Chosen Soldier - Dick Couch [133]
Captain Shaw’s plan is simple and straightforward. The eight-man ODA will insert some four miles from the target area. The men will then patrol to the area and establish a base camp to support their mission. Shaw and his communicator will man the base camp while two three-man reconnaissance and surveillance teams will move closer to the targets and establish patrol bases. The plan is for the two recon teams to lay up during the day and move about at night to survey the targets—a mobile radar site and a communications relay station. The briefback reflects the general political and military situation in the nation of Pineland. Shaw’s presentation is very smooth and professional, with various members of the team sharing the briefing duties. The real learning comes from the feedback from the commander’s comments.
“Good job,” he says to Captain Shaw, but he’s really speaking to all of them. “You touched on all the mission critical issues and peripheral information. A couple of things. Since this is, for now, a reconnaissance mission, stress the importance of remaining undetected. Your guys have to know just how important this is, and remaining undetected has to drive your planning and your movement near the target.
“As soon as you get on the ground and into the target area, get off a situation report to me as soon as you can. There’ll always be a very anxious forward operating base commander waiting to hear from you. He wants to know if you are all right, and he wants some ground truth. You are ground truth. Other commanders will likely key in on your information, right up to the area task force and regional commanders. You are now the best and most current information source.” He pauses to consult his notes. “You have a good plan, but keep it flexible as your recon teams will need to see things firsthand. If and when you are tasked with a direct-action follow-on mission, you’ll want to plan with their recent observations. You’ve probably already gamed a direct-action operation, but be open to the best and safest way to accomplish the mission. Right now, you may think the best option is to engage the target with a sniper weapon. Change the plan if your ground analysis shows this is not the best way to do this. Don’t underestimate the value of a simple standoff weapon like your M203 grenade launchers. They can be very effective against a soft target like a radar site.”
The battalion commander leaves, and Eric James begins his critique. “I agree with the colonel; it was a good briefback.” Then he begins a long list of “do better” and “consider this” items.
“When talking weather, terrain, enemy movements, and quick-reaction forces, talk about how these factors affect your mission. And always focus on the simplest way to accomplish your mission. On the positive side, Captain Shaw, I like the way you positioned yourself in base camp and in a position to support both of your reconnaissance teams. It’s a strong command-and-control position. Some commanders would like to see you in the primary recon team, but I think you have better overall control in the base camp. It means that you’re in for a few days of sitting on your butt in a hide site, but it’s best for the mission.
“Again, you did a lot of things well, but as team leader you have to sell yourself, your plan, and your team to your commander. During the planning, intelligence drives the operational plan; during the briefing, your command of the intel will help you sell your operational plan. Be confident. Don’t look at your briefing slides; look at him. Speak in a clear, command voice—look him in the eye.