TDG Tuesday: Troop Leading Steps Part II: Arrange & Make Reconnaissance
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.
Last week, I started 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. If you haven’t already, read TDG 9 for the orientation and scenario that this week builds on.
Once your initial plan is drawn up and you have created a list of RFIs (requests for information), you will arrange for and conduct a preliminary reconnaissance to answer as many of your RFIs as possible before you make your final plan of action.
TDG 10: Arrange & Make Reconnaissance
This week’s TDG covers the second and third steps, Arrange Recon and Make Recon. Last week you came up with a rough plan of action and a list of RFIs for your recon team. This week you will plan and conduct your recon patrol to gather intel so you can complete your assault plan.
Reconnaissance should always seek to answer specific RFIs about the enemy, terrain, and any other details relevant to your operation. Keep those in mind while you draw up your recon plan.
This week’s TDG will be more interactive. What I’ve done is created a scale 3D model of the terrain and enemy position using the ArmA III mission editor. Your assignment is to email me your recon plan, and I will send you pictures of what your recon team sees from the locations you send me, along with any other information they pick up and report back. You can then use that information next week to draft your final plan to accomplish your mission.
In your recon plans, be sure to include the following information at a minimum:
- Size & organization of recon team
- RFI list from last week’s TDG (listing what questions your recon seeks to answer)
- if emplacing an observation post (OP), the approximate grid location of your OP
- route to and from your OP, including checkpoints
Email your responses to [email protected]. Feel free to also post your answers and discuss in the comments below, but I will only send responses to emailed submissions. The more effort you put into your answer, the more effort I will put into my response.