TDG Tuesday: Security Patrol

I started this series, TDG (Tactical Decision Game) Tuesdays, to get you more in the mindset of how you could potentially handle a given tactical scenario with a limited amount of resources and manpower. My goal is to get you to read these scenarios and think about what resources you have available, what sort of scenarios you might encounter, and what gaps you need to fill in your equipment/training.
I will use the basic 5-paragraph operations order format, or SMEAC, to present the scenario as follows;
Situation: Disposition of all friendly, hostile, and adjacent forces.
Mission: What we are trying to do.
Execution: How we are going to do it.
Admin & Logistics: Who/what is getting where and how.
Command & Signal: Who is in charge and how they are communicating.

TDG 3: Security Patrol

(each grid square is 1 square kilometer)

Situation: Guerrilla warfare scenario. Lightly armed but determined guerrilla forces are engaging occupying PLA (Chinese) forces in the area under the pretense of “stabilization” in the wake of a societal collapse.

  • OPFOR Situation: A PLA mechanized infantry company is known to be operating in the East part of your AO. They arrived 2 days ago and have set up a command post at the location marked on the map, and local informants have observed them sending out squad-sized foot patrols, 2 of which returned 4-5 men short. This likely means that they are setting up observation posts to watch for guerrilla activity.
    • EMLCOA (Enemy Most Likely Course of Action): The PLA is most likely here to locate and destroy our camp in order to disrupt our ability to refit fighters and deny guerrilla forces a safe haven for rest between operations. They will likely do this by scouting the area with foot patrols and ISR drones to observe our movements and track us back to the camp.
  • BLUFOR Situation: You command a squad-sized element of 13 fighters (yourself included) currently encamped at the location marked on the map. The camp is used as a small rest/refit station for other guerrilla forces moving through the area due to the remoteness of its location. Your camp is sufficiently concealed, but you don’t want enemy observation posts potentially tracking your movements in the area.
  • Independents Situation: The region is sparsely populated, but the few people who do live here support the guerrillas. There are no effective US military or LE units nearby.

Mission: Lead a security patrol into the hills around your camp to locate, close with, and destroy enemy observation posts in order to deny the enemy effective reconnaissance intel about your camp.
Execution: (Up to you. You decide your route, when you leave, how many men you take with you, and what to carry)
Admin & Logistics: You have the following resources available:

  • 13 AR-15 carbines and about 2,000 rounds of 5.56
  • 2 captured QBB-95 automatic rifles with 300 rounds apiece
  • 4 .308 bolt action rifles, with 200 rounds
  • 6 Baofeng UV-5R radios
  • 3 NVGs

Command and Signal: You are the squad leader in charge of three 4-man fire teams, each with a team leader whom you can delegate and assign tasks to. Your comm plan is up to you, remember to use a PACE plan.
Feel free to post your answers in the comments and discuss.

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By Published On: March 23, 2021Categories: Mike, Tactical, Training37 Comments on TDG Tuesday: Security Patrol

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37 Comments

  1. Anonymous March 23, 2021 at 07:51

    5

  2. Salmerin March 23, 2021 at 10:51

    I am quite familiar with reading a topo map, but you have introduced various symbols of military nature that I and others here may not recognize.
    You should include a “legend” explaining what the different symbols on the map mean.

    • Phelps March 23, 2021 at 13:30

      You are not tall enough for this ride.

      • Salmerin March 24, 2021 at 10:18

        Short soldiers live longer.

        • Phelps March 24, 2021 at 10:38

          QED

  3. timbersour March 23, 2021 at 14:06

    My expectation is that any PLA OP will be well hidden and well defended with supporting fires and possibly remote-activated mines. They will also likely be able to spot any nearby patrol well before we can spot them. If H. J. Poole’s “The Tiger’s Way” is to be believed, they may even attempt an ambush on the patrol, which will likely inflict casualties we cannot afford. Therefore, the goal of the operation will be to track a PLA foot patrol as it resupplies the OP to determine its location before we assault it.
    Team leader will camp out on either Mt Mercer or Marvel peak and observe the Chinese base for patrols, UAV/Helo takeoffs, and the presence of any supporting fires. Fireteams will break into buddy teams and will deploy covertly on the eastern military crest of the ridgeline. (assumption being that the Chinese OPs will be on the western one). Upon the departure of a patrol (preferably while no airborne assets are supporting), the nearest team will attempt to gain and maintain visual contact of the patrol, coordinating with other teams to position themselves to pick up tracking of the patrol. Once an OP is observed, teams will reassemble and assault it.
    Good Idea Fairy: The PLA may be on US soil, but they can’t cancel hunting/fishing season! TL will go fishing at Marvel lake to get a better look at the CP. Deploy 2 buddy teams armed with bolt actions and blaze orange vests to go hunting for 2-legged deer. Bonus points if they set up trailcams as they go. Have them take the lead in mobile observation and use hunting themed prowords for the comm plan.
    P: VHF w/ prowords A: UHF w/ prowords C: Whistle E: 3 gunshots

    • Mudge March 23, 2021 at 15:43

      Great response! Thought about this for a few hours this AM and came nowhere close to this. Considering where the PLA Command Post is, I’m assuming they’re flying our version of the Shadow, or something similar that can be launched in a small space; unless they’ve got access to the nearest big airfield (Calgary in this instance). That means range and flight times are limited.
      Your ideas around breaking up and trying to fix resupply is brilliant to me. Thanks for sharing!

      • Phelps March 23, 2021 at 17:20

        Same here. I kept going through scenarios in my head for locating the OPs (rather than ambushing the patrol, which seemed to me to be a better plan if the OP hasn’t already make us) and I just kept getting men killed for no good reason.
        I think it’s also safe to assume that the OPs are going to be on the south/east side of the ridgeline. These guys are either using radios or field phones, and either one is unlikely to support being placed on the far side of the ridge. Radios will need LOS. Maybe they will run a coax to the ridgeline to put an antenna up there, but that seems unlikely and also much easier to spot. Same with field phones — they don’t want to hump that wire over the ridge, and even then, one snip and these guys are completely cut off from comms (because no radio backup.) Even without enemy (us) action, wires over a ridgeline like that are going be sawed by wind and rocks, and no one wants to have to climb all the way up there to find and fix the break. We tend to assume that they are on the near side, because we know where WE are, and that is where they would be most dangerous. They don’t know where we are yet, and the south/east side of the ridge is much easier, logistically, for them to deal with. They’re trying to spot us moving, and they will assume we move through the valleys.
        That ridge is going to be a huge psychological barrier for opfor whether they are aware of it or not. It blocks LOS to the base for radios, it blocks LOS for flares, it can’t be supported by those rocket launchers they love from the base, and it’s just damned hard to climb. Once they are over the ridge, they are going to feel like they are 3 times are far from base as they were 50m earlier on their near side. For us, that ridge is so close to our camp that it feels like our defensive wall, and it’s much less of an operational barrier. It’s much less steep on our side, and we know were the saddles like the ones at 417762 and 407755 are to easily cross it.
        I think Marvel and Mercer are an unnecessary risk. (Mercer, in fact, is my #1 pick for where they have THEIR OP.) They don’t give you a better view of the enemy camp than other peaks, and there’s no good exfil route from them. If you are discovered, you’re fucked. The enemy camp is in the valley — human nature says these patrols are going to stick to the valley (rather than climbing hills) for as long as possible on the way out of the base. They are going to either follow the valleys formed by Marvel Lake, Bryant Creek, or Owl Creek. Owl Creek is so far away as to not matter — if they are setting up OPs down there, let them waste their time, supplies and morale.
        I would prefer an OP around the 454783 area to observe the base and the outgoing patrols. That area protects you with a damned steep cliff to your east that they would have to assault up to get to you, and allows you to retreat south into the draw, and there should be a managable way over the ridge around 450772. Get on the other side, find some deep concealment, wait a while to make sure you are out of contact, and then come back into base from an unexpected direction. You have to assume that if they discover you, one of their goals is to follow you back to the camp they are looking for. You should be able to observe Marvel Lake Valley as well from there, at least enough to at least confirm that it is their route and they are actually a patrol (assuming they aren’t up against the hill and are closer to the lake on their route of march. I think that they will want the lake, because they don’t expect us to pop out of it like Navy Seals, so it feels safer.)
        Final thing to remember — this a mechanized platoon. They are going to be planning for their QRF to be mounted, which means that their OPs are likely be somewhere that they can support from one of the valleys branching out from their base. They aren’t driving anything up the ridges to the west side of the ridgeline. If they are trying to support an OP on our side of the ridge, that’s an 8-12km drive just to get to the engagement. If they they did, they’re going to be going through Assiniboine Pass or Wonder Pass. (That’s why they are called passes.) Their officer isn’t going to want to send his vehicles through those obvious chokepoints, so that again points to them being on the south/east side of the ridge. Also, if they go through Wonder Pass, they’ll be within 500-700m of our camp, and we’re probably already fucked. (Also, if we have any anti-vehicle mines, mine the fuck out those passes. In fact, mine them with anything that we’ve got, guys with sore feet and a rack of disaprine will pick the passes too. If you blow up a friendly tooling around in their 4×4, blame the chinks.)
        If you don’t get something for a few days, then task a 4 man team to set up a nice smokey bonfire at 4580 and scoot out. They’ll have to come check that out, and when they do, they’ll likely stop by their OP on the way, or at least give away a general location by looking at all the time while they are on march, and while they are using the radio at the bonfire (telling the OP what it was, and finding out what they did or didn’t see.)

        • Matt March 23, 2021 at 19:20

          “I think it’s also safe to assume that the OPs are going to be on the south/east side of the ridgeline. These guys are either using radios or field phones, and either one is unlikely to support being placed on the far side of the ridge. Radios will need LOS.”
          What if they’re working NVIS on HF? Then LOS is not required.
          Matt

          • Phelps March 23, 2021 at 19:54

            It’s possible, but I would consider it a low probability. Critical frequency and time of day will become and issue, and I personally wouldn’t trust NVIS for an OP that needs to have immediate and unplanned contract with its HQ. Atmospheric conditions, storms, all that would put it in danger of being out of comms. Add in that you need someone who is more trained as a radiotelephone operator for NVIS who will not be available for patrol, plus the need to employ an antenna that needs a little bit of care in its placement, and it seems a little high-speed low-drag for a PLA mech platoon. They’ve got plenty of folks who know how to work field telephones and HTs. Too many moving parts in NVIS for a 20 something ambitious communist who wants to parlay his command on the US front into a nice CEO position back in China.
            Also, they are not running NVIS on their mounts, and that would mean that all comms would have to be relayed NVIS to the HQ, then HQ to the radios on their mounts for the QRF that would support the OP, and back again, all while the QRF is trying to figure out what they are going out to deal with. Even WE aren’t that dumb after trying it in Mogadishu. If I’m a PLA LT who’s been sent out to find stupid smelly yankee savages in the mountains, I’m putting a couple of reliable guys in a hide with a HT and a field phone, and planning to stomp on anything that shows up with my light armor — especially when I’m likely to have to try way more positions than the first 2 before we see something.
            I wouldn’t bet my life that they aren’t running NVIS, but I would risk my life on the assertion.

          • Mike March 23, 2021 at 20:28

            Don’t forget that modern militaries also have Satellite Communications at the tactical level, making line of sight almost irrelevant when they do their comm plans. Also, it’s not hard to “remote” antennas to the opposite side of the ridge using wire if need be. I’ve done both of these dozens of times.

          • Phelps March 24, 2021 at 10:14

            I agree that it’s not hard. I’m betting that a PLA LT isn’t going to do it if he’s not ordered to.

        • timbersour March 23, 2021 at 20:59

          Thanks for the feedback! I don’t have experience from the ground side of things, so a lot of the stuff you mentioned didn’t occur to me. I’ve definitely got some studying to do.

    • Mike March 23, 2021 at 20:30

      Excellent answer. Mitigates risk of casualties and increases overall chance of success.

    • Johnny Paratrooper March 23, 2021 at 21:33

      The PLA is going to observe your fisherman, and possibly test him for explosives, oil, and gunpowder residue after questioning him. They will also notice he is a little light on fat, and heavy on muscle. Including calluses on his feet and hands.
      They will let him go most likely, or torture him for information. The PLA isn’t exactly friendly to the Geneva Convention.
      You might consider hanging your fishing buddy out there as bait and hit the first PEA(Possible Enemy Activity) team they send to investigate. I would hit them hard and booby trap the bodies if you finish them off quick enough.

  4. Oarsman March 23, 2021 at 14:25

    It’s just so hard to find military map symbology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_Joint_Military_Symbology

    • Salmerin March 24, 2021 at 10:33

      Beautiful. Thank you. That is most helpful.

  5. Big Ben March 23, 2021 at 14:37

    Which direction was the patrols going when they “lost” their comrades?

    • Mike March 23, 2021 at 20:41

      Wasn’t specified for a reason. You will always need to make tactical decisions based on incomplete information, weighing risks and rewards. You almost never have a complete tactical picture, and when you do you should be skeptical of it.

    • Johnny Paratrooper March 23, 2021 at 21:35

      If PLA is in the area, Chinese Intelligence was there first. And most likely, they hired a local to spread disinformation. You should listen to any RUMINT AKA Rumor Intelligence with a Chess grandmaster’s mindset. This situation is extremely dangerous. The PLA are there for a reason and that reason is you. By Any Means Necessary. They are NEVER going to leave.

      • Big Ben March 24, 2021 at 13:44

        Split guns and ammo into two squads , one goes wonder pass, other around cascade rock , kill every thing you find , shoot shit out of their base camp and beat feet back into the hills heading northwest

        • Larry March 24, 2021 at 16:15

          Attacking their base camp is not gonna work out. 13 guys vs a motorized platoon would get wrecked by heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars, and a shit ton of rifle fire. Even if you wanted to shoot and scoot, you’re close enough that they’d quickly wipe you out before you finished reloading your second magazines.

  6. Johnny Paratrooper March 23, 2021 at 21:06

    I am packing up and moving out of the area. Live to fight another day Airborne. They have mortars and they have us just within range of the big ones. Which is what their LPOP’s are all about. One of those bad boys and it’s over for all 13 men. They are also in a superior position. No good shots from the high ground and they are flat and wide for nearly a kilometer in every direction. Pack it up, We are leaving right now. And we are headed out Northwest. As far as possible away from the roads. Any men who want to volunteer to hit them are free to go, but they have to wait two days for us to clear the AO. FYI, I highly advise not to volunteer.

    • Johnny Paratrooper March 23, 2021 at 21:17

      Just reread the mission statement. I am supposed to destroy enemy LPOP’s.
      I am going to break into two 6 man teams to clear Mercer Mount and Cascade ridge all the way down and around and back. I will take an MG and Boltgun(and maybe another man) and walk my happy ass right down the middle of the valley to draw fire and if I don’t take contact I am going to fire at the enemy camp, destroy as much equipment as possible, and run like hell. I’m gonna handrail the creeks down to camp. No EMF unless you take contact. They are listening in more than one way. When I hit the camp, double time back to G-Camp. We will regroup and move camp. Repeat until they are dead or we are.

    • Michael March 24, 2021 at 07:13

      Good Eye Johnny Paratrooper to notice your well with in Chinese Indirect Fire range. The Stated Mission was to destroy those OP’s The CHINESE Mission was to FIND you and Destroy you. So Lets “Attack” the OP’s so BOTH Sides get their mission done quickly.
      I’ve been researching Chinese Observation drones, they have several models from unarmed models with IR-FLIR Cameras to models carrying side looking radar AND lasers to designate targets for laser guided Mortar Rounds, Aircraft and such. ALL Have Several HOURS Loiter Time WITH Very Quick Turn Around servicing and this IS THE PROBLEM. With decent weather they can maintain 24 hour a day eyes in the sky.
      Those OP’s are BAIT. The eyes in the sky are the real problem. Johnny is correct BEAT FEET. Really horrible weather is the guerillas friend here. I’d be a small mouse in a Cat parade right now until the weather gives you the best time to break that “Well Concealed Camp” and find somewhere else to operate.
      Now if I could find a way to make Re-Suppling that Chinese forward base expensive, they DO use a lot of Food-Fuel and such. Do they escort their unarmored supply trucks? Would caltrops make tire replacement a daily issue for them? Live to fight another day.

      • wwes March 24, 2021 at 08:36

        Whether the best move is to pack up and head out or not, that isn’t the scenario that was presented. The mission that was stated was to locate and destroy enemy OP’s. Maybe that’s not the best decision, maybe it is, either way, how would you deal with the OP’s? We most likely aren’t going to be presented with easy scenarios in the future if things go south. Also, we will be operating in our own communities, are you just going to pack up and let the PLA have your home? If so, what’s the point of being out there on the ground in the first place?

        • Johnny Paratrooper March 24, 2021 at 09:15

          Correct. I changed my answer when I saw the mission statement. We need to hit them hard and fast before they map the entire area. They are there to kill us. They sent exactly enough men and the proper unit to destroy a squad sized element in the mountains.

          • wwes March 24, 2021 at 09:50

            Sorry if it seemed like that was directed at you JP, it wasn’t, I saw that yours had been changed. And I definitely agree they they would have intelligence there first, most likely at the invitation of TPTB.
            I figure if we just keep pulling back it becomes a never ending cycle, and I wouldn’t be there in the first place if it wasn’t something/somewhere I believed was worth holding. I get a lot out of reading the scenarios and hypothetical strategies for dealing with them, especially since I do not have a military background. They’re very educational.

        • Johnny Paratrooper March 24, 2021 at 10:28

          Roger on that last comment. I am not, nor would I ever, say we should give up and run away forever. That’s never an option. I was merely trying to point out the fact that they have us exactly within range of basically every mortar system on earth. Which is like being in “Check” in chess. We simply cannot stay put there. And hiking around the mountains (Real Mountains like the one pictured) is difficult because there are only so many routes to take.

          • wwes March 24, 2021 at 10:52

            I get that too. I’ve never been around mortars in person, but I still know enough to know that I damn sure don’t want to have one dropped in my lap lol

        • Johnny Paratrooper March 24, 2021 at 12:47

          The large mortars in the 120mm size have a 75 meter kill radius and a range of 14 kilometers if I remember correctly. The small ones, in the 60mm size, have a 5,000 or 6,000 meter range.

      • Phelps March 24, 2021 at 10:36

        Open source intel — in the real life area, hikers are advised to come in and out by helicopter. Chinese would likely have to do the same for supplies.

  7. bill March 24, 2021 at 05:50

    Depending on weather and season, Burn them out. Start fires,cover smoke, move in as they move out and burn them down as they move.

  8. Anonymous March 24, 2021 at 08:19

    4.5

  9. Harvey March 24, 2021 at 14:10

    Those are some serious mountains. I don’t know enough to give a fully thought out plan. I’m guessing OPFOR would be looking to set OPs on the high ground at places where movement is channelized. Perhaps on the N NW side of Marvel or the S SE side of Wonder and the N side of Cascade or the W of Mount Mercer.
    If they are set up above the treeline, then presumably the job will be to recon looking for resupply. For the altitude, sitting in one place is going to be unpleasant, even in summer. In summer, provided most of the snow melts, anything above treeline that doesn’t have snow is probably going to be scree. Scree really slows down movement. If in the winter, then there will be significant issues with extreme weather.
    One potential advantage is that BLUFOR should be altitude adapted whereas OPFOR may be struggling. This does seem like terrain well suited to the 308 rifles at long distances.

  10. Badlands Rifleman March 24, 2021 at 16:10

    I’ll take a stab at this. I’ve got to look at the situation from the PLA perspective. If I were them, where would I want my OP’s? The area is dominated by the massive ridge in the middle, and being mechanized I would want to know how to best get across that ridge to see what’s on the other side. There’s only two ways to the other side for my vehicles that I can tell, Wonder Pass (4277) and Assiniboine Pass (4380) I’m going to want to Recon these passes before sending my forces into them since I don’t want any Americans getting to play Mujahadeen on my vehicles. Two passes = two OP’s. From Mt. Mercer at 4780 I can observe Assiniboine and from Marvel Peak at 4673 I can observe Wonder Pass. Placing my OP’s there places them in good positions to observe the passes without being close to them, placing natural terrain barriers between my OP’s and the suspected enemy area. It also places them within an easy drive for my QRF and also within mortar range from the company should they need it.
    From the Mossy Oak Militia side of the table I would have my men and camp prepared for a hasty retreat to the NW. I’d establish an emergency rally point up by Sunburst lake (3978) and make sure my men can evade in small groups to get there. I’d set a 3 man OP of my own in the saddle between Mt. Cauley and Gibraltar rock (4478) to observe for the possible enemy OP on Mt. Mercer. This team would insert from the west. Their primary objective would be to locate the OP and relay that information back to the 9 man kill team located in the vegetation to the NW of cascade rock. If the enemy OP is where we suspect it to be the kill team will proceed north through the forest (off map) to flank them from the rear. Ideally they would utilize their long range weapons and automatic rifles at stand-off distance to disrupt or destroy the OP. On the flip side it would be great to close with the enemy OP and clear it to get additional equipment and information. I think this would be a decision that would have to be made on the fly depending on the enemy OP position.
    After the assault the kill team would disperse into fire teams or smaller and take different routes back to the NW, then circle back south to Sunburst lake. The friendly OP would remain on site to observe what happens after the attack.

  11. Prof. Spartan March 24, 2021 at 20:54

    Great comments on the terrain and tactics. One element to consider in the comms plan is Emissions Control (EMCON) SOPs. Assume the PLA has advanced SigInt assets at the OP and in UAVs with location finding capabilities . As soon as they are spotted in the AO. Radio silence to be broken only by certain individuals in specific circumstances; ie. taking fire, CasEvac etc. Also, any other devices that might emit signals of any kind (PEDs, radios not authorized for use) must be collected and controlled.

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