On scouting and patrolling

Three purposes of patrolling:

(1) Collect info on enemy and terrain;
(2) Complete sight picture for commander;
(3) Transition to decisive action.

Acronym for remembering combat patrol types — “SCAR”

Security, contact, ambush, raid

Acronym for remembering recon patrol types — “RAZ”

Route, area, zone

Both types of patrols include a leader’s recon (LR) with a dedicated security element that provides early warning outside decision space.

Additional purposes:

Keep the enemy off balance
Add an offense element to defense
Retain the initiative
Guard against surprise

Need to develop the situation and find out as much information on the enemy as possible.

Patrols may be required to:

Determine enemy location and C/D/S
Reconnoiter terrain upon likely areas of engagement
Locate friendly troops
Achieve limited objective offensive operations in the enemy’s rear areas
Keep enemy at a distance while we consolidate and reorganize for further operations.

Examples of combat service support (CSS) units being forced to patrol in Afghanistan, Iraq, East Timor (Operation Warden, UN Peacekeeping force), Philippines.

Patrolling operations allow the leader to test:

Small unit proficiency
Leadership ability of his Marines
Marines’ decision making ability while conducting independent operations

Idea of “if a unit can patrol well, it can do anything well.”

Basic Patrolling Information

Scouting and patrolling definition:

A patrol is a detachment of ground, sea, or air forces sent out for the purposes of gathering information or carrying out a mission, such as destruction, harrassment, mopping-up, or security.

Classifications of patrols:

Means of movement
- Foot mobile
- Motorized
- Helicopter borne
- Water borne
Mission
- Reconnaissance patrols
- Combat patrols

Patrols can combine any two of the above classifications. Means of movement will be based on METT-TC and commander’s requirements, as determined by caps/lims.

Types of patrols:

Combat: ASLT, SUP, SEC

Recon: REC/SEC, REC/SEC, REC/SEC, and potentially HQ

Surveillance vs. Reconnaissance: constant sight picture vs. one-time sight picture.

During surveillance, can garner “historics” (full evolution of enemy activity, but higher risk of compromise. If you have an element conducting surveillance, HQ element always has comm on, surveillance element has dedicated comm windows.

Key personnel:

Both: RO, nav team (nav man and pace man), dedicated point man in each element (allows for seamless transition during rotation following reaction to contact), dedicated rear and flank security to provide early warning.
- Point man selected based on experience, understanding of target precedence, engagement criteria, PIRs, knowledge of terrain (where he grew up, deployed to), etc.
Combat patrols: PL, APL, SEC TL, ASLT TL, SUPP TL
Recon patrols: PL, APL, SEC Unit Leaders, Recon Unit Leaders

PL/PC: focused on up and out (enemy oriented).

PL must be far enough forward to assess effects (FR/EN) from the point of influence.
Coordinate internal elements and coordinate with adjacent units.
Remain on side closest to higher echelon or comms.
PL keeps his own pace count.

APL/PS: focused on down and in (friendly oriented, coordinating CASEVAC, CCPs, HLZs, unit discipline).

Individual actions:

Every 6-8 steps looking to higher level — sector, buddy, leader, cover.
Follow rule of “5 and 25” for immediate surroundings within 5-meter radius, and 25-meter radius for secondary threats (IEDs, enemy movement, ambushes).

Reconnaissance Patrols

Purpose: Obtain timely and accurate information on enemy and terrain. Goal is to move into potentially hostile territory and remain undetected IOT gather information. The purpose is to gather information before the leader’s plan is executed.
- Units gather PIRs (priority intelligence requirements), or IRs (general information requirements), or CCIRs (commander’s critical information requests, of utmost importance and must be passed to higher immediately).
Three types: route recon, area recon, zone recon.
- Route: focus on specific lines of communication (road, railway, waterway) to provide info on route conditions and activities. Will normally precede movement of friendly forces. Provides detailed info on specific route and surrounding terrain.
- Area: focus on terrain and enemy activity (in a town, ridge line, woods, or feature critical to operations). Can be a point like a suspected enemy HQ, or a bridge, key terrain, or installation. Reach the area w/o being detected.
- Zone: obtain information on all routes, obstacles (CBRN), terrain, and enemy forces within defined boundaries. Applicable when enemy situation is vague — supports total integrated intelligence picture.
Gain info — Parent unit will tell the PL (patrol leader) what information is required in the form of a PIR or IR. The mission is not accomplished unless all the PIR has been gathered.
Avoid detection — if the enemy knows he is being observed, he may move, change plans, or increase security measures. Methods to avoid detection:
- Minimize movement into the objective area (by conducting area recon)
- Move no closer than necessary
- Use long rage surveillance or night vision devices
- Camo, stealth, noise, and light discipline
- Minimize radio traffic
Employ security measures — patrols must be able to break contact ad return to the friendly unit with intelligence. Security elements can be emplaced IOT provide overwatch and suppress enemy upon recon element’s egress.
T/O — PL organizes IAW METT-TC.

Recon Patrol T/O:

1 or 2 FTs will conduct the recon, 3rd FT will be the security. Each FT should BPT assume either mission.

Recon element: answers PIRs, observes enemy activity, relays findings

Security: secures ORP, covers likely enemy AoA, protects units

Combat Patrols

Purpose is to actively engage enemy, secondary mission is to collect and report information. Combat patrols will generally be larger. Every patrol should seek to fulfill IRs.
Four types: security, contact, ambush, raid.
- Security: detect infiltration by enemy near defense, destroy infiltrators, protect against surprise and ambush. Security patrols return frequently to main body IOT coordinate and rest. They don’t operate outside range of comms and supporting fires. At the squad level:
  - FTs broken down into SECURITY UNIT, HQ UNIT, ASSAULT UNIT.
- Contact: establish and maintain contact with enemy when their location is unknown. Maintain contact with direct or indirect fires, or observation. Contact patrol avoids decisive engagement with enemy. Employed to front, flanks, and rear of friendly units.
- Ambush: surprise attack from a concealed position on a moving or temporarily halted target. Can include an ASSAULT to close with and destroy, or include an ATTACK BY FIRE. Ambushes need to seize or hold ground.
- Raid: surprise attack on an enemy force or installation with the attacking force withdrawing after accomplishing mission.
  - Raids destroy or capture enemy personnel or equipment, destroy installations, or free friendlies captured by enemy. Keys to success: surprise, firepower, and violence of action.

Combat Patrol T/O:

One FT (with PL, APL, RO) is HQ element that travels with SUPPORT.

At the platoon level, three squads will be the ASLT, SUPP, SECURITY.

Example OOM for squad size patrol in arrow formation (arrow head, shaft, fletching):

The frontmost FT (SEC) should be spread out for early warning to front L/R of patrol. The rearmost FT should be like the fletching of an arrow (wider than the shaft of the arrow, in between the flankers of the front FT).

What about attachments?

We want to centralize assets when in a platoon reinforced.

Difference between push and pull assets — difference between proactive and reactive.

If we push an asset to another element, that is being proactive! We are pushing a gun team up to behind the lead fireteam because we anticipate contact to the front.

If we have to pull an asset up, this is reactionary (response to battlefield stimulus).

BAMCIS:

Begin the Planning:

METT-TC Analysis
- Understand mission, higher’s tasking, CI, implied tasks, tactical task
- Determine sus/known/likely enemy locations, movement/patrol routes (reference fire support planning pub)
- Determine C/D/S, caps/lims
- Determine enemy’s task and purpose
- Determine EMLCOA
- Determine SOM
- Study terrain, vegetation (means of movement, speed, size, special equipment required)
  - Routine equipment (common to all)
  - En route equipment (rappelling gear, GPS, ropes)
  - Objective area equipment (thermal optics, claymores, EPW gear, sensors, demo)
  - Observation equipment (binos, optics, night vision)
- Conduct time analysis
  - How long to move through tree line (day/night)?
  - What time of day am I departing?
  - Does time of day coincide with specific enemy activity?
  - When do I need to RTB?
- Plan with available time:
  - Backplan, figure out essential tasks, determine required actions prior to departure, actions on patrol, actions on return
  - Develop timeline:
    - 1730–1800 Forward Unit Coordination/Passage of Lines
    - 1700–1730 Pre-Combat Inspections -PL
    - 1400–1700 Rehearsals
    - 1300–1400 Order Issue
    - 1230–1300 Pre-Combat Checks -APL
    - 1115–1230 Ammunition/Logistics Issue/Gear Prep
    - 1100–1115 Warning Order
  - It is the responsibility of the APL to supervise and enforce the timeline and requirements within the warning order.
- Arrange recon/patrol coordination
  - Combat Operations Center (COC) Coordination
    - Reference Commander’s Tactical Notebook MCRP 3-11.1A, Appendix I
  - Forward Unit Coordination (FUC)
    - Reference Commander’s Tactical Notebook MCRP 3-11.1A, Appendix I
  - Establish RPs
    - Initial rally point (in friendly lines)
    - En route rally point (between initial rally point and objective rally point; and from objective rally point back to where the patrol reenters friendly lines)
    - Objective rally point (nearest the objective where patrol makes final preparations, and where patrol reassembles after actions on; concealment and cover from fires; located short of, flanks, or past objective; outside of sight, sound, or SA range of objective)
    - Re-entry rally point (outside FPF of friendly unit, outside sight, sound, SA fire of friendlies, patrol occupies RRP as a security perimeter)
    - Unit SOP dictates PL will establish RPs (near and far) for all danger areas (with go/no go criteria and escape and evasion plan if not all Marines make it to far RP)
    - Diagrams for crossing linear danger areas on patrols here (p. 45/53).
  - General rules of thumb:
    - Foot patrols move at 1KM/HR during the day, 500M per hour during night in tree line.
    - Head counts conducted after crossing danger areas, security halts, enemy contact, or as PL dictates.
  - Company Coordination
    - PL coordinates with CO XO (en/fr situation, passage of lines, submit patrol overlay), mortars section leader or weapons PC (coordinate fires, submit fire support overlay, see Ref I and Ref II), CO GySgt (logistics)

Make Reconnaissance:

Physical, Aerial or map reconnaissance.
- Departure of friendly lines:
  - PL takes point man and nav man, links up with forward unit commander. Navigator stays with a guide from the forward unit at this PASSAGE POINT, PL and point man L/U with patrol.
  - PL briefs any changes, location of IRP (initial rally point), moves in tactical column from AA to PASSAGE POINT.
  - Before entering passage lane, patrol assumes dispersed file, forward unit’s guide leading the patrol.APL behind the guide. Once through the barrier, APL conducts head count to ensure all Marines passed through. Patrol transitions into a tactical patrol column.
  - Patrol should conduct a short security halt one terrain feature away (out of friendly direct fire weapons range) IOT orient on environment.

Example of Passage of Lines Control Measures:

Complete the Plan:

Complete the plan with the information driven by METT-TC analysis, coordination, and Reconnaissance.

Issue the Order:

On a patrol, the thorough coordination and detailed planning requires that all patrol members are present at the order and a detailed well built terrain model that reflects the terrain is constructed and present.
PL will only “walk the dog” after SOM and again during coordinating instructions.

Supervise:

Rehearsals
Six forms of contact with enemy: visual, direct fire, IDF, obstacle, CBRN, signal/EW.
Importance of IA drills: hasty ambush, chance contact (immediate assault), chance contact (break contact), counter-ambush (near ambush: within 50M/hand grenade range of enemy direct fire, far ambush: more than 50M), near ambush, far ambush, IDF.
Rehearse re-entry of friendly lines plan: same as exiting — PL takes navigator and point man to conduct L/U with guide at pre-designated contact point (moving unit does near/far recognition, and then once close enough, the stationary unit does challenge/pass). Then, PL returns to RRP with point man to L/U with patrol. Does same L/U with stationary unit, perform head count, PL provides forward unit commander with SALUTE/SPOT report. PL takes patrol to S-2 for patrol debrief.
Pre-Combat Checks
Pre-Combat Inspections

Execute

Debrief

Following re-entry of friendly lines: same as exiting — PL takes navigator and point man to conduct L/U with guide at pre-designated contact point (moving unit does near/far recognition, and then once close enough, the stationary unit does challenge/pass). Then, PL returns to RRP with point man to L/U with patrol. Does same L/U with stationary unit, perform head count, PL provides forward unit commander with SALUTE/SPOT report.
PL takes patrol to S-2 for patrol debrief.
Patrol conducts debrief at CO/BN level. Reference MCWP 3-11.3, Chapter 14.
PL gets constructive criticism.

IA drills vs. Battle Drills:

IA drills give the PL time to make a decision. IA drills are pre-planned, instinctive responses to battlefield stimulus.
- Example: Battlefield stimulus —> RTR —> Contact L/R/Front/Rear or immediate assault —> transition to battle drill.
Battle drills are play calls for the PL:
- Offensive battle drills:
  - Hasty ambush (difference between hasty and deliberate = in hasty ambush, you don’t sweep the kill zone, you get off the X.
  - Hasty attack (frontal assault)
  - Action L, Action R (Action L = from the PL’s position. the unit to his left does a right flank)
- Defensive battle drills:
  - Break contact (reverse buddy rushing)
  - React to far ambush (more than 50M away, initiate fires and break contact)
  - Fix and wait for reinforcements (your element becomes SBF for a reinforcing element to maneuver; PL positions himself next to the “danger gun” AKA gun most likely to commit fratricide, then cuts geometries of fires as maneuver closes; needs to know direction/distance where reinforcing unit coming from.

Example of battle drill:

Danger area crossing — lead element posts security, PL positions himself with lead element, second element flows across and conducts clearance recon (box recon) on other side and posts security, second element signals all clear, PL with third element crosses over, then pulls security element + APL across.

Patrol overlay example: