TDG Tuesday: Troop Leading Steps Part I: Begin the Plan

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.
This week, I am starting a new mini-series on the six troop leading steps, abbreviated as BAMCIS.
Begin Planning
Arrange Recon
Make Recon
Complete the Plan
Issue the Order
Supervise
Over the next few weeks, the TDGs will be a successive continuation of the same exercise in which you will go over the complete planning and execution of a squad-sized raid on an objective, while following the 6 troop leading steps listed above.
This week’s TDG covers the first step, Begin Planning. Anytime you conduct an operation, you start by creating a tentative plan and scheme of maneuver based on your METT-TC analysis (given below). As you develop your plan, you will come up with RFIs (requests for information) that you will seek to answer with a preliminary reconnaissance of your objective.
Your assignment this week is to read the following scenario, come up with a tentative plan to accomplish your mission, and create a list of RFIs for the reconnaissance that you will plan and conduct in next week’s TDG.

TDG 9: Begin the Plan

Map A

Map B

Orientation: The island nation of Altis is a small (fictional) nation in the Mediterranean Sea. The country historically has maintained neutrality in the political tensions between NATO countries and the Russian Federation, and has attempted to stay friendly to both sides. However, Russia has had their eye on the oil-rich islands for several years, and 6 months ago demanded that the Altisian government sign exclusive trade agreements for oil, which the Altisian government denied in their attempt to remain neutral. Being small, Altis has no standing army of its own, but has instead relied on locally organized militias for its defense.

Two weeks ago, Russian forces invaded Altis via amphibious landing in the South, seizing the island’s largest airstrip, and began pushing north. Altisian militias have been unable to repel the invaders, and many units have fled to the countryside to fight a guerrilla war as light infantry. NATO immediately condemned the invasion, and at the request of the Altisian Government, the United States sent the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) to seize a beachhead on the Northern end of the Island and hold it until follow-on forces can be mobilized and deployed to counter the Russian invasion.

At present, Marine forces are holding the Thronos mountain ridgeline (see map A). A Russian motorized infantry battalion is positioned at the town of Oreokastro, awaiting reinforcements as they fly into the airfield to the South East. A battalion of tanks has been spotted at the Russian staging area West of Agios Minas, and is likely to be sent North West to reinforce the Russian infantry in Oreokastro in the next few days. They will likely need to refuel along the way in order to have enough diesel to reach Oreokastro and conduct maneuvers after they arrive.

You command a squad-sized element of Altisian Militia. You are operating independently of any higher command structure, since every attempt at establishing a command post has been immediately triangulated by Russian EW assets and wiped out by artillery.

METT-TC Analysis:

Mission: You have decided to conduct a raid on the Russian refueling station located about 600m north of your current Patrol Base (see map B) in order to destroy it. If you are successful, the Russian tank battalion will not have enough fuel to maneuver once it reaches Oreokastro, delaying a combined-arms attack on the US Marines on Thronos to give NATO more time to reinforce the beachhead.

Enemy: You know nothing about the Russian force at the fuel depot except that they are there. While the Russians’ focus is to the north, they are aware of the presence of militia units in the countryside and may allocate troops to protect the depot. Upon contact with the enemy, they will likely attempt to send a reaction force from Oreokastro to retake the depot. They are unlikely to call in artillery support for fear of destroying their own fuel supplies, even if they know we have taken the depot. They will most likely attempt to retake it instead.

Terrain and Weather: Topographical data is available on map B. A picture of the general landscape is shown below:

Troops and Support available: You have 14 men in your squad, organized as follows:

  • 3 fire teams, each consisting of a Rifleman, a Team Leader, an Automatic Rifleman, and Assistant Automatic Rifleman.

  • Yourself (Squad Leader), and

  • A radio operator

Your squad is outfitted with western-style small arms, mostly AR-pattern rifles. Your men have evaded contact so far, and still have a full combat load of 7 magazines each, 21 mags for each automatic rifle (distributed between the gunner and assistant gunners).

You and your team leaders have night vision devices.

Time Available: You estimate that you have 48 -72 hours before the tank battalion arrives to refuel.

Civil Considerations: The militias currently have the sympathy and support of the civilian populace. The Russian fuel depot is located right next to a civilian gas station, which the locals use. Destroying it along with the Russian fuel depot could make the populace less willing to help you, plus you need to be careful not to catch any civilians in the crossfire during your raid.

Once again, your assignment this week is to read the above scenario, come up with a tentative plan to accomplish your mission, and create a list of RFIs for the reconnaissance that you will conduct in next week’s TDG.

This scenario was created using the mission editor on ArmA III.

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25 Comments

  1. VAdeputy May 11, 2021 at 07:10

    Thanks Mike. Always gets me thinking.
    Forgive me, gents if I am bad at this A) i have a hard time seeing the TDG maps on my cell and B) am a total newb at this type of planning and thinking.
    As far as tentative deployment of my guys goes, I’m going to turn 3 elements into two- one large assault team of 8, and a screen element that can give early warning/engage if appropriate any Russian QRF consisting of 6 guys. Including my heavy gunners. Positioned on the most likely avenue(s) of approach by the Russians.
    As far as RFIs, in our upcoming recon, i would like to find out the size of the depot, how many Russians are guarding it, if the depot is enclosed by barbed wire or other means of static defense? Id also like to observe if the depot has communications—- is there a large setup or is it just radio guys with portables? If it’s a larger setup, im going to try to destroy that first, because that’s probably got the range to get a heavy ball of firepower rolling in my direction.

    • Mike May 12, 2021 at 14:25

      Good initial plan. I will add that not all RFIs for your recon will be about the enemy situation (although that is the most important and obvious concern). You may also have RFIs about the terrain, specifically certain points of the terrain that you may use in your final assault plan. This is where the acronym OCOKA can be helpful.
      Observation & Fields of fire
      Cover and Concealment
      Obstacles (man-made and natural)
      Key or decisive terrain
      Avenues of approach
      Look back at the map, evaluate the terrain, and see if you come up with more RFIs. Be specific, think about where you will approach from, shoot from, or assault through. Consider corroborating certain data on the map, you can’t be sure how up-to-date it is so you should seek to verify key details.

  2. Anonymous May 11, 2021 at 11:04

    5

  3. MikeJ May 11, 2021 at 13:06

    I need more intel on the civilians. Are they sympathetic with the Rus? Are they willing to sacrifice their fuel to help defeat the invaders? Are any of my people local to this area? Do we have a source of intel in the area, or are we operating in the blind?
    Do you have legend for the map? Some of the terrain and feature symbology is obscure. Thanks.

    • Mike May 12, 2021 at 14:33

      As I mentioned in the TDG, you have the support of the populace and your squad is all local militia. The intel I gave you is what you have to work with, don’t overanalyze it or you will miss out on the benefits of the exercise. Next week we will develop this scenario more and conduct preliminary recon of the objective, obviously you would never conduct a raid with no idea what you’re up against.
      The symbols used on the maps are standard NATO military map symbols, if you don’t know what they are it’s very simple to look them up.

  4. John May 11, 2021 at 13:15

    To whom it may concern, I have found this military acronym site useful:
    https://www.allacronyms.com/_military

  5. John May 11, 2021 at 13:54

    Hey VAdeputy, if you open the maps in separate tabs they are much easier to read and enlarge.
    1) I think I’d really want to accompany the recon mission because there will likely be something important that I will forget to ask about.
    2) I want to know how large the complex is and it’s layout. Is the fuel stored in trucks, trailers, bags?
    3) How many Russians appear to be there and how are you they deployed? How often are they seen checking in with other members? Anyone seen snoozing? What is the impression of their moral?
    4) With what are they armed?
    5) What vehicles are there?
    6) I want to personally speak with the owner of that gas station. What does he know? Is he willing to assist in some way? How willing?
    Are there any other locals that he knows about who may have been inside the complex and can provide data? Any locals with firearms who might help out in the attack? Perhaps as a diversion force?
    7) What kind of traffic visits the site?
    8) Does this site use power from the grid or generators?
    Basically my default preliminary plan would be to get in close enough to use Molotovs to set the place ablaze so I’m looking for any info that would affect such an approach.

  6. timbersour May 11, 2021 at 18:56

    Basic Game plan: since I expect the enemy reaction to come from Oreokastro, I’ll dispatch one fire team to the road to provide security. The other two teams will assault the fuel depot from the south and west. I don’t know the disposition of enemy forces at the depot, nor the layout of the site, nor the location of the fuel supplies. These will all drive RFIs as they will drive the tactical game plan. I don’t know the response time of the expected QRF from Oreokastro, nor the expected composition. As there really isn’t enough time to test their response, another RFI would be the general types of forces there (infantry, motorized, helicopters), as well as any suitable locations along their expected route for an ambush by the security fireteam. The civilian gas station presents another problem, as their fuel supplies could be seized and render the entire raid moot. The fuel there must be denied to the enemy with as little impact on the civilian population as possible. The final RFI then is the status of the gas station owner and what options he might be amenable to that would prevent his fuel from falling into Russian hands. (ie, is he ok with destroying it, can he just have customers stock up then burn the rest, does he have a friend with a tanker truck willing to remove and hide it? There are too many possibilities, but one will need to be decided upon quickly)

    • Mike May 12, 2021 at 14:41

      I would advise against trying to ambush the reaction force. As mentioned in the TDG, the unit at Oreokastro is a motorized infantry battalion, and your squad does not have any heavy weapons. This means that you probably cannot afford to engage the reaction force, as you will be heavily outgunned.
      Good RFIs. You briefly mentioned terrain at the end of your response, try to be more specific with what information you want your reconnaissance to collect about it. See my response to VADeputy below.

  7. JD May 12, 2021 at 15:49

    First, 600m from an strategic enemy encampment to my patrol base is way too close for comfort. While terrain does help to screen my location from their position, this is within what I would consider to be the distance for base security patrols. A priority of work is to displace to a new patrol base. I’m also not a fan of the patrol base being at the dead-end of some sort of road (improved or otherwise). This is a HSAO to my position. I don’t like it.
    I’m going to make some assumptions here.
    1) Since this is an indigenous operation, on home ground, the partisans likely know the civilian players. If so, I would try to arrange a contact with the gas station owner, or at least try to pass a message to him.
    2) The US element that has landed. If possible, attempt to coordinate with them. Can the spare some assets for FO purposes? Either flares/smoke to help screen the attack, or shell the ever loving shit out of the supply/HQ/armor position down the road (I’m assuming a 1:24,000 MGRS map here and assuming the US is within range of their Naval support). Would make for a good distraction as we hit the fuel depot.
    a) Could they shell the road to prevent reinforcement?
    b) I’m not too worried about the IN BN up north. Presumably, it is a light IN BN, without much in terms of motorized assets. Regardless, they would be reluctant to divert forces south and weaken their position from an significantly sized entrenched enemy in their immediate AO.
    3) Fuel Depot itself
    a) How many troops?
    b) Location of key weapon systems (crew served, mortars, etc).
    c) Bunker locations (interlocked fields of fire?)
    d) Evidence of mined, wire obstacles?
    e) Trenches?
    f) Enemy CP position?
    g) Looking at the ridge/forested area immediately NW of the depot for an assault position with SBF coming from hilltop 233 immediately to the east.
    h) How is the fuel stored? I’m assuming its diesel. Is there evidence of something like gasoline which would light easier than diesel and help get the tankers burning? (Burn them out to destroy to depot)
    4) How often do supply/security convoys go up the MSR? Is there a pattern?
    5) What time to they do chow?
    6) Security posture manning? Do they have a “Stand To” period?
    7) How do they respond to regular civilian traffic?
    8) General patterns of life within the compound.
    9) Identifiable C2 assets?
    10) Locations for pre-attack ORP and also where do I site my reserve?
    On a side note, I think that this is a bit unrealistic in terms of scope. This is likely a Company sized objective (at the minimum). I get the point that your trying to accomplish (get people thinking) and understand that this has a bit more cover than saying “things have gone to hell and a local gang is causing problems. How do you get rid of them).

    • JD May 13, 2021 at 16:19

      Based on Mike’s comment earlier that the civilian fuel station may, or may not, be available for civilian usage, I’d want to take a good look at if it has been utilized for enemy usage.
      Underground fuel storage tanks are a hell of a lot more secure than fuel trucks (personal experience from Ramadi in ’04 watching a 2500ish gal fuel truck burn on the COP after we took mortar fire and they got lucky – they tagged the chow hall too with that barrage). If I’m the enemy commander, I’d seriously look at taking over the fuel station since it is ready made for a fuel depot (they probably have at least a few pumps for diesel.
      As the enemy commander, I could possibly avoid pissing off the locals to badly by uploading the gasoline into empty fuel tanks of mine and allowing the store owner to sell out of those… Added bonus is if the insurgents hit my position and go after the fuel trucks, they destroy the civilian fuel supply, thus engendering bad will, AND my supply is still safe.

  8. solomon May 13, 2021 at 11:56

    Glad to see Arma 3 here! It’s a great tool for visualizing and running through the types of scenarios featured on TDG. Check out the “Enhanced Map” mod on the Steam Workshop for a more true to life topographical map.
    As far as the plan goes, it’s hard to figure out what my kinetic plan will be with so much up in the air. I’d need to know:
    -Number of enemy personnel
    -Their positions
    -Vehicles on site (are they armed/armored?)
    -Weapon emplacements
    -Do they have patrols out? Where do they patrol? How often?
    -Shift change times
    -Chow times
    -Stand-to times
    -Good sight lines and routes for us when we attack
    You mentioned avoiding civilians in the crossfire which leads me to infer the gas station is either still open for business or civlians are allowed near the gas station. Going off that, I think it would be appropriate to disguise myself and 1 or 2 of my team leaders as civilians and either get gas from the gas station if that’s a thing or walk/drive through the area, depending on what’s allowed by the Russians. That should provide most if not all the things I’d need to know. Secondary plan would be to recon at night under NODs sticking to treelines. That’s fairly risking seeing as the Russians most likely have their own NODs and possibly thermals. I’d also put out feelers in the civ pop to gather what others have seen around there.
    If we can get gas there, I’d go inside and see if I can talk with the owner. If not I’d try to find some way of passing a message to him (meeting with him at his home, talking to family or friends). I’d like to know if he has access to a tanker truck or some other means of transporting large quantities of fuel. The idea behind that would be to capture as much fuel as possible the moment we secure the gas station, then take it elsewhere so civilians can still have access to it. This is a secondary objective for us so if I can’t make it happen no big deal. I would probably delegate the details to either the gas station owner or a team leader.
    Actual kinetic action would be fairly simple. I’d fold the 3 fireteams into two, with a larger number of automatic rifles in the team stationed on hill 238 providing the majority of fire. The assault element would attack either from the dump, the treeline to the north, or the treeline to the south, depending on what provides more cover and concealment. Initiation would be done by radio, with strict radio silence adhered to except in case of an emergency. Backup means of initiation would be on a single whistle. If unexpected contact occurs before we’re in position, we would retreat. The raid would have to be conducted in the morning at twilight, as I’m expecting the enemy to be well-equipped with NODs. Hard time to get out of there will be 15 minute after the first shot, and we will exfil to the southwest. Exfil will be initiated by radio, with 3 whistles as backup signal.
    I don’t know how to destroy a gas station without the use of explosives. I’d have to see what we can make or capture. Destroying the gas station will only be done if we can’t capture a large amount of fuel.
    This whole plan is a rough outline because I don’t yet know what the enemy situation looks like at the gas station. I’d get much more specific as I get more intel.

    • Mike May 13, 2021 at 12:16

      ArmA III is an outstanding training tool if used correctly. After this TDG series I intend to write a lengthy article on that topic.
      Outstanding analysis and rough plan. I will add that, while I admit that plainclothes reconnaissance would be ideal, assume that you’re a uniformed force and this is not possible with enemy force protection measures.
      You pointed out that you can’t come up with a detailed plan without recon. You are correct, that was the point of this week’s exercise. Next week you will plan and conduct your reconnaissance to finalize your plan.
      And I intend to build the enemy position in ArmA ahead of time and feed you intel and imagery based on how you plan your recon.

  9. solomon May 13, 2021 at 13:07

    Is there a reason plainclothes is out of play here? That’s one of the biggest advantages of an irregular force on home turf. Regardless, even in uniform I could still meet with civilians surreptitiously at night and gether intel that way. Looking forward to how this scenario develops in the coming weeks.

    • JD May 13, 2021 at 13:27

      For starters, it violates the Laws of Land Warfare (aka Geneva Convention & Hauge Convention – IV IIRC) and opens up your forces to being (legally) not treated IAC (In Accordance With) the Convention. Partisans (as well as any combatant bound by the Convention) have to wear a distinctive uniform or marking/article of clothing (i.e. a red arm band) which distinguishes them as a combatant. Failure to do this can result in loss of POW status (you’re a spy and can legally be put up against the wall and shot).
      Article 1: The laws, rights, and duties of war apply not only to armies,
      but also to militia and volunteer corps fulfilling the following conditions:
      (1) To be commanded by a person responsible for his subordinates;
      (2) To have a fixed distinctive emblem recognizable at a distance;
      (3) To carry arms openly; and
      (4) To conduct their operations in accordance with the laws and customs or war.
      In countries where militia or volunteer corps constitute the army, or form any part of it, they are included under the denomination “army.”
      Article 2: The inhabitants of a territory which has not been occupied, who, on the approach of the enemy, spontaneously take up arms to resist the invading troops without having had time to organize themselves in accordance with Article 1, shall be regarded as belligerents if they carry arms openly and if they respect the laws and customs of war.
      Article 3: The armed forces of the belligerent parties may consist of combatants and non-combatants. In the case of capture by the enemy, both have a right to be treated as prisoners of war.

      • Mike May 13, 2021 at 13:50

        This. There’s liable to be a ton of debate as to whether this is reason enough to go “uniformed,” and in truth it depends on the enemy you face. You never plan on being captured, but if I must be captured I’d rather be treated as a POW with rights under the Geneva Convention than a terrorist/spy.
        Of course, if you’re up against an enemy that doesn’t give a damn about the Geneva Convention or openly calls your group a “terrorist organization”, this changes your priorities.

      • JD May 14, 2021 at 13:35
    • Mike May 13, 2021 at 13:44

      Yes. This is just a few days into the conflict, enemy force protection measures will be extremely high and ROEs will be relaxed with the front line so close to your AO. At this point they haven’t had time to shift to stability operations, and so the local populace will probably not be permitted anywhere near Russian installations. Any attempt at close-in plainclothes reconnaissance is likely to result in detainment, at least until ROEs are relaxed and the local populace is allowed to resume semi-normal patterns of life.

      • JD May 13, 2021 at 14:18

        For clarification, based on what your saying on ROE and security posture, how are civilians being able to get fuel from the fuel station next to the fuel supply point? Based on the map, they are right on top of each other.

        • Mike May 13, 2021 at 14:53

          To clarify, I didn’t say that civilians are using the gas station at present, just that it’s a private gas station that the populace uses regularly. Whether or not the Russians are allowing it to continue operating could be an RFI for your recon.

  10. […] Over the next few weeks, the TDGs will be a successive continuation of the same exercise in which you will go over the complete planning and execution of a squad-sized raid on an objective, while following the 6 troop leading steps listed above. If you haven’t already, read TDG 9 for the orientation and scenario that this week builds on. […]

  11. […] while following the 6 troop leading steps listed above. If you haven’t already, read TDG 9 for the orientation and scenario that this week builds on, and TDG 10 for the portion on planning […]

  12. […] of a squad-sized raid on an objective, while following the 6 troop leading steps listed above.  In TDG 9, you made an rough plan of action and created a list of Requests For Information (RFIs) that you […]

  13. […] following is the submission of “Timbersour” for my recent TDG series in which students planned recon of an objective, received results of their reconnaissance, and […]

  14. […] following is the submission of “John” for my recent TDG series in which students planned recon of an objective, received results of their reconnaissance, and […]

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