaponspositioningtechnique.Circletheareawherewewant
theenemytodiethenmapoutcirclesemanatingfromit.Thesecirclesrepresenttherangesofour
majorweaponssystems1kmforsmallarms,2kmfortankmaingun,HMGsandshoulderfiredAT,
and3kmforTOWs.Weusethesetriggerlinestoestimatewheresystemscanbeplacedrelative
towherewewantthemtofire.Ifthereisnosuitablegroundforthesystemsthenwehavetomove
theengagementarea.Itisnotuncommonforcommanderswhodontusethistechniquetodigin
theirpositionsonlytorealizethattheycannotrangethekillzonefromwheretheyare.

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Allthisisdoneonthemap,butisverifiedontheground.Agood
commander will rehearse the EA before he constructs it. This
ensureshecanseeandhitwherehethinkshecan.
Lastly, well determine a tentative course of action for the
employment of the reserve to reinforce success, to delay
culmination,ortopreventfailure.Thisisthebasicmaneuverand
directfireconstruct.Wecanlayerourcombatmultipliersontop
ofthis.

In a world where US ground forces havent had to fear enemy airpower since 1945, air defense
seemsirrelevant.Itsnot.Themomentyouneglectanenemycapabilityisthemomentitwillriseup
andbiteyouintherear.
We begin by going back to our air AOAs. We consider the fixed wing approach which tends to
follow obvious landmarks to aid in high speed navigation. Fast movers often use IFR (I Follow
Roads) and use buildings, bridges, and major hydrology as a guide. Fixed wing assets typically
supportthemainattack.Theyalsomaybededicatedtofindingandkillingcommandposts,artillery
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positions, maintenance facilities, supply routes, and reserves. These are normally allocated
dedicatedairdefense.
RotarywingassetstendtoflylowertoescapeHIMADsystemsandfavorcontoursandterrainthat
canmasktheirmovement.Theymaycomeinaspartofclosesupporttothemainattackorthey
may come early to insert DRTs of small infantry units that will disrupt the rear areas. Thus, we
mustalsolookforlandingzones(LZ)anddropzones(DZ)inconjunctionwiththeseassetsifthey
arepartoftheenemyorderofbattle.
Oncewefigurewheretheaircancomefrom,wedrawourcirclesofdeathwhichrepresentthe
rangeofourADAsystemsandwepositiontheassetwithinthecircletoprovidecoverage.Ideally,
wewilllayerandoverlaptheringsandweightthemwithhighandlowaltitudecoverage.Wecover
ourcriticalassetsandcountertheenemyairAOAs.

In the defense, the employment of our engineer capabilities is critical. This is one of our biggest
shapers.Wehavetohaveaconcept.Inthiscaseitistogettheenemytocongregateattheeast
endofourengagementarea.Wewanthimtogetintothatarea,wewanttoholdhimthere,andwe
wantmassedfirestoengagehimthere.

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Welookatthreekeyareaswhenplanningforengineers:
Countermobility: those actions we will take to influence enemy movement by turning, blocking,
fixing,ordisruptinghisadvance
Survivability: those actions we will take to protect our force like digging fighting positions and
trenches
Mobility:thoseactionswetaketoensureourownfreedomofmovementsuchasleavinggapsin
obstaclesfortherearwardpassageofforwardunitsortheforwardpassageofourreserve
For these tasks we have: wire, mines (AT and AP), tank ditches, dummy obstacles, prepared
demolitions,abbatis,andmore.
Theengineershavealottodosowemustprioritizetheireffortsandmanagetheirtime.Weuse
obstacle intent graphics in order to show how we want to influence the enemys advance. The
engineertranslatesthesegraphicsintoactualobstacles.Blockingobstaclesaremoreintense,time
consuming,anddifficulttoprepare.ItsprobablybesttoemploythemsparinglyandonsmallAOAs
thattheenemywouldjustassoonnotuseanyway.

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Youcanseehowthetransformationofconceptintoanobstacleplanworks.Thesymbolsactually
layoutthegeneralpatternfortheobstaclenetwork.Oursymbologyisimportant.
When we want the enemy to go a given direction, its good not to block it. This is a common
mistake to fill the EA with obstacles that leads the enemy to bypass it. Its best to create an
obstaclethatoffersawayaround.Thisishowyouinducetheenemytofollowitandendupinyour
engagementarea.
The obstacles should also be built in depth and should reinforce existing obstacles. Another
commonerroristocommitonlytotheprimaryengagementarea.Whatiftheenemypenetratesthe
forwardEA?WeneedobstaclesandEAsindepth.
Inthisexample,weshutdownthewesternAOA,aroutetheenemywouldprobablybereluctantto
take in the first place. Anything that comes in the west is nudged to the east where the AOAs
convergeandwherewewouldliketodothebulkofourkilling.Theguysintheeastarepushedoff
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theroadandwetrytobunchhimupnorthoftheriverandoffofthebridge.Wehaveprepared,but
notexecuteddemoonthebridges.Wecaneitherdropthebridgesearlyorallowaportionofthe
enemy to cross, and then blow it in order to divide his forces. This is a risky option in that the
enemywouldbefoolishnottohaveengineersreconthistargetforwires/demo.

Theobstacleplanisnotofmuchuseifitisntcoveredbydirectandindirectfires.Theideaisto
placetheenemyonthehornsofadilemmawhichmeanshecannoteffectivelycounteroneeffect
withoutexposinghimselftoanother.Iftheenemybypassesanobstacle,hegetsshotintheflank
bydirectfire.Ifhestopstobreach,hegetspoundedbyartillery.HisC2disintegratesandwepick
himapart.

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Wealreadyhavethedirectfirescovered.Wenowhavetowiretheindirectintermsofourmortars
andfieldartillery(FA).Wedecidewherewewanttosuppress,disrupt,ordestroytheenemy.The
lattergoalisthehardesttoaccomplishandrequireshugeamountsofammunition.Wesuppress
anddisruptsecondaryroutesandfocusdestructionintheselectedkillzone.
We mass our indirect fires in order to compliment the direct fires and the obstacles. We select
targets(asinglepointofaim),targetgroups(2ormoretargets),andfinalprotectivefires(FPFa
protective sheath near our defensive position that prevents us from being overrun). We also
considersmokeandthefamilyofscatterablemines(FASCAM).
RememberthatmortarsmoketendstobebetterthanFAsmokeandtheweathergreatlyimpacts
ontheperformanceofsmoke.Wealsohavetorememberthatittakealongtimetoemplaceapre
plannedFASCAMandevenlongertoemplaceanadhocone.Ifwedecidetofinesseitandfireitin
theenemyspathwearelikelytomissifwemisjudgehisrateifadvance.Wealsohavetoplanfor
thelossofourFAafterwardsincetheywillbeforcedtodoasurvivabilityjumpinordertoevade
counterfire.WepreferpreplacementofFASCAMandIliketouseittoseedotherobstaclessuch
asditchesthusmakingthemmoredifficulttobreach.

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Wenowcometothelesssexypartofcombatmultipliers,logisticsakatheballandchainofmodern
warfare.Itsbeensaidthattacticsisforamateursandlogisticsisformasters.Atthelevelofthis
problemthismaybeoverblown,butattheoperationallevelthisisatruism.Inshort,screwthisup
andyouputyourentiremissioninjeopardy.
Wemustfigureouthowsuppliesaregoingtoflowinandoutofyourforwardposition.Todothiswe
select a main supply route (MSR). Not depicted above are two other log routes the alternate
supplyroute(ASR)andthedirtysupplyrouteforusebychemicallycontaminatedequipmentand
personnel(DSR).
Wealsodeterminehowwewilldistributeourcriticalclassesofsupply:water,class1(food),class
3 (fuel), and class 5 (ammunition). We plan caches and resupply points where these critical
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suppliescanbepickedup.
We also must plan for how we will treat and move casualties. At the training centers, the most
common cause of death (hypothetical of course) is died of wounds brought about by bleeding to
death. This is because commanders in training neglect casualty collection and evacuation. We
mustestablishcasualtycollectionpoints(CCP)whereourmedicswillbepositionedandwemust
selectevacuationroutes.Theentireunitmustknowwheretheyareandmustrehearsethemday
andnightorsoldierswilldie.
Wealsomustdeterminewhatammunitionandbarriermaterialwewanttostashinthedefenseto
facilitatequickresupply.ThesestashesarecalledCaches.
Lastlywehavetoplanforareaswherewecancollectdamagedvehiclesforrepairforwardorevac
back to the battalion trains. Each vehicle is combat power so you cant neglect this. These are
calledmaintenancecollectionpointsorMCPs.Weaugmentthelogplanwithlotsofcheckpoints
thatcanbeusedtoaidnavigation.

Each of these plans requires a separate map overlay, but all must be consolidated into the final,
comprehensive plan. It might look something like the plan above although this plan is nowhere
nearcomplete.Itisaprettygoodexemplarandwouldprobablybesufficientforadefensegivenon
shortnotice.
Combatmultipliersrarelywinabattleorengagement,buttheycertainlycanloseone.Eachsystem
must be employed in a mutually reinforcing and complimentary manner in order to enhance the
schemeofmaneuver.Thecommandercannotaffordtogiveshortshrifttoanyofthesesystems.
Wehopethishasbeenagoodreviewandtakenyoutothenextstepinutilizingcombatmultipliers.
Inournextarticle,wewillfocusontheplanning,preparation,andexecutionofthereserve.Ifyou
haveanycommentsorquestions,pleasevisitwithusontheforum.
Rememberthatfailingtoplanisplanningtofail.
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