Archives: Gazette Magazines

Situation

You are Khorasan Parsi, a warlord of the Tajik clan in the city of Sar-e Pol. For the last several years, foreign armies have been operating in your country after ousting the Taliban from the government. Over a month ago American armies moved into Jalalabad, about 30 kilometers north of your city. The continued invasions of foreign powers over your lifetime have left their mark upon your family and clan. Your family has learned to deal with all countries that respect them, and your clan sells good and services to all people. At the same time, some members of your clan are resentful that outsiders from Kabul, Europe, and now the United States seek power in your land for reasons that you do not understand. As a warlord, you know how to stoke the fires of resentment when needed and how to laugh and celebrate with strangers from all over the world, all the while looking to increase your clan’s standing, influence, money, goods, and property.

Your family and clan reside north and east of the Styx River and in the north and east sections of the city south of the river as well. In the middle of your area a French and British nongovernmental organization (NGO) has been distributing food, blankets, and fresh water to those whose homes have been destroyed as a result of the invasion and occupation.

During the American invasion, the Pashtun tribes have gained the uppet hand in the endless power struggle between the clans. Through manipulation of the French and British, they have convinced them to distribute the majority of the aid goods to warlords of the Pashtun clans who establish distribution points in the city center then charge tolls to cross the bridge. Through these tolls your clan loses most if not all of what they receive. The French and British do not understand the extortion, and the Americans are only seen in their armored trucks moving from Tora Bora north to Jalalabad.

A few weeks ago your clan leader ordered that the bridge be destroyed and the NGO camp attacked and looted with the spoils distributed among your clan. The bridge was destroyed, and your clan leader ordered you to take charge of sacking the camp when he orders it. Your warband consists of 30 fighters who have trained with AK-47s and rocket propelled grenades (RPGs). As young children they learned to fight with all manner of improvised weapons. You also have 6 pickup trucks from your family, 1 cell phone with contacts with the rest of your clan leaders on both sides of the river, 2 radios, 30 AK-47s with 40 rounds each, and 2 RPGs with 2 rounds each. Your men generally move as a mob and will break into smaller warbands of two to five fighters once the battle is joined.

Yesterday evening, over dinner with the clan chief, he informed you that the time to take the camp is today. Whether to attack during the day or at night is up to you. All of the clan leaders and heads of the community have offered their support with the stipulation that you wait until afternoon or evening. You agreed to their requests and reconnoitered the camp that evening. You discovered that the camp has about 20 workers, 2 trucks, and enough food to see your family through the next year.

The next morning you notice a group of 50 or so American Marines with armored trucks and a lot of construction equipment enter your area and begin work on building a new bridge. It is now noon, the attack must commence this afternoon or evening (within 3 to 10 hours), and the Americans look like they have no intention of leaving. What now?

Requirement

In 20 minutes, explain to your men and supporting clan leaders what you intend to do and what you need them to do. Issue your orders to your warband.

Issues for Consideration

1. What is your goal for this attack? How does the American presence complicate it? How do your actions negate the American presence?

2. What do you consider mission success?

3. How does your vision of success correspond to your clan leader’s objective?

4. How sensitive are you to casualties among your own fighters? How sensitive are you to local civilian casualties and property damage? How do your actions reflect this?

5. Is your warband being used to attack the Americans, instigate the local populace to action, take the NGO camp, or something else? Whom do you use and who will be reliable to deal with other situations that your warband cannot handle; i.e., will they take the NGO camp and keep the supplies?

6. Do your actions force the Americans to fight your warband? If so, what are the possible repercussions of a fight with the Americans?

7. If you chose not to attack the Americans, what other methods could you use to neutralize them?

By Dr. Andrew H Hershey

It is my belief that certain features of the current series of tactical decision games (TDGs) are not in the best interests of creating the next Napoleon as Mastering Tactics was want to do.1 TDGs are being stretched beyond the parameters and utility they are best intended to cover. The problem with recent TDGs is that too many extraneous “Issues for Consideration” have begun to seep into or become bolted onto TDGs. In some respects TDGs are taking on the qualities of exams, advanced school papers, or after-action reports. It is reasonable to postulate that if these ancillary thought processes found in Issues for Consideration are allowed to continue and become inculcated into the minds of Marines, there will be a deleterious effect on their combat decisionmaking.

How so? It only stands to reason that adding any additional thought for consideration, which strictly speaking at that instant does not have an immediate rde in the decisionmaking process to solve the slice of the Êght at hand} is a recipe for disaster. It will enable the enemy commander to execute his decisions more quickly, maintain his initiative, and thus impose his will on Marines. The enemy has the advantage in that none of these extraneous issues enter his combat decisionmaking process. His is a pure, refined, and straightforward one – -how best to kill his enemy.

As a concrete example of what I see as the added impedimenta creeping into TDGs take, for example, TDG #10-8, “Rahadnak Valley Search,” and its Issues for Consideration points 5 through 9 and furthermore their series of 14 followup bullet points, making 19 excess points to address in all! (Although the first sentence of point nine seems to really be a restatement of point four, which is a crux issue to address.)

How exactly does it behoove the captain to address points five through nine while he already has units engaged and a mobility kill on his hands? Is this really the time and place for having these matters directly enter the captain’s observation, orientation, decision, and action, which is frankly what the Issues for Consideration is asking him to do? Does the tactical situation, right this instant, really require points five through nine of him? In fact, is it not the case that at this instant devoting time to work out whether “at the end of the day” six stone walls will have been breached by Marine assault amphibious vehicles and two buildings will have sustained heavy damage from 12.7mm machinegun fire from the enemy on Hill 2 is a total waste of the captain’s combat decisionmaking time?

TDGs are slices of battle; however, aspects of points five through nine can only be addressed when the action is no longer a battle; i.e., beyond the scope of the TDG in its present state and certainly not without the information about how that battle unfolded to its very end state. Only then is it possible to adequately, fairly, and righdy access whether the captains use of force was lawful and proportional or if he inflicted unwarranted collateral damage. The immediate tactical question at hand the coup d’oeil which is the heart of the TDG) is what does the captain do to extricate 1st Platoon and carry on with the mission as briefed?

Further muddying the TDG waters is that in bolting on points like five through nine there is a knock on effect of artificially inflating the time limit presented in the “Situation” so that these ancillary issues can be addressed. Our captain does not actually have 1 0 minutes to skin the cat. He has perhaps 2 minutes to deal with points one through four, with more emphasis on one and four; otherwise things are only going to get much worse for him.

This is not an unfair or unwarranted critique of TDG #10-8. Previous TDGs depicting company-sized actions, and dating as far back as #96-7, used more realistic time scales; e.g., 2 minutes. It is implicit in TDG design itself that time should be limited.2 The 1 0 minutes granted in #10-8 is frankly an eternity the captain just does not have. Allowing for artificial time limits is not going to help train Marines any more effectively in combat decisionmaking; it is only going to engender them with a false sense of the operational tempo of battle. In short, train like you fight. Think slowly, fight slowly, and suffer defeat in short order is one of the essential lessons of Mastering Tactics if nothing else.3

It is possible, however, for TDGs in a revised form to address points like five through nine. The best way to do so to modify the current layout of TDG. Step one would be to see in “Requirement” section a return to istic time limits as well as the gence of the “old school” standard just asking for “any orders or and the rationale behind them.” Do prompt Marines or lead them down programmed path of questions; do help them from the outset to arrive at solution through such questions or lead them with extraneous Doing so does not help them learn think for themselves.

Step two is to create a new subdivision to the TDG, which would come after revised requirement section with stricdy tactical focus. The new sion might appear thus: “For analysis, take a further 1 5 minutes to dress the following issues for tion.” Here then one could list points five through nine or others that salient to the particular TDG at hand.

The advantage of this revised TDG format is that Marines will begin to which types of thoughts and questions are best needed and employed for tactical combat decisionmaking and which types of thoughts and questions are best used to reflect upon a battle, won or lost, within the context of the laws of war, commander’s engagement guidance, and rules of engagement.

Situation

You are the Platoon Commander, 1st Platoon (Reinforced), Bridge Company, 8th Engineer Support Battalion. Your platoon recently deployed to Afghanistan in support of the 11th MEU with the primary task of constructing medium girder bridges as part of civil-military operations in the Marine area of responsibility (AOR). You arrived in country 3 days ago.

You are currently tasked with building a medium girder bridge near the destroyed bridge in the town of Sar-e Pol in order to open the lines of communications within the battalion landing team’s (BLT’s) AOR. The Sar-e Pol bridge was destroyed in clan warfare between the majority Pashtun clan and the minority Tajik clan in this region of Afghanistan. To further complicate matters, the clans are further broken into smaller subclans and warlords that may feud with each other over matters of water well and road access. While no one has claimed responsibility for the bridge destruction, it is widely believed that elements of the Tajik clan who live north and east of the city center destroyed the bridge in a dispute over access to relief supplies and tolls charged by Pashtun clan members to Tajik clan members crossing the bridge.

Your detachment arrived at 0700 and has been working all day. The river is 2 feet deep, 40 meters wide, and has a current of 3 to 5 knots. A nongovernmental organization (NGO) base camp is 500 meters away by road outside of the town of Sar-e Pol. The NGO team has been establishing temporary shelters for the homeless, organizing food distribution, and providing limited medical treatment for the local population. You have had intermittent radio communications with the BLT, located in Samarkhel, near Jalalabad. You are expected to rejoin the BLT before sunset.

Toward the late afternoon, after mission completion and while conducting site cleanup and prepping for retrograde, you are visited by a group of Frenchmen from the NGO camp. They are very concerned about a report that clan forces in the immediate area will attack the village within the hour in order to capture the NGO camp and supplies and secure control of the bridge site. The Frenchmen report that there are 25 other British and French aid workers at the camp. They have two 2 ½-ton trucks and about 18 tons of food and medical supplies. What do you do?

Requirement

In 20 minutes, explain to the French aid workers what you intend to do and what you want them to do. Issue any orders to your squad leaders. Provide a sketch of your decision. Be prepared to discuss the issues for consideration.

Issues for Consideration

1. Who do you believe the enemy is?

2. How does your commander’s intent apply to this situation?

3. In this scenario, how do your actions and orders relate to his intent?

4. What does the enemy hope to gain from this attack?

5. How do your actions deprive the enemy of those gains?

6. Is the enemy expecting an armed military response? Do you think he will fight if he faces an armed military response?

7. What is the enemy’s motivation for this attack? How can you exploit and defeat his motivation?

8. Assume as a result of this incident that two civilians are wounded and one home is damaged.

* How do you expect the local villagers to respond? In 20 minutes? By the end of the day? The rest of the week?

* Is the anticipated response based on who caused the damage?

* How can you (or the MEU) counter negative responses? After the incident? After you return to base?

Situation

You are Marwand Paywastun, a local leader of the needihajum freedom fighters led by Sher Dil. You live in Rahadnak Valley and are proud to have never left it. It is now spring, the winter has gone, and your friends, family, and neighbors have planted the annual crops hoping for a bountiful harvest. After a few years of relative peace, foreign soldiers invaded your valley. Over the past month the Americans took over to impose foreign rule upon the dozen villages that make up the Rahadnak Valley. There is no reason to expect they will stop. They come in the hundreds, riding in their armored vehicles, often with helicopters flying overhead. Fortunately, while they have vehicles, you own this land and know every cave, ravine, goat trail, and hiding place in the valley.

This season you have been able to recruit over 60 fighters from your village of Ada and 2 nearby villages. While they include many of the major clans, some of the clans are neutral to your cause and some are hostile, favoring the Americans over their freedom. Your fighters have trained since birth as hunters and are organized as eight groups of seven to eight fighters (ineluding your own bodyguard) by clan affiliation. You have been able to amass 6 rocket propelled grenades with 20 rounds, one 82mm mortar with 25 rounds, two 14.7mm machineguns, 45 AK-47s with 80 rounds for each weapon, 4 cell phones, and 3 radios. Communication in the valley is primarily by messenger. Clan leaders have cell phones, and you have most of their numbers. Ada has four vehicles that belong to the local clan leader, who is also your uncle. The landscape is littered with unexploded bombs and shells left over from past wars.

Sher Dill has charged you with defending the western entrance of the valley from the American invaders. (See map.) He also reminds all of his leaders to be vigilant of the mood of other clans and to take every advantage to both defeat the Americans and increase our own numbers and supporters.

This morning one of your nephews rides to your home with news from your brother, a worker at the American base near Jalalabad. He states that the Americans have just received a new unit of soldiers with their armored vehicles, who began patrolling in the area a day after arrival. Based on previous experience, the Americans usually follow the same pattern, encircling the village with some of their men and vehicles and sending a smaller force into the village to search houses. You believe the Americans will be here by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. What now?

Requirement

In a time limit of 15 minutes, prepare your order to your group leader. Be prepared to discuss the rationale for your decisions.

Issues for Consideration

1. What do you believe the Americans’ goal is?

2. What is your estimate of the American strength compared to your own?

3. What do you consider mission success?

4. How does your vision of success correspond to Sher Dil’s objectives?

5. How sensitive are you to casualties among your own fighters? How sensitive are you to local civilian casualties and property damage? How do your actions reflect this?

6. Is your focus on using your fighters to destroy the Americans or to instigate the local populace to action?

7. Assume that at the end of the engagement you have brought down two Americans but are unable to photograph or claim the bodies, one home is damaged in the fighting, one oí your lighters from a nearby village is killed, another is wounded in the fighting, and your force has fallen back to the surrounding countryside and into the valley.

What actions can you take to exploit the loss of life and damage to property?

What actions can the Americans take that will help you exploit the situation?

How can this action increase your standing with the local populace?

How will you communicate your message to the local populace?

Situation

You are the 3d Platoon Commander, Company G (Mechanized, Reinforced), Battalion Landing Team 2d Battalion, 1st Marines (BLT 2/1). Recently the MEU was sent to Jalalabad, Afghanistan, in support of NATO forces during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. You have been in-country approximately 1 month and have been assigned to the northeast sector of the area of responsibility, Nangarhar Province. Recently the BLT has been searching for warlord, Sher Dil, and his needihajum freedom fighters believed to be operating in the Rahadnak Valley. Sher Dil is the primary source of arms transportation into Jalalabad. The arms shipments flow from the northwest tribal regions of Pakistan into the Tora Bora region, through the Rahadnak Valley, then into Jalalabad. The Rahadnak Valley was initially quiet with no armed conflict. However, after successful arms interdiction in the area, organized guerrilla groups ignited an active campaign against coalition forces and inflamed tribal unrest throughout the valley.

Your mechanized platoon is embarked on four assault amphibious vehicles and is further reinforced with one machinegun squad and two assault teams from weapons platoon. Your company is tasked to search a village suspected of harboring Sher Dil and needihajum fighters. Speed is essential as the enemy is prone to resupplying its forces and then quickly fading into the rugged and mountainous countryside. A section of AH-I W Cobras can reinforce the company within 1 5 minutes.

The company scheme of maneuver calls for two platoons to encircle the village, one from the west and the other from the east, one platoon to advance along the main avenue of approach to seal the entry point, and a dismounted mortar section to isolate the objective area with calls for fire as needed. The section of Cobras can be used to further isolate the objective area or provide supporting fires if required. Your platoon is the main effort. On order, you will secure the main supply route (MSR) northwest of Ada while 1st and 2d Platoons isolate the village. During isolation operations, are the reserve. Be prepared to attack the enemy force west and east of the village in support of 1st and 2d Platoons’ mission. Upon conclusion of isolating the village, you will enter the village and search for weapons caches, needihajum fighters, and Sher Dil. Your platoon is reinforced with a weapons cache detection team (fire team of combat engineers), the company intelligence cell (the company executive officer attended basic Farsi language school), and the company interpreter who speaks Farsi and the local tribal language. You have used the tactic successfully in this area in the past and are familiar with your mission and the local area. You have placed the platoon sergeant with 1st Squad, and you are with 2d Squad with the company attachments.

During the isolation of the village, your platoon advances to the outskirts of the village along the MSR and secures the northeast exit of the village as 1st and 2d Platoons execute their mission. Your platoon established blocking positions, overwatch, and observation into the village as shown on the graphic. Approximately 10 minutes into the operation you hear machinegun fire from west of the village, and about 2 minutes later you hear mortar round explosions from the west as well.

2d Squad Leader calls you over and reports, “Sir, take a look. There are approximately six vehicles being loaded down with men, women, children, bags, and boxes. The men are all carrying AK-47s, and I see two rocket propelled grenades so far.” You confirm what 2d Squad observed and note that the vehicles will be completely loaded in approximately 1 0 minutes at the rate they are going. At the same time, fire erupts from 1st Squad’s position, but you cannot see what they are engaging.

The radio operator hands you the radio and says, “1st Platoon talking to company.” You listen in, “. . . on Hills 2 and 3, squad-sized each, machineguns on Hill 2, mortars on Hill 3. Lieutenant and Jenkins down. Need 2 minutes of immediate suppression on south side of Hill 3, grid 354256. Am assaulting Hills 2 and 3. Over.”

Less than 5 seconds later, your platoon sergeant radios you, “Enemy team on north side of village attempting to access a weapons cache. 1st Squad engaging to suppress. Still developing situation. Over.”

Less than 10 seconds after that, the company commander radios you, “Need your platoon to attack enemy forces on Hill 2 in support of 1st Platoon’s mission. Attack northeast to southwest and flank the enemy force.” He then radios 2d Platoon and orders them to focus on taking Hill 4 and attacking enemy forces on Hill 3 in order to prevent their escape into the valley. What now?

Requirement

In a time limit oí 5 minutes, issue your orders to your element leaders as well as any reports and recommendations to the company commander.

Issues of Consideration

1. What is the enemy’s disposition of forces? What is the enemy trying to accomplish with this attack?

2. What do you believe is the company and BLT commander’s intent for this area?

3. How do your actions support these intents?

4. How do your actions defeat the enemy’s intent?

5. What do you expect the enemy to do as a result of your orders?

6. Do your orders exploit the enemy’s response?

7. Did you consider collateral damage (civilian injury and damage to property) when determining your orders and recommendations?

8. What do you expect civilian response will be to collateral damage (property damage and casualties), and how do you think it will be communicated:

* At conclusion of fighting, while you are in the area?

* Within 1 hour after you leave?

* At the end of the day?

* At the end of the week?

9. What is the expected enemy response to collateral damage, and how do you think their response will be communicated:

* At conclusion of fighting, while you are in the area?

* Within 1 hour after you leave?

* At the end of the day?

* At the end of the week?

10. What actions can you, the company, and the BLT take to counter and exploit enemy and civilian responses to collateral damage while you are in the area and after you return to base?

11. Are there any recommendations you would give to the company’s commander to improve future missions of this type after the mission is complete?

Situation

You are che 1st Platoon Sergeant. Company G (mechanized, reinforced), Battalion Landing Team 2d Battalion, 1st Marines (BLT 2/1). Recently the MEU was sent to Jalalabad, Afghanistan, in supporr of NATO forces during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. You have been in-country approximately 1 month and have been assigned to the northeast sector of the area of responsibility, Nangarhar Province. Recently, the BLT has been searching for the warlord, Sher DiI, and his needihajum freedom fighters believed to be operating in the Rahadnak Valle}·. Sher DiI is the primary source of arms transportation into Jalalabad. The arms shipments flow from the northwest tribal regions of Pakistan into the Torà Bora region, through the Rahadnak Valley, then into Jalalabad. The Rahadnak Valley was initially quiet with no armed conflict. However, after successful arms interdiction in the area, organized guerrilla groups initiated an active campaign against coalition forces and inflamed tribal unrest throughout the valley.

Your mechanized platoon is embarked on four assault amphibious vehicles and is further reinforced with one machinegun squad and two assault teams from weapons platoon. Your company is tasked to search a village suspected of harboring Sher DiI and needihajum fighters. Speed is essential as the enemy is prone ro resupplying ITS forces and then quickly fading into the rugged and mountainous countryside. A section of AH-I W Cobras can reinforce the company within 1 5 minutes.

The company scheme of maneuver calls for two platoons to encircle the village, one from the west and the other from the east; one platoon to advance along the main avenue of approach to ,sea] rhe entry point; and a dismounted mortar section to isolate the objective area with calls for fire as needed. The section of Cobras can be used to further isolate the objective area or provide supporting fires if required. Your platoon is tasked with encircling the village from the west in order to prevent enemy forces from escaping the village during the search operations. ? he company main effort is 3d Platoon, which will conduct the search of the village. Your boundary (limit of advance) is southwest of the village ending at a line from the village to the western part ot Hill 4. You have used this tactic successfully in this area in the past.

The platoon commander orders the platoon to advance west of the village with each squad tasked with securing Hill 2 (1st Squad), rhe main supply route (MSR) between HiJIs 2 and 3 (2d Squad), and the MSR between Hills 3 and 4 (3d Squad). 2d and 3d Squads are reinforced with one machinegun team .and one assault team. The platoon commander is with 3d Squad, you are with 2d Squad, and the platoon guide is with 1st Squad.

As 1st Squad advanced toward its objective and 2d and 3d Squads continue toward their objectives, lsc Squad begins taking machinegun fire. 2d and 3d Squads dismount and begin to suppress the enemy on Hill 2. Approximately 1 minute into the fight for Hill 2, mortar round and machinegun fire impact around 3d Squad. You see 3d Squad directing fire on Hill 3 but cannot see what they ate firing at. Over the radio 3d Squad Leader reports, “Lieutenant and Jenkins down, enemy team, squad sized, on Hill 3, am preparing to assault pending further orders.”

What now, StaffSergeant?

Requirement

In a time limit of 5 minutes, Issue your orders to your element leaders and any reports and recommendations you would make to higher headquarters.

Issues for Consideration

1. Who do you believe the enemy force is? What is the enemy’s intent for this attack?

2. What do you believe is the platoon commander’s intent?

3. What do you believe is the company commander’s intent for this area?

4. How do your actions support these intents?

5. How do your actions defeat the enemy’s intent?

6. What do you expect the enemy to do as a result ol your orders? How do your orders exploit the enemy’s response?

7. How much property damage do you anticipate as a result of your actions?

8. How many civilian casualties do you anticipate as a result of your actions?

9. What do you expect the civilian response will be to collateral damage (property damage and casualties):

* At the conclusion of fighting, while you are in the area?

* Within 1 hour after you leave?

* At the end of the day?

* At the end of the week?

10. What is the expected enemy response to the collateral damage:

* At conclusion ot fighting, while you arc in the area?

* Within 1 hour after you leave?

* At the end of the day?

* At the end of the week?

11. What actions can you and the BLT take to counter and exploit enemy and civilian responses to the collateral damage?

12. What actions can you, the company, and the BLT take to deter future enemy activity in this area:

* While you are in the area?

* After you return to base?

* During subsequent patrols in the area?

Situation

You are the Commanding Officer, Company G, Battalion Landing Team 2d Battalion, 1st Marines (BLT 2/1), a mechanized rifle company. Recently, the MEU was sent to Jalalabad, Afghanistan, in support of NATO forces during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. You have been in-country approximately 1 month and have been assigned to the northeast sector of the area of responsibility, Nangarhar Province. Recently, the BLT has been searching for the warlord Sher Dil and his needihajum freedom fighters believed to be operating in the Rahadnak Valley. Sher Dil is the primary source of arms transportation into Jalalabad. The arms shipments flow from the northwest tribal regions of Pakistan into the Tora Bora region, through the Rahadnak Valley, then into Jalalabad. The Rahadnak Valley was initially quiet with no armed conflict. However, after successful arms interdiction in the area, organized guerrilla groups ignited an active campaign against coalition forces and inflamed tribal unrest throughout the valley.

Your mechanized company is embarked aboard 14 assault amphibious vehicles. You ordered the weapons platoon to detach three machinegun squads and six teams evenly between the platoons. While traveling southwest along a main road in the Rahadnak Valley during a routine mechanized patrol, your unit is tasked to search a village suspected of harboring Sher Dil and needihajum fighters. Speed is essential as the enemy is prone to resupplying its forces and then quickly fading into the rugged and mountainous countryside. A section of AH-IW Cobras, which can reinforce your unit within 1 5 minutes, remains on call to provide close air support.

In order to maximize the “shock and awe” and speed of your mechanized unit, you decide on a simple, though previously effective, scheme of maneuver that calls for two platoons to encircle the village, one from the west and the other from the east; one platoon to advance along the main avenue of approach to seal the entry point; and a dismounted mortar section to isolate the objective area with calls for fire as needed. The section of Cobras can be used to further isolate the objective area or provide supporting fires if required.

As your lead elements enter the village area, 1st Platoon immediately begins taking machinegun fire from the vicinity of Hill 2. As the platoon commander begins to take immediate action, mortars begin impacting around him. One of his vehicles has sustained a mobility kill.

What now, Captain?

Requirement

In a time limit of 10 minutes, issue your orders to your element leaders.

Issues for Consideration

1 . Who do you believe the enemy force is? What is their motivation for attacking?

2. What do you believe is the BLT intent for this area?

3. How do your actions support this intent?

4. How do your actions defeat the enemy’s motivation to attack?

5. How much collateral damage do you anticipate as a result of your actions?

6. What do you expect civilian response will be to collateral damage:

* At conclusion of fighting, while you are in the area?

* Within 1 hour after you leave?

* Ar the end of the day?

* At the end of the week?

7. What is the expected enemy response to collateral damage:

* At conclusion of fighting, while you are in the area?

* Within 1 hour after you leave?

* At the end of the day?

* At the end of the week?

8. What actions can you and the BLT take to counter and exploit enemy and civilian responses to collateral damage:

* While you are in the area?

* After you return to base?

* When you subsequently patrol in the area?

9. What action can you take to defeat enemy motivation to attack:

* While you are in the area?

* After you return to base?

* When you subsequently patrol in the area?

Situation

You are the S-3A (assistant operations officer) and battalion watch officer (as well as battalion landing team (BLT) training officer and education officer) of BLT 2d Battalion, 1st Marines, 1 1 th MEU. Recently, the MEU was sent to Jalalabad, Afghanistan, in support of NATO forces during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. You have been in country 1 month and have been assigned to the northeast sector of the area of responsibility, Nangarhar Province. Recently, the MEU has been focusing on the southern sector of the area of operations intercepting arms and explosives flowing from Pakistan into Afghanistan through the mountains of tribal Pakistan into the Tora Bora region. This region has three major tribes in the area – the majority Pashtun, the Wakhi, and the Tajik tribes. The tribes are further divided by clans, led by family patriarchs, that fight each other, regardless of tribe, over water rights, territory, and trade rights. The MEU has started to establish allies and informants in the area.

Acting on intelligence from a local tribe, the BLT commanding officer (CO) has tasked Echo Company, a helicopterborne company, to conduct a cordon and search operation in the village of Alikhel on the Afghan istan- Pakistan border in order to interdict insurgents and weapons flowing into the country. With BLT and MEU CO approval, Echo Company first deployed scout/sniper teams into the area in order to detect weapons and insurgent activity prior to commencing the cordon and search. Once the sniper teams detect insurgent activity, they are to report to the combat operations center (COC) and then the COC notifies the Echo Company CO (also heliborne unit commander) who then deploys into the area 2 hours after sniper reporr. If the sniper team is compromised, the MEU has a helo team on standby to retrieve the sniper team. It will take the helos 30 minutes to reach the extract landing zone. It is 1 1 30 and two sniper teams have been in place southwest of Alikhel since 2300 last night. Currently the CO is in a meeting with the MEU CO, and the S-3 and executive officer (XO) are out of the office but can be reached by cell phone to inform them they have to come to the COC, but no other information can be passed by phone.

You overhear one of your radio transmission operators (RTOs) talking to the sniper teams and wander over to his position. The RTO turns to you and says, “Sir, Dagger 1 has contact.” You grab the radio, identify yourself to the sniper team, and receive the report.

Approximately 20 enemy armed with clubs and rifles are attacking a local family. Estimate 2 minutes before they slaughter the family. Am engaging pending your orders. Both teams will need evac in 40 minutes. Over.

Requirement

In 10 minutes, explain what order you give to the sniper team leader; what action you take in the COC; what you report to the S-3, XO, and/or CO; what actions you recommend higher headquarters take; and what actions you recommend Sniper Team 2 take.

Issues for Consideration

1. If you order the team leader not to fire, do you think he will obey you?

2. What do you believe is Sniper Team l’s intent?

3. How do his actions relate to that intent?

4. Do you believe his actions are in keeping with the MEU COs intent? Why?

5. Are the sniper team leaders actions in keeping with the rules of engagement? Why?

6. Do your actions and order support the troops on the ground? Why?

7. What are the potential consequences of Sniper Team 1 s actions?

By Luke DeVore

Tactical decisionmaking and critical thinking are competencies junior officers must have to be successful in any operating environment. For this reason The Basic School (TBS) incorporates tactical decision games (TDGs) and sandtable exercises (STExs) into the program of instruction for newly commissioned lieutenants, giving them the opportunity to analyze tactical situations and practice making appropriate tactical decisions. The culture of TDGs and STExs is alive and well in our officer corps, as evident by the longstanding tradition of the Marine Corps Gazette publishing TDGs in the back of every issue. TDGs are so much a part of the officer corps’ culture that the proverbial question, “What now, Lieutenant?” flows off the captain’s tongue as freely as the first general order flows from the private’s tongue 3 weeks into recruit training.

More than ever, however, tactical decisionmaking and critical thinking competencies are needed below the company level. In an operational environment defined by the distribution of forces, with platoons responsible for geographic areas that companies or battalions would have covered in previous years, enlisted leaders at the squad level need to have tactical decisionmaking and critical thinking skills in order to prepare for the tactical dilemmas they will certainly face in today’s operating environments. Whereas “What now, Lieutenant?” is the proverbial question of conflicts past, the more appropriate question of today’s conflicts is “What now, Sergeant?” With some exceptions, squad leaders do not have the opportunity to engage in the type of exceptionally well-designed and executed TDGs and STExs that lieutenants experience at TBS. There are several reasons for this. Arguably, the culture of our enlisted leaders at the platoon level and below does not include a heavy emphasis on TDGs and STExs. Also, TDGs and STExs, to be conducted in a manner that best ensures skill transferal, require appropriate resources and exercise leaders with experience conducting them. Finally, the opportunities for squads to conduct independent training during “white space” are constrained by the time- and resource-consuming predeployment training program requirements that are usually conducted as prescribed training events at the battalion and company levels.

We should also recognize that our younger generation of Marines learns very differently than previous generations. The “YouTube” generation learns best with a more immersive and interactive approach to skill transferal. Whereas written after-action reviews (AARs) and white papers on emerging enemy tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) may be an appropriate means of communicating complex ideas to some, the current generation learns best when exposed to a visually and audibly stimulating experience. There is research to support that this is not just true of the YouTube generation; students of any age display higher information retention, recall, and understanding when the instruction is provided in an interactive and multisensory format.

Traditionally, TDGs are decidedly low tech and offer little sensory stimulation. However, the emergence of technology-based training solutions now offers Marines new opportunities in a huge swath of training, especially TDGs. Most infantry units at the battalion level and above now have a deployable virtual training environment (DVTE) suite. The DVTE is a suite of laptop computers fielded to units in deployable cases. Resident on the DVTE suite is a variety of simulation software that can be used for an assortment of individual and collective training. One of the more flexible and useful programs resident in the DVTE suite is the first-person simulation, Virtual Battle Space 2 (VBS2). The simulation allows VBS2-trained personnel to develop scenarios with surprising detail and realism that training authences can execute as teams, squads, platoons and, in some cases, even companies.

At the II MEF Simulation Center, DVTE analysts from Cubic Applications, Inc. have developed a method for conducting TDG-type training using VBS2. The new TDG concept, called tactical virtual guided discussions (TVGDs), allows squad-sized groups to receive an orientation, situation, and mission just like traditional TDGs, but the TVGD also allows the training authences to execute the mission in a first-person virtual environment. The execution, however, is not the principal training objective TVGDs are designed to support. As the name implies, TVGDs are designed to provide just enough execution to facilitate a robust discussion on critical tactical thinking and decisionmaking. VBS2 offers a multisensory format that enables the Marines to quickly and thoroughly understand the learning outcomes. With the aid of a discussion leader, the exchange of views resulting from a TVGD provokes the participants to engage in a surprisingly detailed analysis of enemy and friendly TTP. The AAR feature of VBS2 aids in this process. The AAR records the execution portion of exercises, including radio transmissions, which can then be played back and projected on a wall or screen. The playback can be viewed from literally any vantage point – enemy, friendly, bird’s-eye, etc. With the use of the AAR playback, the training authence is able to engage in an indepth analysis of enemy TTP; the impact of terrain, cover, and concealment; the effectiveness of internal communications; and the effect of friendly forces’ decisions and actions on the overall scenario.

The DVTE section at the II MEF Simulation Center has a catalogue of TVGD scenarios designed around an infantry squad with or without attachments (e.g., medium machinegun team). All of the scenarios are designed using very precise enemy TTP, and most of the scenarios directly replicate real-world ambushes and firefights detailed in AARs from units recently returned from Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. The Marine Corps Center for Lessons Learned (MCCLL) has been a valuable source for scenarios and emerging TTP that are then applied to TVGDs. For example, MCCLL posted an AAR from 3d Battalion, 8th Marines (3/8) and 2d Reconnaissance Battalion that detailed several ambushes the units experienced while deployed to Afghanistan in 2009. The AAR included detailed descriptions of the ambushes and friendly and enemy TTP, as well as maps depicting the terrain and friendly and enemy positions. This AAR was used to develop the first TVGDs. As additional AARs and reports on TTP are made available, the TVGD catalogue continues to grow. By recreating actual events, the Marines immediately recognize the relevance of the training, adding emotional involvement to the training – and they do get emotional. Since the first TVGD was conducted in June 2009, more than 200 Marines from across II MEF have participated in TVGDs, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

It is difficult to develop metrics that validate the effectiveness of TVGDs, but the general validity and economic efficiency of using simulations for groundbased combat training has long been established. While all evidence of the TVGDs being a legitimate training method is anecdotal. Marines and sailors report the training to be challenging, relevant, emotionally involving, and fun. One example speaks to the effectiveness of the TVGDs. Marines from a 2d MarDiv infantry company participated in TVGDs one Friday at the II MEF Simulation Center. Later that night the company commander wrote an email describing how the company’s NCOs were so energized about the discussions resulting from the training that they all got together at the beach that night to share drinks and thoughts about what they learned, what they would do differently in each scenario and, perhaps more importantly, what they learned about their Marines.

Each scenario is designed to last from 40 minutes to 1 hour from start to finish. Intended to be as turnkey as possible, each scenario is accompanied by a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation that defines the purpose and method for each scenario, as well as a detailed fragmentation order and associated maps and images. The TVGDs are designed to occur in four steps.

Step one: fragmentation order. Given by either the squad leader or another Marine selected to assume the leadership position.

Step two: execution and recording of the scenario. This portion lasts for only 5 to 10 minutes, or ends whenever the discussion leader decides that enough has occurred in the execution to conduct a thorough discussion of the event.

Step three: debrief. Systematically, each Marine is asked to recall what he saw and what he did or did not do.

Step four: after-action playback and group discussion of die event. The discussion leader will challenge the Marines to conduct a mission, equipment, troops, rime, terrain, civilian analysis of the event and discuss possible alternative solutions and considerations. The PowerPoint slides that come with the scenarios also include a list of recommended discussion points should the discussion leader need them.

The training authence can go through most scenarios as either the friendly or enemy forces. The Marines have responded very well to the ability to “red cell” the scenarios. By allowing the members of the training authence to conduct the scenarios as the opposing force, they have the chance to employ what they know about Taliban TTP and to more fully understand how the enemy fights and how best to combat the enemy threat.

Simulations are being used to effectively conduct a wide spectrum of groundbased training. At the Il MEF Simulation Center, Marines and sailors are using simulations to conduct everything from motorized patrolling and tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel to fire support team training and fixed-site security. Though the simulations resident on the DVTE suite support these training events, there are no premade scenarios that the units can simply fall in on and execute. In the absence of premade scenarios, units can contact the DVTE section at the II MEF Simulation Center for copies of the TVGDs or any other DVTE training or technical support.

The TVGDs, which can be conducted on a unit’s DVTE suite or at the simulation center, offer a focused, well-designed, and near turnkey training opportunity that allows the Marines at the squad level to receive the tactically focused critical thinking and decisionmaking training they will need to be successful down range.

Situation

You are a scout/sniper team leader of Sniper Team 1 assigned to Battalion Landing Team 2d Battalion, 1st Marines (BLT 2/1). Recently, the MEU was sent to Jalalabad, Afghanistan, in support of NATO forces during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. You have been in country 1 month and have been assigned to the northeast sector of the area of responsibility, Nangarhar Province. Recently the MEU has been focusing on the southern sector of the area of operations intercepting arms and explosives flowing from Pakistan into Afghanistan through the mountains of tribal Pakistan into the Tora Bora region. This region has three major tribes in the area – the majority Pashtun, the Wakhi, and the Tajik tribes. The tribes are further divided by clans, led by family patriarchs, that fight each other, regardless of tribe, over water rights, territory, and trade rights. The MEU has started to establish allies and informants in this area.

Acting on intelligence from a local tribe, Echo Company, a helicopterborne company, has been assigned a cordon and search operation in the village of Alikhel on the AfghanistanPakistan border in order to interdict insurgents and weapons flowing into the country. The company commanding officer (CO) has decided to deploy scout/sniper teams into the area first in order to detect weapons and insurgent activity prior to commencing the cordon and search. Your teams are specifically looking for trucks filled with personnel, weapons, or boxes moving into Afghanistan and stopping in Alikhel. You radio the BLT combat operations center, and Echo Company will commence the attack approximately 2 hours after your report. If your teams are compromised, helos will be on station in 30 minutes. It will take you 20 minutes to get to the evacuation landing zone. Your sniper team is four personnel with one 7.62 sniper rifle, one .50 caliber sniper rifle, two M1615s with PEQs, four night vision scopes, digital camera with 16x zoom lens, binoculars, and communications capability to talk to air and ground and send digital pictures, as well as your combat load for sniper teams.

Yesterday at 2300 your team and Sniper Team 2 inserted into Alikhel and established positions as shown on the map overlooking the village and main supply route from Pakistan into Afghanistan. It is now 1130 and your team noticed one vehicle approximately an hour earlier either entering or leaving the village going south into Pakistan with no suspicious activity so far. Approximately 10 minutes later you notice about 20 males armed with clubs and AK-47s surround and enter a home in a village. There is a lot of yelling in the home, at least six shots are fired, and a family is dragged from the home and placed in a clearing surrounded by the armed men. A crowd of at least 50 villagers forms around this scene while the perceived leader of the armed men begins to shout something to the villagers that you do not understand. The family consists of one older woman, four male children, and two female children. You have clear shots on several of the gunmen, including the leader. You believe the family will be killed if you do nothing in the next several minutes.

Requirement

In 10 minutes explain what order you give to your team, what you report to higher headquarters (HHQ), what actions you recommend HHQ to take, and what actions you recommend Sniper Team 2 to take.

Issues for Consideration

1. Based on your understanding of the local culture, could this be an insurgent activity, or could it be a local situation? WTiat could lead an insurgent to take this action? What could lead a clan to this action against another family?

2. What do you believe is your company COs intent? What is the MEU company commander’s intent? How does it apply to this situation?

3. In this scenario, how do your action and order relate to their intent?

4. What does the enemy hope to gain from this attack, assuming it is an insurgent activity?

5. How do your actions deprive the enemy of those gains?

6. What if it turns out the armed men are not enemies but an allied clan?

7. How do your recommendations to higher translate into actions your HHQ can take?

8. Assuming this is insurgent activity, what actions could your company, battalion, or MEU take to prevent enemy forces from continuing actions in this area?

9. Assuming this is a local feud, is it in the company’s, battalions, or MEUs interest to prevent these actions from occurring? Why?

10. Assuming it is in the MEUs interest to prevent vigilante justice in the outlying provinces, what actions can the MEU take to discourage this?

11. What are the possible results of your action given that this is a blood feud culture?

Situation

You are Bakhtawar, a leader under the warlord Wadaan Zarhawar. Your clan held a position of prominence in Jalalabad prior to the invasion of the Americans and Europeans and the subsequent American occupation. While your Pashtun tribal leaders reluctantly supported the foreign intervention, smaller clans, especially the Tajiks under warlord GuI Rang, seek to increase their power by allying themselves closely with the Americans.

As a result, Wadaan has ordered you to infiltrate into Gul’s area of control and ambush the Americans. You have 16 fighters, 14 armed with AK-47s and 2 armed with rocket propelled grenades (3 rounds each). You also have access to three mortar rounds, three handgrenades, one mortar round that is rigged to blow up by cell phone, and two cell phones for communications. You do not have access to your vehicles due to Gul’s vehicle checkpoints.

You sent out two scouts with one cell phone to the bridge to report when the Americans cross the bridge and are heading north. The rest of the your warband infiltrated into Gul’s area by foot and got ready to attack. You have been in place approximately 1 hour when your scout calls and reports that the Americans have just crossed the bridge in 3 groups of 10 to 15 men each moving along Route 6 and two parallel streets. What now?

Requirement

In a time limit of 1 5 minutes, determine what actions you would take during your 1-hour preparation time and what orders you would issue to your warband.

Issues for Consideration

1. What is your reason for launching this attack on this ground?

2. What does Wadaan Zarhawar want you to accomplish?

3. How do your actions support this?

4. What do you consider mission success?

5. What do you want to see happen to warlord GuI Rang’s area of control? What do you want to see happen to the American forces?

6. What considerations do you give to damage to personal property and loss of life in Gul’s area?

7. Is your focus on using your fighters to engage the enemy or on instigating locals?

8. Assume at the end of the engagement that you have brought down two Americans, your fighters have ceded the battlefield to the Americans, you have fallen back to your area of control with most of your fighters, one child and one woman were killed in the fighting, their home was damaged, and two of your fighters were killed. How can you use all of these factors to your advantage?

9. How sensitive are you to casualties among your own fighters? How sensitive are you to local civilian casualties?