FORMS OF MANEUVER

In typical offensive operations, the platoon maneuvers against the enemy in an area of operation (AO). Maneuver places the enemy at a disadvantage through the application of friendly fires and movement. The five forms of maneuver are envelopment, turning movement, infiltration, penetration, and frontal attack.

SEQUENCE OF OFFENSIVE OPERATION

As the platoon leader plans for an offensive mission, he generally considers the actions the unit must accomplish in the following phases of an offensive operation.

Assembly Area

To prepare the platoon for the upcoming battle, the platoon leader plans, directs, and supervises mission preparations in the assembly area (AA). This time allows the platoon to conduct pre-combat checks and inspections, rehearsals, and combat service support (CSS) activities. The platoon will typically conduct these preparations within a company AA.

Reconnaissance

Leaders should aggressively seek information about the terrain and the enemy. The enemy situation and available planning time may limit a unit’s reconnaissance. In this circumstance, the platoon will likely conduct reconnaissance to answer the company commander’s priority of intelligence requirement (PIR). An example may be to reconnoiter and time routes from the AA to the objective rally point (ORP).

Movement to the Objective Rally Point

The platoon will typically move from the AA to the ORP as part of the company movement plan. The ORP is the final position that an element occupies before moving to the target. At the ORP, leaders make final preparations, receive and disseminate intelligence updates, and tweak the plan accordingly. From the ORP, elements separate and move into pre-rehearsed attack positions. The ORP can be occupied for a period of time long enough to allow other units or assets to pre-stage at their individual ORPs. The ORP is typically an easily identified area that can be defended and is the first rally point to which unit members egress post-assault.

Maneuver

The company commander will plan the approach of all platoons to the objective to ensure synchronization, security, speed, and flexibility. He will select the routes, movement techniques, formations, and methods of movement to best support his intended actions on the objective. The platoon leader must recognize this portion of the battle as a fight, not as a movement. He must be prepared to make contact with the enemy and plan accordingly to obtain the objective.

Deployment

The platoon deploys and moves from the ORP toward the assault position with minimum delay and confusion and begins the final positioning of the squads as directed by the company commander. The last covered and concealed position (LCC) is the final position where rehearsed, simple preparations can take place, such as breachers priming explosives, medics extending stretchers, etc. Movement should be as rapid as the terrain, unit mobility, and enemy situation permit.

Assault

During an offensive operation, the platoon’s objective may be terrain-oriented or force-oriented. Terrain-oriented objectives require the platoon to seize or retain a designated area and often require fighting through enemy forces. If the objective is force-oriented, the platoon’s efforts are focused on the enemy’s actual location. Actions on the objective begin when the company or platoon begins placing direct and indirect fires on the objective.

Consolidation and Reorganization

The platoon consolidates and reorganizes as required by the situation and mission. Consolidation is the process of organizing and strengthening a newly captured position so that it can be defended. Reorganization is the actions taken to shift internal resources within a degraded unit to increase its level of combat effectiveness.

BATTLEFIELD OPERATING SYSTEMS PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS

The battlefield operating systems (BOS) are a list of seven critical tactical activities that provides a means of reviewing preparation and execution. Synchronization and coordination among the BOS are critical for success.

1.Maneuver. The purpose of maneuver is to close with and destroy the defending enemy. Maneuver requires a base-of-fire element to suppress and/or destroy enemy forces with accurate direct fires and bounding elements to gain positional advantage over the enemy.

2.Fire support. The platoon may be able to employ indirect fires from field artillery or company and/or battalion mortars to isolate part of the enemy defense or to suppress the enemy on the objective.

3.Mobility, countermobility, and survivability. The platoon will likely focus on mobility during offensive operations and may be required to breach obstacles as part of an offensive operation. These obstacles may be protective (employed to assist units in their close-in protection), which the platoon is expected to breach without additional assets. However, tactical obstacles that disrupt, turn, or fix unit formations require engineer assets to breach.

4.Air defense. The platoon leader should address how to react to enemy air attacks if no air defense assets are available or operating within his AO. Unit SOPs should stipulate internal air security measures and active air defense measures.

5.Combat service support. The primary purpose of CSS in the offense is to assist the platoon and company in maintaining momentum during the attack. Key CSS planning considerations for the platoon leader during the offense include a high expenditure of ammunition, an increase in casualties, and how to evacuate the casualties.

6.Intelligence. The generation of knowledge about the enemy is crucial. The platoon leader should be given as much information on the enemy as can be gotten in the time available.

7.Command and control. Command and control refers to the process of directing, coordinating, and controlling a unit to accomplish a mission.

ATTACKS

Platoons and squads conduct an attack as part of the infantry rifle company. An attack requires detailed planning, synchronization, and rehearsals to be successful. The company commander designates and explains platoon objectives with tasks and milestones for his assault, support, and breach elements. To ensure synchronization, all leaders must know the location of their subordinates and adjacent units during the attack. Attacks are characterized as hasty or deliberate. The primary difference between the two is the extent of planning and preparation conducted by the attacking force. Attacks may take the forms of attacks against a stationary enemy force, attacks against a moving enemy force, or terrain-oriented attacks.

Organization for an Attack

In a company attack, the commander usually structures his force into assault, support, and breach elements. Platoon attacks may be similarly structured.

The assault element closes with and captures or destroys the enemy.

The support element provides a base of fire that supports the assault element and breach element when one is used.

The breach element’s usual task is to break the enemy’s line, position, or fortification to facilitate the success of the assault element.

DELIBERATE ATTACK

Platoons and squads conduct deliberate attacks as part of a larger force. The commander may designate separate platoon objectives for his assault, support, and breach elements, resulting in decentralized execution at all levels. The five phases of the deliberate attack are reconnaissance, movement to the objective, isolate the objective, seize a foothold, and exploit.

Reconnaissance

Before a deliberate attack, the platoon and company should gain enemy and friendly information from the battalion reconnaissance platoon; however, this may not always occur. The platoon and company should be prepared to conduct a reconnaissance of the objective to confirm, modify, or deny their tentative plan. If possible, the company should determine the enemy’s size, location, disposition, most vulnerable point, and most probable course of action (COA). The tentative plan may change as a result of the reconnaissance if the platoon or squad discovers that terrain or enemy dispositions are different than determined earlier in the troop-leading procedure, requiring a modification of the attack plan.