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.

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8 Comments

  1. John May 18, 2021 at 17:12

    Just emailed my plan in. I’m curious how poorly I did.

    • Mike May 18, 2021 at 21:27

      Actually, not that bad! Reply sent.

  2. Mike May 18, 2021 at 21:26

    Wow, I’m impressed by some of the plans I’m getting! Please forgive me if I take a day or so to reply, y’all put in a lot of effort into these submissions and so I’m putting a lot of effort into my replies.

  3. John May 19, 2021 at 19:33

    LETTER TO DEPOT COMMANDER
    FROM Local Farmer John Smith
    Dear sir, first let me tell you how thrilled I am to have your people liberate our little island nation. It is truly a blessing to have you and your people enrich our little out of the way place.
    As a show of gratitude my athletic club would like to volunteer to wash and wax your fleet of vehicles currently at the depot so as to make your equipment look it’s best and thus raise the esteem with which our local populace holds you. We have a saying here that someone isn’t clean on the inside unless he is also clean on the outside. Getting your fleet spic and spam would really impress the locals and ease public relations efforts. We will provide our own people and equipment and promise to perform quite a memorable task.
    Please say “Yes” as the guys are really eager to make a big impression on you and your men.
    Sincerely
    John Smith
    Farmer

  4. Anonymous May 20, 2021 at 07:54

    5

  5. Matt May 20, 2021 at 07:58

    Will the solutions emailed to you ultimately be posted here? Reading the thoughts of others really aids those of us without a background in this area.
    Matt

  6. […] a list of Requests For Information (RFIs) that you wanted answered for your final plan.  In TDG 10, you planned and conducted your reconnaissance of the objective to answer your RFIs.  If you sent […]

  7. Paul Smith June 1, 2021 at 20:00

    Okay, I’m taking a newbie stab at this one.
    My RFI is as follows:
    For the Fuel Depot:
    Number of troops – general daily movement/habits/patrols in 24hr period
    Type of weapons/armament/NVD’s?
    Location of defensive positions/OP’s/LP’s
    Location and type of Comms, antennas
    Location of power supply (gens. etc)
    Immediate Surrounding Terrain of Depot/Gas station:
    Cover/concealment locations and distances to target/ potential ambush points /exfil routes/ rally points
    Considerations: Minimize cross-fire danger to locals and gas station while maximizing lethality on enemy
    Gas Station:
    Distance from depot
    Hours of operation
    Frequency of customers
    Plan: Two Fire teams set up separate OP’s
    Send ‘A’ Fire Team due North until just past the tree line then follow the SW flank of the hill to Elevation point 245 to set up OP ‘A’
    Send ‘B’ Fire Team up through the draw to the NW of current position. At the end of the draw, just past the icon beyond ‘Longitude 20’, they head NNE along the flank of the hill past ‘Elevation point 219’ staying in tree cover up to the top of ‘Elevation point 238’ for OP B.
    Support Role: Observe any potential convoy movement heading from Oreocastrati during Recon Mission.

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