Year in the Arghandab AO - AAR

[MikeL]

This was originally posted on lightfighter.net by a US Army Infantry NCO

http://lightfighter.net/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9046084761/m/69120968863/p/1

MickFury's Arghandab Megaforce Multiple Faceshootings Muthaf**kin’ Year In Review

ATTENTION GETTER! Just like school taught me. See, I learned. This is how I reel you in with something short and cool, so you feel you have to read all the long drawn out stuff I spent writing in my downtime 

MickFury's Megaforce MCLMM Files

This is where I will showcase the little tricks of the trade that helped us in our endeavors where maybe you can pick up some tips to help in your particular mission. I'm sure these concepts have been around forever and I don't take any credit whatsoever for innovation – in many cases I am simply re-inventing the wheel. Not all may be common knowledge though, hence why I am sharing. I believe reason and methodology behind a decision is just as important (if not moreso) than the decision itself and will include this as well.

VOLUME I: The Team-Level ASP

PURPOSE:

We instituted the idea of the Internal ASP, though I am certain it's been around for a long, long time. We needed to be able to come back, re-set, reload, and head back out immediately on select mission sets. As such, the jumping through hoops of a traditional ASP where you needed to find someone with keys, open it up, sort through what you want, maybe even sign for it or annotate how much you drew out if people have went full retard, et cetera was time consuming and counter-productive. Do not interject admin tasks when your guys are all geared up and raring to go with a combat mindset. I liked the "hide in plain sight" approach. Our area had a bunch of empty boxes, cases, et al that no one was able to look into aside from us that were conducive to storing ammunition in. Battlefield Circulations from Higher would have had an issue with a stockpile of ammo cans in our area, but didn’t have a clue with this particular low profile solution. We dedicated cases to certain roles so everyone can grab and go as needed and Leaders cycled folks through according to LACE reports their Soldiers gave them. This allowed Leaders a chance to lead while reinforcing both Big Boy Rules and Skill Level 1 aspects for Soldiers. It was an efficient and streamlined process which I stand by.

I personally inspected, function tested, and handloaded 80 x M4 magazines with M855A1 to 28 rds capacity for our element's reserve (on top of vehicle resupply / bail out bag stuff)- I wanted to be absolutely sure that all the magazines we had were good to go, and this was the only way I could be certain of that. I talked to teammates as to what I was doing and why if they were interested and showed them the ropes. Machine gunners did much the same thing with inspecting linked ammunition. Hand-held munitions were taped IAW internal SOP. Basically, everything needed for the fight was done prior so we could concentrate solely on the fight when the time came. Grab and go ain’t just for fast food drive through’s. Take the time to do things right internally, it will benefit you in the long term. "frig anyone who ain't us" was a common thought process in our element. I would never want to rely on other people for my tactical needs - this is how magazines jammed with ammo from stripper clips haphazardly in a TOC happens when an element in contact is in a TIC and requests resupply, a failure to forecast and plan accordingly. Be self sufficient. It's your war, dictate the terms in your favor. Why settle for anything less? "Was this event foreseeable?" "Did I do everything in my power to plan for contingencies?" These are the questions we asked ourselves with our planning process, when what-if'ing scenarios, and during hotwashes. Take ownership of mistakes, learn from them, but don't dwell on them and resolve never to make the same one again. This is how we learn.

METHOD:

We opted to try and get the good stuff as quickly and in as much quantity as possible - match grade, armor piercing, various color smoke, frags and bangs, Claymores, LAW’s, specialty stuff, HE/Frag and not just HEDP, et cetera. Initial procurement was everything from traditional requests, getting stuff from the previous element rotating out, horse trading and wheeling and dealing, to the standard crafty approach that Leaders best have plausible deniability with. I was really good at the last one...

My line of thinking was that as long as you did not frig over the next guy, come to me with what you have and I would take the heat, if any. This allowed my teammates, some of whom were relatively new, a cutout so they wouldn’t get in trouble, and as someone who had previously deployed I’d take the responsibility for the ***-chewing if it came to that. I’d make sure to give credit to the dude once given the all-clear and commend him for his resourcefulness. Sensitive Items were declared a no go to procure from the get go, obviously. We never had any issues aside from one idiot ******* around with demolition equipment (firing initiator) and that was during mission preparation, not procurement, with the entire element there. Thankfully, no injuries resulted.

ENDSTATE:

The end result is that you have an internal stockpile that can last you for days when done properly, with a minimum time for reset and resupply so you can focus on the job at hand. It is not easily identifiable as to what it is by anyone outside of your element. It is an incredible resource that allows you to stay insulated from higher elements and be more self-sufficient. The less we had to deal with anyone other than us, the better.

Plus, you know, it just looks awesome when you open it up.

This was the Coffee Table in preparation for loading up into the boxes / cases. Note systematic classification where you can have one dude work/inspect on one type of ammunition / munition in order to make it as quick and efficient as possible. Leaders or SME’s initially train Soldiers on SOP and what to look for as well as imparting knowledge on ammunition / munitions, then provide supervision once Soldiers demonstrate proficiency. Eventually, Leaders should only have to do the occasional spot check as their Soldiers demonstrate consistent aptitude and application. Stair-stepped, reality-based training with outcome- based evaluations. At the end of the day, Soldiers just wouldn’t have a team-level ASP but a knowledge base for what best to employ and when for ammunition and munitions. Leadership in all things…
Confidence. Accountability. Adaptability. Problem-Solving. Breed these qualities in your element.



That’s all I have for VOL 1. It may not be in accordance with some Army Regulations but hey let's be honest - that’s never stopped me before... it worked, and it worked well. I hope this helps in some capacity and you can take something away from it. If you have any questions or RFI’s please let me know and I will try and answer them as best I can. Thanks for taking the time.

Regards,
Mick

 

[MikeL]

This is my review of the last year, what worked, what didn't, and how to fix some things. In it I will describe my individual, team, and element roles, my weapon systems aside from mounted crew served, equipment, thought process, mindset, and how I kept it honed throughout the year.

Keep in mind that I am tired, and that this sucks hardcore now, but was once the greatest job I ever could have asked for and I will never have the operational latitude I did during this fighting season ever again in the Army. I was in the right place at the right time with the right people, with the right mindset…For the most part, anyway. Some folks sold their souls to make rank and appease their bosses, and they shall have to live with these decisions. I can look at myself in the mirror and know I did right, as can most of my teammates.

This will be long, and I will do my best to break it up into common sense, digestible portions that flow logically. Forewarned is forearmed, if you’re short on time I recommend holding off on going further – maybe just look at the pictures.

Role (Individual):

I'm slotted as an SDM, function as a PLT-level Sniper/Observer due to prior training and current materiel solutions (think Russian / Romanian / Serbian MTOE). I needed to be able to carry multiple weapon systems and store ammunition for them all, which meant my kit had to be as multifunctional as possible.

My other hat is as the PLT Breacher with both Covert and Ballistic Breaching responsibilities. To date I haven't needed to progress beyond Covert personally, the one lock that bested me was mechanically breached by my ANA comrades...who used the barrel of their M16 to break the chain.

Role (Team)

Function interchangeably as a member of the squad en route to the objective or on DA mission sets. This required carrying two rifles most of the time, which sucks. Sniper/Observer when static, on a Support By Fire, and whenever situation dictated. For the latter, I report and answer directly to the PSG and am primary source for intel, ADRAC's, GRG's, and Call For Fire / CAS / AWT's if FO / JTAC isn't co-located on site. Autonomous in most regards, my Target Discrimination is trusted and I am authorized to take my own shots. I give him a proper SALUTE report if at all feasible, but for targets with short exposure times it's "Shot, out" with update post shooting. We are clear on ROE during planning process. I keep personal logs and establish patterns of life early on to make job easier. I bring magnification and PID capabilities to the fight along with surgical precision. My PSG is a B4 qual'd with time in Sniper Sections, so we speak the same language and he knows how to properly use and employ me.

Role (Element)

We function as an HVT PLT, and this is reflected in our organization, planning process, work ethic, and our demand across the entire BDE. Mission sets on the DA side of the house include HVT's, TST's, raids, air assaults, clearance operations. COIN side include cultural mapping, deliveries, and security escort for enablers such as TPT/CA/FET. Primarily dismounted, we were all over the battlespace and worked with all sister BN's in varied terrain to include jungle, desert, and mountains.

THOUGHTS ON ROLE:

I loved this job during fighting season, had a lot of opportunities, validated thought processes, and murdered quite a few bad guys. I also realize it is not applicable across the board due to lack of trained personnel to man the requirement as well as Leadership to properly employ them. I attribute our PLT's overall success due to hard-charging NCO's and a phenominal new O willing to fight early on against the stupidity and to do things our own way - which always, always happened to work. Indicator. This changed with the drawdown and a BDE initiative and the new SMA which turned everything into a toxic work environment, but during fighting season we could not be fucked with and were the best anyone has seen - this was why we were requested as the main effort for other BN's mission sets and always set the standard. We fought higher just as hard (if not harder) than the Taliban, Haqqani and other special folks who wanted to bring the ruckus. If management focused on the mission as opposed to the process, we would have been a much more effective fighting force. Bloused boots and properly cuffed shirts in 140 degree weather is not the priority, but some folks have nothing else to go off of other than AR 670-1 because they don't know FM 7-8 and SH-76. Times like that were when my patience ran out.

THOUGHTS ON ELEMENT:

We were a success due to the right people at the right time with the right mindset and training. It continually amazes me how much the Army can be pure luck of the draw. A strong work ethic, dedication to the profession of arms, and honing our craft were all qualities looked for and found in our ranks. Strong backgrounds and experience among seniors rounded this out. The 10% is found everywhere, and we were certainly no exception though we did our utmost to minimize this, which sometimes worked but mostly didn't. Our success: among others, we ended up taking down one of the Top Ten personalities in Afghanistan with the help of a friendly neighborhood SOTF. We also found ourselves in sticky situations where Higher made the call to pull us out prior to shots being fired. I maintain that we would have won those gunfights, but we would have incurred a lot of casualties in the process. Sometimes it’s best to let the situation develop before committing to action - lesson learned. Just like in the sniper/observer world, some instances are more appropriate when you don't take the shot.

Efficient targets require efficient planning and execution. It needs to be a bottom-up process, not a top-down one. Some of the best and brightest ideas we got were from those on their first deployment. Publish intent and give us everything we need and ask for in a timely manner, let us go about the specifics of solving the problem. Trust us, we earned it. When you can do what we do, you can go where we go. This created some operational jealousy from sister elements (whom we thought sucked due to bad experiences working with them), but whenever folks got in trouble and needed help we were often the ones they requested, by name. This meant a lot to us, and we would have fought anyone and everyone in our way to get to our Brothers...

Do NOT layer operational support - this is unnecessary and slows our OODA Loop way down. Why in the fuck would I want to talk to an idiot Company level RTO sent there because he sucks at being a line doggie playing whisper down-the-lane from BDE / BN / Fires / (he is NOT relaying information if it is NOT accurate) from several other levels when I can have direct communication (or one step away from it) to the dude working PTIDS/Aerostat/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Blimp/UAV assets and talk him on to best cover infil, squirter control, danger areas, exfil, et al? I swear, if people incorporated all this together and ran drills in order to reduce response time with greater accuracy in information relay and overall force support - the results would speak for themselves. Approach everything with a combat mindset, even if it requires a Soldier to sit behind a desk. In many instances, they are the best enablers we have - why exclude or marginalize them?

We are a Force Package where the composition is the sum of its parts and all elements therein need to be at their best in order to maximize efficiency. I would have LOVED to have a dedicated S2/S3/K9/EOD element assigned with us. This would have allowed better and more comprehensive training, rehearsals and team building - which in turn would lead to increased operational effectiveness. We could have developed a Suggested Best Practices for everything from Enabler Asset to fusion operations to Tactical Call Outs. Instead, everyone was on a rotational basis aside from us. This sucked, having to either re-train everyone or briefing them on SOP's if the time hack didn't warrant schooling proper. We had EOD / K9 teams requesting to work with us, which was awesome on multiple fronts, and we worked back door deals with folks in the TOC to have their best and brightest on duty when we were out and about to best relay information and push it down directly to us. They did so at the expense of their normal sleeping hours and shifts. We are indebted to them all. The success we found was directly due to those attached to us who had a direct stake in the fight. Having an EOD TL tell you straight up, "This place is bad news bears, man. We keep on poking our noses about and someone's gonna get hurt no matter how careful we are. We need to bomb this place" is something else. Having leadership actually listen to them and launch an MLRS strike based on that actionable intel was even better.

I have come off operations ready to kick in a door and yell "JUMP PUNCH!" and slug motherfuckers in a TOC who do not comprehend the complexities on the ground because they have never been or have limited time being guys on the ground. Being quarterbacked by idiots making decisions that are already obsolete based off evolving situations not realized or accounted for from a thousand feet + in the air off a television is downright infuriating. We went on one goose chase, splitting our already small element up into 3-man teams at one point in a large village, at night, dogs barking that we couldn’t shoot, with limited comms and strange things afoot due to this. Being told to hit the wrong numbered buildings, being sent in the wrong cardinal direction and/or azimuth, being given wrong grids - all this and more. Plus, it was just spooky. We accomplished the mission via asymmetric solutions which often came from our younger dudes (Hey, why don't we fingerprint these dudes and compare their prints to the prints found on the knives those dudes digging what turned out to be a hoax IED?) At least the bad guys were caught and it gave us a valid reason to point to that we should be doing things our way and that if people aren't being part of our solution, they are being part of the overall problem.

 

[MikeL]

My favorite military definition is as follows:

"Communication is the flow or exchange of information between two elements, Sender and Receiver. When there is a break in Communication, Miscommunication occurs."

Don't cause breaks, don't insert yourself into a position that is not directly contributing to the mission which can be verified with quantitative means and analysis. I don't give a fuck if some CO wants "operational credit", we're here to capture/kill bad guys. If he wants to disrupt this, he should be told to wind his neck in. Yank that chain when focus is on the process and not on the mission. You want to take credit after the fact - fine, I honestly couldn't care less about who claims our success down here as long as the bad guys are slotted or in restraints. My problem is when bullet points supercede actual bullets. You micromanage or inhibit our effectiveness, prepare for the reality of taking operational credit for mission failure, jackass, and I will pin that tail on you personally in front of your peers and your bosses because I believe in making people take ownership of their mistakes so lessons are learned and mistakes aren't repeated because the price is paid in blood, our blood, and I have nothing to lose whereas they have careers to think of. I tend to piss people off sometimes.

TEAM BUILDING

I think this discussion warrants its own thread, so will keep this short with one maxim we kept throughout.

"Life is short. If you don't trust him - DX him." - Sneaky

The team is built of a foundation of trust. There can be no breaches of it or you weaken its structural integrity. If this occurs, it may cause irreparable damage, or that which can be fixed with due time and diligence. It is your life and the lives of your teammates. Why surround yourself with anyone not willing to do what is needed to best prolong them and win?

We had two notable cases where we DX'd those undeserving to hold ranks with us.

One was DX'd before we even got to where we were going. He was a problem child who suffered from immaturity, lack of integrity (filling his ruck with sleeping bags and pillows during physical training evolutions), and poor peer reviews. The breaking point was when he openly admitted that he would not help individuals he did not like (as in - those that yelled at him for being fucked up) if they were wounded. There is no coming back from that, and he was instantly ostracized.

The other we DX'd shortly after his first firefight. He broke down and went turtle, revealing himself as the true coward he was. He was always the one to talk a Hefty Bag worth of trash, so this made his fall from grace pack even more punch as he lay on the ground a sniveling, spineless pussy. Far too often, it is those who display constant swagger and braggadocio that are the ones to showcase their impotence once the fight happens. Quiet professionalism exists for a reason. He had prior problems with work ethic, punctuality, and knowledge base. Indicators. He should have been demoted prior to deployment but wasn't. There is video of this day, and it does not lie. The last frame closes on his facial expression and it is priceless.

Do not let anyone poison your well. You serve in a high risk profession which is dangerous enough. Don't let undeserving folks set you up for failure. Cut slingload. In both cases paperwork should have been started and kept of their actions and inaction in order to get them reduced or given an Article 15, but this wasn't done. For what it’s worth, their TL was DX'd before we even got to where we were headed as well and it was the right decision.



"I will fucking annihilate you."

The above is what I said before I rolled out.
Mindset.

MINDSET

Surgical Mindset: I'm an assaulter at heart, but the precision side of the house has imprinted in me surgical mindset. This lended itself well to restrictive ROE and instances where it was required and I had the ability to deliver precision direct fire at extended ranges when others could not. This mindset also hurt at times due to my having trouble transitioning from a surgical mindset to a combat mindset. I tended to focus on maximizing my shot potential against one target in lieu of firing several acceptable shots when facing multiple opponents at longer ranges, which allowed some bad guys to make it to cover / concealment. Know what is an acceptable sight picture / trigger squeeze for the shot required. Simply put, I fucked up by not being able to quickly identity and adapt to the requisite mindset for the situation at hand.

Combat Mindset: I've seen more indiscriminate use of force and wanton waste of ammunition with little to no tactical impact than I ever want to see again. Do not confuse my tempered application of force with risk aversion or a distaste for killing, now. I've watched Soldiers fire AT-4's, Javelins, and even Carl Gustav's seemingly at random just to get a rush because they couldn't heed a simple ADRAC. Unacceptable. I've had Company Grade Officers use TIC's as an excuse to tally up another combat Javelin shot, far too often ineffectively. One Acting CO we were attached to called out a cease fire in order to engage an enemy spotter with a Javelin. No effect on target. My teammate eliminated the threat with a few bursts from a M2, confirmed by AWT's. The threat could have been eliminated quicker and more efficiently. This is war. Kill the enemy as fast as possible. This isn't about looking cool. FUCK cool. You kill the enemy by filling them with holes or lead or whatever is in M855A1 these days. If you don't then you are not positively effecting mission accomplishment. Stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution. Rank amateurism and idiots in love with their guns have no place on the battlefield on the Good Guys side.

"We must be able to apply the appropriate degree of force and discrimination... demonstrating a complete business like attention to detail and if necessary, we must be able to kill with ruthless efficiency" - MSG Paul Howe

Mind on the mission. You are here to put in work. This is Afghanistan where the enemy is actively trying to kill us. If you know AR 670-1 better than FM 7-8, get the fuck out of my face. I have told this to an O-5 on mission. It astounds me how priorities are so skewed. You may be in the Army to play games, I am in the Army to fight wars. Stop focusing on the process and start focusing on the mission. Get on board with this line of thinking or get out of my way. This is my home, trespasser, tread lightly and with great care.

MOTIVATION:

You need to find what it is that drives you. You need to do this before combat, before training. Weekend rucks can help you think. For some, it is the Oath they took to defend this country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. For others, it is for the chance to refine combat for themselves. Some do it thinking of the day they get to separate from the service. Others just want to kill people that deserve it. It is intensely personal, and up to the individual to form and define. When the time comes, you may need to rely on it to get you through.

Sometimes what got me back to my feet was thinking of Holly Robinson on 21 Jump Street and Dominique Moceanu circa 1997. Others it was because “Carry On Wayward Son” by Kansas started playing in my head. When faced with a difficult decision, sometimes the most off the wall thoughts occurred to me - "I wonder what would Bill Murray do when faced with this dilemma?" I may be some kind of crazy and this kind of thing only happens to me, I don’t know. Whatever it is- use it.

GUNFIGHTING

Dry Firing:

I Dry Fire'd 3-4 x per week, for my M4. My maximum time allotted for dry firing was 30 minutes. I felt anything more was either a case of diminishing returns or doing more harm than good. Majority was standing from low ready (muzzle below belt line). Varied distance and shooting positions in order to keep it fresh and relevant to gunfights in theater. Training package included White Light / Optic, VIS laser, and IR Illum & Laser. Also trained driving gun to multiple targets. Dry firing got me away from everyone and reinforced why I was here while keeping my skills sharp. Tower time with long gun and spotting scope kept snipercraft up.

Weapon Manipulation:

Combat Reloads, Tactical Reloads, Transitions were all aspects worked on. I worked on perfecting technique first, then focused on speed. I broke manipulations up into specific modules and tacked them on to Dry Firing sessions. Tower time also allowed for this with long guns.

Sustainment Training:

We had an incredible (as in, almost limitless) supply of ammunition at our disposal, but a combination of BDE range micromanagement and internal complacency / lack of mindset ensured the only live rounds I fired were at the enemy. Failure of leadership and lack of training for the fight. An increasing trend I see on the conventional side of the house is their thinking that pre-training leaves them qualified for the mission and no sustainment training is necessary. These are typically the same types who succeed largely in spite of themselves. Get on the range, conduct medical training, do rehearsals, battle drills – brilliance in the basics of Skill Level 1 Soldiering at all times, especially on deployment when you don't have to deal with as much bullshit. Make the most of your time and environment. Another reason why I despise most E8’s/E9’s in the Army. Those who had the greatest success over here was directly due to this – brilliance in the basics, Skill Level 1 Soldiering, a solid foundation to build off of with refresher and sustainment training as needed.

BODY

DIET:

I don't drink energy drinks, Monsters, Rock Star, Red Bull, White Tiger, whatever other crap is out there. I don't drink caffeine at all. I don't smoke cigarettes. I smoked a cigar the last day of every month while looking up at the stars (or if I was lucky, at a lightning storm under NOD's). I did have a Root Beer Float whenever we went to the major base and had time to go to the DFAC, though, and I am typically a thoroughly unhealthy eater. This deployment I subsisted mainly off MRE's and snacks from care packages / the occasional PX run. PB&J's and spaghetti were my mainstay, with rice and foot bread rounding it out on the Afghan side of the house. (Foot bread is the best bread, ever....well aside from garlic bread.) I refused to eat at MKT's due to several folks getting sick due to foodborne illnesses. I learned this the hard way during RIP/TOA due to very poor hygiene and field sanitation from the previous Unit when I walked to the latrine in the dead of night sick as a dog with shitty-ass PT shorts and vomited all over the front of my PT shirt because I didn't even care about bending over to throw up after the poopy pants fiasco. Never again, I decided, and I've only been sick one other time which didn't affect my mission readiness – I just threw up about 8 times when gunning a vehicle.

CONDITIONING:

Missions keep you in shape, but I still should have ran, stretched, and hit the gym more on my own time. No excuses.

INJURIES:

I incurred two injuries while over here – a dislocated patella and a concussion. A had a prior knee injury that made me more susceptible. Knee injury occurred on night movement with no ambient light to link up with sister element who neglected to bring along engineers or EOD to blow in place IED. Or even boom boom to do it themselves. Or sufficient water. Or NOD's. Needless to say, I was pissed and this likely led to the injury as I was moving too fast due to being angry and failed to properly focus and channel it. Shifted it back into alignment myself and wrapped my scarf around it and limped back. Took three days to recover to get back to what I thought was mission capable and regularly did physical therapy by myself and monitored by our Doc. It gave out on me a few more times since, but nothing that caused me to be NMC or a hindrance and no further injuries. Concussion arose from taking a dive off of the biggest grape wall ever, a 12 foot tall one, with a false stepdown that caused me to plummet 10 feet with a heavy load onto my head. Loss of memory, balance, no stars or fading light and I continued on while being periodically checked on by Doc. I was fine when the sun came up. I am a firm believer that physical fitness mitigates injuries – the better shape you are in, the more injury resistant you are. We need everyone in the fight. The fight requires us to get there, fight, and return – and be ready to do so again and again as needed.

DOWNTIME

Downtime needs to be enforced. Don't tell your people they need it – just that they have to take it. I wrote a lot – contributing to LF, short stories, a script of a short story my friend in college wrote, essays for college admissions, manuals / best practices, and even a tactical article for a magazine. Reading and beating on all comers except my wounded friend at Mortal Kombat rounded it out. Plus sleep. Never get enough sleep. Near the end I started planning what to do when I get out and put in a lot of work to get selected to be a member of an epic 80's cover band that my wife finds hilariously over-the-top.

 

[MikeL]

LAYERED OFFENSE

I believe in the Layered Offense methodology of having a tiered weapon system process that MSG Howe advocates. A->B->C->D. In my case it typically went from Rifle->Shotgun->Grenades->Knife->Hands, with the idea of picking up a teammates weapon or an enemy's even though it would likely not be zeroed properly somewhere along the line. I haven't had the need to do this as no one's made it past my rifle in combat. That being said, distance plays a factor in this as well. You can't bring the rifle to bear when someone's grappling you.


PRIMARY WEAPON SYSTEMS (A)

M24:

I ganked this from the ANA on multi-day missions. They were loading tracer rounds in a precision rifle and were inadequately trained on it and letting their friends play with it, resulting in several ND's on missions. It was perfect for rooftop work and when working with sniper/observers in sister elements when we were co-located or close by and could shoot and communicate effectively.

M110: I preferred this solution if at all possible. The ones I had experience with at my last Unit were hit or miss, but this one was a laser. For anything whatsoever to do at night, this is the answer. I strongly prefer shooting with a suppressor on long guns if available when the situation dictates - those seconds of confusion are to sniping as the NFDD is to CQB, plus they have no idea where you are shooting from. When they start to take off, have the machine guns start barking because you can’t beat something that is big, bad, and belt-fed.

M14 EBR:

I've wrote a lot about this weapon system of LF already, so please consult those discussions for details. Bottom line is that it did the job, was better than nothing, but it is far from an ideal solution. It is, however, what I ended up using the most along with either an M4 or M500. Here are issues identified with it:

- Weight of M14 is excessive, especially with acoutrements. Length is ridiculous, even with Sage stock.

- BDC on optic isn't spec'd to round in use with .308 long guns Army-wide (M118LR). This results in decreased chance of first round hit when dialing for death.

- Manual of arms is different. M14 EBR was fielded in theater due to failure of leadership at BDE level and no training with them was done at all. Safety located inside trigger guard is an institutionally approved safety violation.

- Lack of serviceable magazines. No issued pouches. Lack of spare parts. Lack of institutional knowledge, to include repairs. Lack of information pushed down to end users for weapon system. Weapon system requiring to be sent out for repairs if needed leaving Soldiers without materiel solution to accomplish mission.

- SDM DOTMLPF not recognized. Capabilities and limitations not known by those seeking to use and employ them frequently resulting in non-proper SDM deployment. “Hogs staring at a wristwatch” - Sinister.

Just because you can see bad guys 700 meters away from the COP with a RAID Camera with super magnification elevated at a high angle doesn't mean I can see them in dense foliage with a 10x powered optic out of a tower with 2 degrees of elevation at most. Idiots. You can't talk me on to them without an azimuth or someone next to me who saw both the screen footage and what I'm looking at. “That clump of trees, can’t you see it!?” when a sea of dense foliage is in front of me does not an ADRAC make.

That being said, I had a reserve of M118LR that has lasted me all deployment because I engage with surgical precision and only shoot at whom I can hit. It is a sub-MOA EBR and I had a spotting scope to maximize effectiveness. My hit ratio this deployment with it once properly zeroed was 90%. (I hate wind.) Furthest I took it out was 568 meters on two separate moving targets. (This briefs well, but in reality they were moving at a slow patrol pace of 1 foot per second spotting on the compound we occupied and the wind call pushed the bullet directly into them on their direction of travel so don’t think I’m top of cool or anything, it’s Luck dropping in again.) It brought much needed magnification and PID capabilities to the fight. Optics don't help you shoot better, they help you see better.

I don't like bipods due to their loading nuances. I prefer shooting off a pack whenever possible. I became well acquainted with tripods this deployment and came to like them. I use a Manfrotto Tripod with a Picatinny adapter to throw the M14 on as needed. It has enough adjustment for height variances that worked well with the terrain in my AO. It's incredibly lightweight and durable. I can switch from Spotting Scope to LRF to blaster quickly. Lastly, the built-in levels ensured I didn't cant the rifle. Only issue was that it wasn't very compact. Some cocksucker on the COP stole it recently, which has pissed me off to no end.

If I were to deploy with this weapon system again, I would replace the Leupold with a Nightforce 3-15x variable power with a Horus Vision Reticle in MIL/MIL and Zero Stops. The added magnification is needed in order to navigate restrictive Rules Of Engagement (ROE). The Horus Vision reticle would allow me to make second shot corrections without a spotter much easier and quickly as compared to a Mil-Dot Reticle. In addition, it would work well with my personally owned Leupold Spotting Scope with Horus Vision reticle. The Zero Stops allow for a quick return to original zero and would help ensure an SDM didn't get lost on the turrets.

I probably should have reached out to AmericanSnipers.org, but I hate begging them for M14 shit. That organization is a national asset which has immensely impacted our community for the best, and we are indebted to them. Thanks, guys...

M4:

I categorize it as the greatest assault rifle currently fielded. Only down side there was 3x sometimes failed to PID at distance and required me to use Vectronix or spotting scope to PID then regain sight picture with optic to engage. I successfully engaged one target at just under 500 meters with this with MK 262 MOD 1. Stationary target and stock trigger. I ALWAYS carried my M4, outside of dedicated sniper/observer work when the shottie was needed for breaching purposes. Here's a picture when we were playing South Park Tower Defense Game being engaged on two fronts and I watched a Kiowa smoke a dude with .50 BMG rounds through a spotting scope and his buddy then doing his best Road Runner impersonation before he got cut down as well. You rotary winged steed dudes are the shit!

LMT SOPMOD Stock
Tango Down PR-4
Larue / VTAC Padded Tactical 2-Point Sling
VTAC Light Mount / Surefire G2 with Cree Q5 Lamp
BCM Gunfighter Charging Handle, Large Latch
Daniel Defense 7" Omega Free-Floated Rail
Aimpoint T-1 in Larue QD Mount
Aimpoint 3X Extender in Larue QD Mount
PEQ-15


LMT SOPMOD Stock: Adjustable Length Of Pull (LOP), a sloping stock that enhances cheek to stock weld and allows for a consistent sight picture, and a rubber pad that both reduces recoil as well as provides a more stable platform for shooting while wearing body armor are the reasons I use this stock. I don't place batteries or anything in the storage compartments. I don't buy that weight more effectively counterbalancing a carbine, and batteries are better suited stored elsewhere. I prefer the traditional stock adjust mechanism rather than the VLTOR style. Lastly, I have a beard and my beard hairs tend to get stuck in the Emod stock - infuriating, to say the least.

DD 7" Omega Rail System

A free-floated rail system allows for consistent barrel flex and harmonics. It eliminates Point Of Impact (POI) Shift due to alleviating pressures on the barrel itself, guaranteeing tremendous accuracy. I can attach or detach SOPMOD Items at will and not have to worry about re-zeroing. I can yank on my sling for long range precision when required without worrying about throwing the round off. It looks very similar to the issue rail system (KAC RAS, non-free floated) which helps for blending in. I used the left QD Slot as the connector for my Larue / VTAC 2-Point Sling.

Tango Down PR-4

I prefer the PR-4 rear attachment as a sling mounting solution for several reasons. It is a temporary enhancement to use in combat item, which allows for it to fall under the bar to permanent weapon modifications and is easy to attach / detach. It is mounted behind the castle nut and helps keep it in place should it become unstaked for some reason. It allows for ambidextrous sling mounting solutions as a QD connector is located on both the left and right side. It gives me a bit more sling as well, which allows me to reload as per the way I was taught even in full kit and allows the weapon to hang more comfortably. I can quickly and easily transition the weapon system to my back or sling it to access my secondary (my secondary isn't a handgun, it's a breaching shotgun).

Larue / VTAC Padded Tactical 2-Point Sling

I prefer tactical two-point slings for ease of use and cross-area applicability. I like QD connectors because I don't have to worry about slings working themseves loose as much. Plug &Play > Looping ends through. In addition, the QD connectors provide an Alternate means of getting the sling off if I need to do so in extremis (drowning, injured, et al) in the event the buckle release doesn't work. I like the VTAC better than VCAS because it has a bit more length to it, which is needed for me for reloads in full kit. It has a quick means of adjusting tension so I can yank on it or precision shots or loosen it up to transition it to my back for climbing or going Hands Officer.

BCM Gunfighter Charging Handle, Large

I find myself invariably using only thumb and index finger on one side to charge my weapon system. The issue charging handle was designed to be used with index and middle finger on both sides as per the original manual of arms. I like my way better, and this charging handle supports my style as well as being made to mil-spec - important as many aftermarket charging handles are not. If I were to deploy again I would go with a Medium Latch so it would not snag on my kit / random objects. I never had it go out of battery, but would want a less obtrusive latch in the future.

PEQ - 15:

My main issue with the PEQ-15 VIS Laser is that it's red, which is not as bright as green and also tends to wash out in sunlight even mere feet away depending on brightness. I mainly used the VIS Laser during Covert Clearing to check for tripwires. We had great success with covert clearing skillsets and strategies with one person lazing and another checking the splash inside the Fighting Formation with lethal cover in place.

IR Lasers/NOD's are quick and easy to use and allows the Soldier to stay Passive, which speeds up the OODA Loop. The Illuminator/Designator is a decent combination which allows for target discrimination within the effective range of NOD's when ambient light is not prevalent enough for it (far too often).

The A.R.M.S. mount needs to go with a quickness, however.

Aimpoint T-1 in Larue QD Mount

The Aimpoint T-1 is my preferred Red Dot Sight (RDS). It is small, lightweight, has a 5 year battery life (!), and is the most intuitive tubular style sight I have used to date. For some reason I am quicker and more efficient / consistent with the T-1 than the M68 CCO. It features a 4 MOA red dot, but I am told by Aimpoint reps that it is actually 3.4 MOA. This makes sense, as I am more accurate (especially at distance - 200-400 meters) with the T-1 than the 4 MOA M68 CCO. Larue mounts offer retaining zero and return to zero capabilities, with Quick Attach / Quick Detach capabilities as well. This is important because I may need to swap out optics mid-mission if the situation dictates.

Aimpoint 3X Magnifier

The Aimpoint 3 X Magnifier is better glass than Eotech's offering. I can quickly and intuitively actuate it with either hand in the event of injury. It brings magnification to the fight, but allows you to keep the optic at true 1x magnification in the event of a close range threat. I typically keep it flipped to the side and cant the weapon to interrogate suspect areas and flip it behind the T-1 when I need to discriminate personnel beyond 100 meters. Larue mounts offer retaining zero and return to zero capabilities, with Quick Attach / Quick Detach capabilities as well. This is important because I may need to swap out optics mid-mission if the situation dictates. My magnifier has gotten pretty dinged up over the years, but is still going strong.

I always zeroed this combination by first zeroring the T-1 to my preferred distance (on both combat deployments this was 200 meters - average engagement distance as well as knowing my hold-off's factored into this decision). I then actuated the 3 x Magnifier and had an observer call bullet strikes as I centered and fine-tuned the Magnifier until it was hitting in the same shot group as the T-1 final grouping. This ensured that both were properly zeroed, both separate and in tandem. At my previous Unit a couple shooters zeroed the T-1 with 3 x Magnifier behind it for Qualification, and then flipped it to the side during CQM iterations and were noticeably off even at 5 meters. This SOP was established by me directly due to that.

I authored a brief in order to obtain permission from my CO for us to paint our weapon systems but he never responded to it. My LT decided not to press the issue. Far too many of those in leadership positions are not suited for them. Leaders need to be held accountable for their actions or inaction. All too often, these are the same types who pay lip service to those Soldiers in their formations by stating that they fundamentally deserve the best leadership and that they will provide it. Too few deliver. Deeds, not words. We ended up breaking up the outline of our weapon systems with aftermarket parts in tan until we weren't authorized to even do that. This is going up to be a BN level solution now if the new CO isn't amenable to my proposal as I will use the Open Door Policy.

My CSM near the end of deployment decided that only items issued from the Arms Room are to be mounted on weapons. I am guessing it was a result of the TACOM GPM and his BDE getting in trouble prior to deployment for an unauthorized weapons modification to a sniper rifle which brought down some high level attention. The only exception was VFG's. (Actually, slings were an exception as well since BDE did not get slings for the Soldiers in their formation and they were forced to buy their own.) No NCO, to my knowledge, stood up to him for their Soldiers in support of enhancements to their weapon systems being a force multiplier that increased combat efficacy. On the contrary, NCO's simply ordered that issue optics be placed on weapon systems and did not give the opportunity for Soldiers to zero the issue optic. Yes, Soldiers spent the last 2-3 months of deployment without a zeroed weapon system, and many did not even have BUIS (much less zeroed BUIS). I didn't because I said fuck that noise, did my own thing, and rolled with my personal optic when on mission. Epic failure of leadership, and perfectly illustrates why I am getting out due to loss of trust, respect, and confidence in a command team. Individuals would rather play games in order to maintain their careers than stand up for what is right even if that means a negative bullet point on an NCOER or being relieved. Elements in my command team revealed themselves as spineless cowards who decided to be someone rather than do the right thing for the mission and their men. They will have to live with this decision as they look at themselves in the mirror.

SECONDARY WEAPON SYSTEMS (B)

M500:

I don't have a picture of me on mission with it, so gaze in jealousy at the 80's zebra print robe instead.




This was a breaching shotgun and also served as a secondary weapon system. Straight from the rack, only Force Mod was a 550 cord sling fashioned to the rear and attached to my PC by carabiner for retention purposes, and a zip-tied Surefire E2D to the side of the pump for target discrimination. I would have loved to have a Surefire railed foreend, but a sister BN had an unauthorized weapons modification in their sniper section which brought down some high level attention and nixed that concept. Surefire foreend was likewise a no go to this as well as not being able to fit in the holster.

It rode in an Eagle Industries Shotgun Scabbard. I find this the easiest and preferred way to draw and employ a breaching shotgun. I prefer the crossdraw for a shotgun in lieu of a normal draw for ease of draw and reholster. This one was 18", so the barrel jutted out from the holster bottom. My personal Mossberg is the same length so I was used to this, it did so even when the holster was lengthened to the maximum while still maintaining a double layer of retention. This did not impede the draw or securing of the weapon, but it did make me miss the 14" shotties at my last Unit.

I initially had it dual MALICE Clipped to the MOLLE of my Sniper Harness off the Eagle velcro cuff on my left side in a cross draw, but had a Clip shear off (as in break, not come loose) during a multi-klick night movement when leaping over 8 foot walls. No bueno. I then cuffed the velcro loop to the left shoulder strap of the harness where it sat well in a cross draw off the top of the MOLLE cummerbund. This solved the problem, but made the cross draw a two-hand movement to best stabilize it. It did stop it from banging against my leg, though, which was good.

I don't like back holsters for shotguns for tactical use. (Only in Bruce Campbell movies.) They make for an awkward draw, usually take two people to properly secure, and are typically oriented at a body part when stowed which is a safety violation. 12 Gauge makes a big time hole on entry - why chance it?

I would prefer having dedicated frangible lock-busting rounds for obvious reasons, but am stuck with 00 Buckshot due to PLT / XO laziness and ineptitude. It never ceases to amaze me that those who work in air conditioned offices won't aid the warfighter with simple requests, even if the warfighters provide all the requisite information and statements of need for said requests. My It's Always Sunny Bag didn't make it over here due to stupidity and it was filled with breaching round and NFDD awesome sauce.

The M500 is a tool and I don't always bring this with me. Typically the only times I do so are on raids, Movement Over Urban Terrain, setting up OP's in compounds, or when we don't have other breaching assets on hand. I carry it with the tube fully loaded, round chambered, weapon on safe and holstered. The shotgun is a weapon with a limited ammunition capacity, and I am not going to short myself a round.

 

[MikeL]

TERTIARY WEAPON SYSTEMS (C)

M67 Fragmentation Grenades:



For use against a group of bad guys, when they are hiding behind a wall, or to clear a hard case from around a corner. Also made a field expedient line charge for clearing wadi's when the dedicated charges ran out. All hand-thrown munitions were taped according to one SOP. A strip of 100 MPH Tape was placed around the spoon / handle of Frags/Bangs/Smoke, with a pull tab fastened for quick deployment. The rationale was, if you have time to prep the munition, you had time to remove the tape safety. The tape safety was there to ensure the munition was not accidentally detonated during movement from whatever - weapon system parts, tree branches, walls, anything that could be a snag hazard. Every incident I read of (both .mil and LEO) for hand munitions is due to improper use / handling / deployment.

Knife: I don't remember who made this, it was a karambit style in a kydex holster from the PX that fit MOLLE channels. I refuse to buy expensive knives after Customs took my Harsey in Iraq. I will be attending a Steve Tarani course in 2012 because I don’t know anything about knives other than I am terrified of going up against one.

LAST RESORT WEAPON SYSTEMS (D)

FISTS: Of fury. The one time I needed to go hands on, I just headbutted them and broke my Insight M3. Totally worth it, though. I have a pair of VTAC Assault Gloves (I could go a size down to their Small, I believe) and I punch T-Walls for days which helps with my increasing frustration and RAGE but wasn't able to punch anyone deserving. Their totally early 90's name for the non-Newtonian fluid is rad - remains pliable except when faced with hard resistance / forcible impact and then it hardens to protect hand from impact. Such a cool concept. They are humongous though, makes me feel like I'm wearing a tactical NES Power Glove and Fred Savage is going to appear next to me and we go all Punch-Out style on some Taliban. Which, for the record, would be awesome.

Random Odds & Ends:

1) Fleece Gator



"Gator never been about ‘dat!" My wife made these, so in addition to smelling nice, they were guaranteed to be epic. She doesn't know anything about the military, but she can sew and knit like nobody's business. It's a Multicam style color palette in a flecktarn pattern. (I suspect she used an old utilities uniform I had when hunting irradiated boar in Germany.) It is super warm and super comfy and because she's a genius, she stitched it in such a way that it could easily stretch without fully ripping apart. It made nights go by a loooooot easier. That, and it looks totally ninja. (I still have some brand new ones here she didn't send out, so PM me if you want one. Priority to deployed Soldiers and LEO's and must wait until I get back CONUS for this one.)

2) Evap Cap

I got this as a consolation prize from GTFTACMED for going all "Paper bitch! Paper BITCH!" in the Phoenix heat. I had just come from kaltes Deutschland Uber Alles and failed to take the proper precautions for the increased heat. Well, pride goeth before the fall, but at least you score a sweet hood. As Kyle said, "It makes you look stupid, but it works". I adopted this as a post-patrol SOP along with replenishing fluids (two parts water to one part Gatorade) over here - submersing it in cold water and throwing it on. I learned my lesson that day, haven't been a heat casualty since and we worked in up to 140 degree heat over here. No, that is not a typo. It was designed by a Firefighter for use to cool down after entering a blaze. You can find more info over at http://www.evapcap.com/about.html .

3) M67 Angry Bird Mod 1:



My wife played this game incessantly. She sent me a few because she knows I hate them and she thought it would be funny. Well, I took out the stuffing, and stuffed in an M67 Fragmentation Grenade. She didn't find this funny and complains I ruin her innocence by subverting normal life things with violent military overtones, but I find it hilarious. Imagine the reaction of Mr. Taliban as a bright red bird seemingly dive bombs at him, only to EXPLODE! (Note - our SOP was to tape frags with 100mph tape, this photo was taken pre-taping. Tape your frags, bangs and smokes, dudes.)

4) 215 Gear Blended Multicam Ball Cap (Old school version)

I wore this when I was behind a long gun or really anytime we were static and I was in the prone, because helmets aren't conducive to that shooting position especially for extended periods of time. I loved it because it kept the sun out of my eyes (I don't like the dark tint of dark eye protection because I lose clarity / visual acuity with them) and was super breathable. I had my VTAC Flag Patch from Kyle on the front, and my favorite boss' rank on the back since he got blown up by a tripwire shaped charge and didn't get the opportunity to drop anyone with the EBR (he's recovering well). Some douchebag stole it from the washer when I was multi-tasking. I have a couple other ball caps, but this was the one thing I had an emotional attachment to and I was pissed. I miss you, hat.

5) Epic Beard

Beards rock. Totally worth being questioned by every jealous swinging dick more concerned with AR 670-1 than they were with FM 7-8 and SH-76. The one thing that can't be taken away from me. NOT EVEN THE NEW SMA. Plus, the ladies love it. One hot librarian-looking Navy dame walked into someone and dropped her tray at the DFAC because she was staring at me intensely. There's more to life than being really, really ridiculously good looking, but that helps too. I know you're jealous.

6) RFI Mountain Boots / OTB Sneaker Boots

I loved both these things. I rolled my ankles more in the CIF Issue boots than both of these. The laces sucked for both pairs of boots, but I replace my boot laces with 550 Cord anyway because I was trained by the old school. The only problem with the RFI Mountain boots were that they retained water, but this was only an issue on long missions where we were constantly moving and I couldn't take them off which only happened once. I liked the cooling factor and the feel of the water swishing around otherwise. The OTB's tended to swell out when completely submersed in water, but this was mitigated with the 550 Cord as laces after experiencing this the one time. I don't remember the brand name of the sneaker boot, I bought 'em awhile ago.

7) M855A1 Ammunition



Pro's:

A) Sub 2 MOA Accuracy. I was averaging 1.7-1.75 MOA with my lot, but I believe it was shooter error due to me sucking. I am told by reliable sources anecdotally it is averaging 1.5 MOA.
B) Puts bad guys down harder. Shot placement reigns supreme and I'm not a Terminal Ballistics guru or done autopsies on bad guys and had to delete the photos I took of bad guys all shot up for research purposes due to being investigated for war crimes, but those shot with the M855A1 ate shit harder than those shot with standard ball M855. Sorry for not being scientific, but I lack the tools and the talent.
C) Availability. I ran out of MK 262 MOD 1 early on, and we couldn't source any SOST / MK 318 MOD 0 even though it is now a STRAC'd ammo. We could get M855A1 all deployment.
D) Enhanced exterior ballistics. Higher velocity, better ballistic coefficient resulted in a flatter trajectory and easier hold-off's. Win / Win.

Cons:

A) 3-part Bullet Construction. I do not want to see a catastrophic malfunction because a tip worked itself loose into the lower receiver / fire controls group.
B) Lack of performance against automobile windshield glass.
C) Increased chamber pressures to the tune of 63,000 psi in a 14.5" M4. Most Soldiers in my Unit don't know about / comprehend the issue or ramifications of bullet setback, and simply replace the round they ejected back into the top of their magazine post patrol since people here are retarded and want Amber weapon systems. I am willing to bet an incident arose here directly due to this, but odds are it was either misdiagnosed or covered up.
D) Lack of information about the round that is needed by shooters on the ground. AWG stepped in and squared this away for us. They are awesome. Lot of misinformation out there still, sadly, perpetuated by PEO Soldier mostly.

 

[MikeL]

Things That Didn't Work:

1) PMAG Ranger Plates:



]






I'm pretty aggressive in planting my gun into shooting positions, and I've had several Ranger plates become separated from the Magpul floor plate. I *believe* they went with a different bonding solution somewhere along the line. This didn't impede function of the magazine, other than there not being something that protected the floorplate of the magazine anymore...which is kinda the point of the product I just paid good money for. Like aadrian82, I'm no longer convinced of their usefulness for tactical applications and recommend shooters either use their own superior adhesive or simply use the Magpul original Pulls.

2) White Socks
I love me some white socks, but over here they are an item that needs to be thrown away after being worn only once. You're in the jungle now, baby, look sharp.

3) Issued Danner (CIF) Boots
I loved the RFI Mountain Danner boots, and I rolled my ankle more when wearing these even though they're a higher cut. This was an issue for me when carrying a lot of stuff as I couldn't regain my footing as quickly (that whole 70 pounds of lightweight shit is still 70 pounds of working against gravity thing Sinister spoke of) and sometimes I'd bust my ass due to this. I have a prior knee injury which compounded the issue.

4) Peltor Comtac II Standard Ear Cups:
My old Peltor ComTac II's with the gel ear cups and the awesome mesh headband an LFer made were the shit. They got jacked by some douchebag who probably went AWOL or kicked out, so I had to trade for a new set. man, did I quickly realize what I was missing. In this heat it made them more uncomfortable with the standard ear cups, and they tended to pinch / crush my ears in them. I dunno, maybe I have Legend Of Zelda ears and no one told me. I just soldiered on after I saw Larue doesn't stock the gel ear cups anymore, but in hindsight I should have traded for some. Headaches were no bueno on patrol, but I also value my hearing…what’s left of it, anyway.

5) FRACU Pants:
I'm glad Afghanistan doesn't really have enforceable laws sometimes, because I'd be a Registered Sex Offender for how many Afghan children saw my dick hanging out from ripped pants. I love how the Army solicits improvements for uniforms, but then doesn't listen to the most important suggestions. The buttoned cargo pockets are nice, but these pants REQUIRE a gussetted crotch. That should have been the priority. My Unit ended up mandating the use of underwear due to how much attention we received. (Thanks Michael Yon…douchetail) I ordered nothing but pants and socks from ADO very early on.

6) Massif Army Combat Shirt
The breathability on this is good and it doesn't have that stupid logo on the chest, but it rips on the back and shoulder regions / along the inseams way too fast. Also, just like it's Massif UCP counterpart - the thing just straight up stinks. Right out of the box, the damn thing reeks. I've tried drowning the things in enough Downy to make that bear's stock triple, but to no avail - it still stank. It's like their factory is a converted cesspool staffed by the homeless. Plus when you sweat in this thing it takes forever to dry and literally sticks to you and you have to peel it off. Ugh. No me gusta.

7) Uniform Replacement:
This is a Theater-level issue that needs to be resolved. Units can DX Uniforms, but on a one-for-one basis and the process takes up to two weeks. You have to turn your unserviceable uniforms in, and then come back a week later to pick up new ones. Well, OPTEMPO ain't gonna slow down for this, so you'd have to turn in half your uniforms in so you can still Charlie Mike. Did I mention you had to drive to KAF / Bagram for this? Because you do. This meant a potential total of 4 trips to KAF for us, being with a two week period of higher wear and tear on our uniforms due to lack of rotation. Unreasonable at best. Basically, this meant pretty much everyone just burned their unserviceable combat shirts instead of wearing them because we got yelled at on the regular for wearing anything but pristine, fresh uniforms even after going to the major FOB after a firefight.

8) ADO:
This is a great program in theory. I'm all about free extra uniforms due to increased wear & tear on a deployment with no adjustments to Uniform Allowance, but its poorly managed. I will always remember David Reeves telling me he called up about ADO and the guy on the other end of the phone actually told him it took too many mouse clicks to do. RAGE. Our problem with it was that it often didn't provide what we needed (namely combat shirts and the RFI boots) and that it was poorly managed at the PLT / Company level (mandated ADO orders with a set list of items from higher, sometimes management forgot to send in their ADO requests on time and failed to properly brief Soldiers on all ADO items able to be ordered.)

9) NFDD's In Mud Huts:
In retrospect, that SEAL knew what he was talking about. Sorry, guys.

10) M9
This is just included because our friendly neighborhood ANP Commander had a S&W M&P 9mm. I didn't mind our counterparts in Iraq having better handguns because those of us with the FID Mission Set got to have Glocks too, but I dunno where this dude got it from and I was jealous. Also, that one retard E-6 DUAL WIELDING M9'S FIRING AT A GRAPE HUT 300 METERS AWAY IN A TIC...IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DIRECTION FROM WHERE WE WERE BEING ENGAGED FROM. Said genius wasn't monitoring his element's firing rates and randomly barked "RELOAD!" like it was Time Crisis or some shit and every. single. person. In his element got on line and reloaded. Like it was the War Of Motherfucking 1812. Was I one pissed off dude on a rooftop that day, let me tell you…

 

[MikeL]

Bro where you breaching abandoned compounds? Or breaching them for the ANA. Any time we tried to even go into the court yard of a compound with a family in it, we almost got shot by the ANA and AUP. All i would try to do is sweep with a Vallon for those guys so they wouldn't step on a PMN mine, but they didn't care. So much for trying to get my guys out of the open as well.

Yes, indeed, we did it. All my breaches were covert, though, the ANA did mechanically breach one compound. Ours were pretty decent, for the most part. We did have some issues similar to you where they did not want us to search specific areas in compounds that were inhabited and we got into some verbal sparring matches, but nothing escalated because we acquiesced. That would have sucked for us big time if ours were like yours.

Dude, 4/4 launched 165 mortars in a day with no effect on target. It was insane.

 

[MikeL]

PLANNING

Planning and rehearsals are the most important aspect of an operation. They are also some of the most overlooked and underutilized, especially in the GPF's. Over the years I have served I have seen an increasing trend of Leaders unable to properly plan - both O's and NCO's, but mostly NCO's. I'm not sure where the disconnect is exactly: I believe it is coming from multiple fronts. A top down organization in lieu of a bottom up one, not allowing Small Unit Leaders to form their own plans and missions in both training and combat, an institution expecting things to be resolved immediately to the exclusion of all else are factors I have seen negatively affect this. I am also not sure exactly how to fix this. I feel we should empower Small Unit Leaders, but don't know how to go about doing this as they are increasingly marginalized or sidelined by superiors - many of whom are no longer active in being guys on the ground and have lost that frame of reference.

I am not a fan of MDMP (Military Decision Making Process) due to rigidity and reliance on doctrine, and prefer the more open-ended backwards planning process of RDMP (Reverse Decision Making Process). This allows for a more comprehensive and adaptible approach to problem solution. One of the inherent problems with MDMP is inability for those to be able to properly prioritize. This results in such things as short suspense times, unrealistic time hacks, and a tendency to focus on the process as opposed to the mission. With the RDMP, it allows for a complete workup because it is more effectively forecasted, accounting for realities on the ground, and able to be shaped as things continually change. This more closely mirrors Full Spectrum Operations.

This works well when it comes to Targeting. I wish I could delve into this more, but there are OPSEC considerations. If this were SIPR, I would go off. The RDMP allows you to better prep target folders for individuals, groups, and locations. It allows you to focus on one aspect at a time, ensuring you have sufficient time and focus on one piece of the puzzle prior to moving to the next one. It is likewise superior in being able to look back with new information and fill in blanks. We die in the gaps. Do your best to eliminate them entirely. This results in a better view of the big picture, one of the hardest and most difficult things to teach and instill in a force - especially one serving in a high risk profession.

I will give an example as to how we utilized the RDMP in prepping target packets for locations which later dovetailed into including information on individuals and how this aided in mission accomplishment.

We would patrol particular towns where we knew bad guys bedded down, but weren't quite ready to take them down just yet. As such, we masked our purpose. We would just go for a walk, talking to folks, playing with kids, giving out school stuff - or so it seemed to them. In reality, we were conducting target analysis for future operations. We were taking photographs of compounds, entry points, walls, gates, chains, padlocks, and how the village looks at eye level - very similar to how Google Streets worked. This was both active and passive - we blended our activities in by using helmet cameras (passive) or posing with individuals, ANSF, or ourselves so it looked like it was part of our purpose (active). This allowed for a three dimensional view to complement aerial imagery which positively impacted the tactical side of planning - exterior movement, primary breach points, alternate breach points, tape drills, et al. This three dimensional concept gave a much better on the ground perspective for GRG Building Numbers - things look different at eye level than from a satellite. Not that aerial imagery wasn't useful (it definitely has its place and we used everything from Google NASA Worldwind to Falcon View to Tiger to PSOF) but it has its limitations. This allowed Leaders to plan which elements to place in what capacity (Rolling Thunder Fighting Formation in alleyways, sister team flowing up for L and T-Intersections) and then go about doing tape drills.

This information allowed us to better analyze problems, discuss them, and begin to go about solving the problems on our own before it was time to start bringing the plan together and presenting your piece to the team. On my side, this meant looking at breach points - padlock type, brand, keyhole configuration, whether there was dirt / debris in the keyhole - all this allowed me a clearer picture as to what I needed to do - pick the lock, bypass it, attack the chain, or ballistically breach. I could then procure an identical lock or look for it among my personal collection I acquired over here and begin to pick or bypass it on a constant basis in order to become familiar with it and it's subtle nuances in order to minimize time on target. I could look at chain type, width, and whether it would be a viable option to breach this as an alternative if Covert Breaching failed. Same thing with door / gate locking mechanisms and hinges for ballistic breaching. When it was my turn to brief my area of responsibility, I could give an estimated time on target for covert breaching based on personal rehearsals as well as suitable alternatives in the event we needed to go up the Breaching Use Of Force Continuum. I was then expected to be able to perform to standard once team rehearsals began. This ensured I was realistic in my expectations and drove the point home that perfect practice makes perfect.

Once we had a particular Target Folder completed to our satisfaction, we shelved it until it was needed. We would periodically revisit these for refresher training as the sustainment was needed - honestly, some of these jumbled into one another and we needed clarification at times. These were actual hard copies in addition to being scanned on to a computer.

When supplementary information came in, whether it be from a proponent section such as our S2, a fusion center, (left undefined here), informants, or Village Elders - this would be collated into the Personnel section and cross-referenced. We built Target Folders for people as well. One of our greatest successes were the Cultural Mapping mission sets when we were "providing security" for CA/PSYOP/MISO/FET/whatever you cats are called these days. I'm sure that's what we were told to do, but we exploited this in our favor realizing the tactical importance of a COIN mission. This was a veritable gold mine of intelligence information. We could assign who owned a compound, who lived there, their name, occupation, short biography - anything and everything that could be helpful down the road to a GRG / Location Target Folder. This, in turn, made it easy to ascertain if an individual in a certain location belonged there - a quick call or check on an iPad (which housed the computer file target folders) provided confirmation.

Sometimes Village Elders don't want to get involved with outing an unknown or bad guy due to potential repercussions from their bad guy associates ( a very real concern, as intimidation and violence are commonplace)- this allowed them to seem innocent or even in the corner of the bad guy. We encouraged them to play the part of an outraged Elder protesting the unjust kidnapping of one of his friends and citizens - IT KEPT HIM ALIVE AND IN PLAY. A lot of this is simply THEATRICS. Have him come down to the local US Compound and complain vociferously outside the gate with a crowd there - bad guys are convinced of an alliance with village leadership and everyone in it. We bring him inside, alone, drink chai and have a good laugh about how he, the Elder, is a genius pulling the wool over on them and congratulate him on keeping his town safe. We hug and he goes out, yelling at us the whole time we are seen together as we try to placate him to the point of being openly deferential. This was a great thing because the bad guys still thought of the area as a relatively safe heaven in lieu of finding somewhere else to set up shop. A lot of folks on the US side of the house would be quick to dismiss this, but this is COIN in action which in turn supported DA. It works, bitches!

When it came to apprehension, we covered as many contingencies and plans as possible. If something looked off in a compound based off our assessments or outside sources of intel, we looked into ruse-initiated apprehensions or apprehending the target out of his comfort zone. Even though we had Location Target Folders, we realized that the individual or group constituted the high threat...the location was just a byproduct of Lifestyle Analysis. It is our responsibility to minimize risk as a tactical element. Sometimes this resulted in tightening the kill chain, sometimes it resulted in loosening the kill chain. New Targets = New Experiences. Experiment and see what works.

That being said, we were limited to our use of military vehicles and being forced to wear uniforms and body armor. I believe that select mission sets for us had the need for low visibility, but there was no way we would be authorized to go somewhere in mufti or dressed as ANSF. I also accept that staging somewhere in preparation to do so would also have been a limiting factor, as well as being compromised by our local counterparts prior to even moving.

Real time mission support is a huge thing with this but delves into TTP's and I can't discuss.

This is the planning process we used. It worked extremely well, covered multiple variables, and ensured a common standard existed for planning, rehearsals, and missions. I am all about the Ranger Handbook and FM 5-0, but what follows below catered best to our particular planning and operational requirements. One of the biggest takeaways I took from an SF mentor of mine is that "Information needs to be disseminated to the lowest level possible". This dovetails into the planning process being written for the lowest person on the team. Keep it brief, keep it simple. This seems like a lot of information (and it really, truly is) but it is broken down into easily digestible sections that dovetail into each other. TL's are given the opportunity and time to do what they need to do, as well as being able to bring questions or concerns up that their members bring up after they are briefed. I also like the idea of Assistant Team Leaders- not only does this help identify future leaders and incorporates them into the planning process, but it also delves into our working philosophy of knowing the job above you. Casualties are an unfortunate reality in our line of work, and you may be required to step in and take charge. Leadership in all things.

One personal statement I will make is ability to speak and be articulate. If you are a leader, you owe it to yourself and your men to be able to do this. It isn't difficult, can be worked on with peers, and there are even classes out there for it. The information you impart is incredibly important and needs to be clear and concise. I despise managers who kick out a 5 Paragraph Op Order with every other word being a derivative of "Fuck". "We're gonna fuckin' infil, with these ANA fuckers, do the fuckin' job, then get the fuck out of there." Seriously? How about a little Professional Discipline. Swearing is the linguistic crutch of the inarticulate motherfucker.

MISSION BRIEF FORMAT

1) Introduction (Composition & Organization)
2) Situation Update ( Friendly, Enemy, Recon updates)
3) Mission (Task & Purpose)
4) Commander's Intent (Purpose, Method, Endstate)
5) Concept Of The Operation (Macro Movements - the Big Picture)
6) Actions On The Objective (Team Leader Brief - See Below)
7) Coordinating Instructions (See Below)
8) Medical (To include MEDEVAC Plan, en-route CCP, et al)
9) Signal & Communication (to include PACE Plans for both)
10) Timeline (to include rehearsals and radio checks)
11) Alibi's & Questions -> Time Hack



COORDINATING INSTRUCTIONS

1) Control Measures / Graphs (Everyone on the force was to have imagery of some sort. I personally purchased a printer in order to positively influence this.)
2) Uniform (This can be an issue when working with assets from sister services who have different camflauhe patterns. The OEF OCP was common and this was not an issue with us.)
3) Load / Bump Plan
4) CASEVAC Procedures (to include pre-designated MEDEVAC LZ's, en-route CCP, et al)
5) React To Contact (Direct Fire, Indirect Fire, IED)
6) Detainee / Suspect Handling Plan (to include Detainee Consolidation Point)
7) Post Assault Plan
8) EOD
9) K9
10) Other Enablers

TEAM LEADER BRIEF

1) Introduction (Team Composition)
2) Primary & Alternate Sets
3) Routes & Order Of Movement
4) LCC Procedures
5) Primary & Alternate Breach Points
6) Primary & Alternate Internal Responsibilities (EPW Teams, Aid & Litter Teams)
7) Coordination Points ( Limits Of Advance, Standing Orders, Leader Locations)
8) Post Assault Procedures & Responsibilities
9) Exfil Plan and Order Of Movement (Controlled and Emergency Egress)
10) Contingencies
11) Special Weapons & Equipment (Sniper Teams, Machine Gun Teams, TPE / Enablers)
12) Any Other Information Pertinent To All

LAST THOUGHTS:

Checklists are a good thing. So are template CONOP's. Anything that streamlines and makes things more efficient. Establish load plans, pre-mission and post-mission checklists as soon as possible. Make sure Priorities Of Work are known and adhered to. Make weapons maintenance an individual responsibility. Do not rely on Army doctrine for this - I strongly recommend reading Mike Pannone's "M4 Handbook" and his articles on weapons maintenance. This place is hell on weapons, but white glove inspections are asinine. Talk to the Unit Armourer about having adequate spare parts for weapon systems so you do not have to travel far to turn in a deadlined weapon system and then having to wait weeks or even months for it to be repaired. Try to have spare parts for everything in case things break, which they will. Rhino mounts, J-Arms, et cetera. Make sure you have adequate supplies of weapon lubrication, to include LSAT and MGL.

In closing, I know this part wasn't sexy, but far too often the absolutely necessary stuff isn't - it's just basics and fundamentals. We have to be able to perform them, on demand, correctly, the first time, in a high stress environment which is often a battlespace not of our choosing. This takes a lot of training and proper prior planning in order to do. Put in the work, though, and it pays out - big time. We were proof positive of this. The SOTF I mentioned of earlier takes this to an entirely different plateau...some serious next level shit.


Here's some funny, fucked up, and random bits from this deployment so you guys aren't overwhelmed from all this planning noise (and to hook you into reading further installments  )

Stupidest Thing I Saw This Deployment: M4 with a magazine / mag pouch on the stock...with a magazine coupler on the inserted magazine resulting in 3 different manuals of arms for reloading...with an HK M320A1 bolted on to it...with a PEQ-15 attached to the bottom rail of the 320 because (wait for it)...he needed the top rail space for a PVS-22. This was an E-6...evidently he unlocked Bling Pro Level VIII...

Funniest Moment This Deployment: Boss yelling "COVER ME!" while prepping to thow hand grenade...only to duck once his team opened up with everything immediately because he thought that the bad guys started hitting his position again. We still laugh at this and his response: "I didn't know you were going to start shooting right off the bat!" "What else does "Cover Me!" mean!?!?"

Coolest Thing I Saw This Deployment: A-10 doing a gun run less than 200 meters from us...listening to him do the danger close math out loud over the radio. Surreal, and the best 4th Of July ever.

Coolest Thing I Heard This Deployment: AC-130 in support of the SOTF above while we were moving multiple klicks at night providing us with a soundtrack that was a stacatto drumbeat of wanton death and destruction.

Craziest Thing I Saw This Deployment: Watching ANSF inadvertently detonate a pressure plate IED...by pooping on it. Not even kidding.

Scariest Moment This Deployment: The RPG was bad, but this was the only time I seriously thought I was going to fucking die. Our sister element was no shit surrounded while in a compound and started mortaring with 203's and 320's. My Boss in the grenade story above is unparalleled when it comes to tactics and implemented a safety by calling out a sector of fire - a visible giant tree that was the left limit as further past that was us in a compound. That E-6 mentioned above failed to take heed of this and blind fired several 40mm grenades, one of which landed a mere 75 meters from us. We were on the rooftop and made plans to take a one story dive into hard cover if rounds impacted any closer. Fuck. That. Shit. He also just barely cleared the wall of that compound when throwing a hand grenade, but I wasn't there to witness that one and just looked at my Boss in horror when he told me the story. Said E-6 was summarily relieved for cause.

 

[MikeL]

GENERAL PURPOSE WORK

Sometimes you just want to look like everyone else. I had no problem with this and did it even during fighting season. In certain mission sets it just made sense and was the only way of going about business. What I wore depended on what we were doing, what role I was filling, where, when, and with whom.

And, of course, sometimes you're just ordered to. After fighting season tapered off and Higher had less SIGACTS to deal with, they started coming down on those of us still in the fight (ours hadn't tapered off that much). Embedded reporters also made our job harder - woe to the Soldier (and his Leaders...especially his Leaders) when he appears on the PAO / CSM radar. With less of a mission focus, Higher started coming down hard on the nonsense shit - non-bloused boots, mandarin collars up, sleeves loose and/or rolled up - yes, even when outside the wire. And here you thought the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Blimp / dismembered AH-64 was supposed to be looking for bad guys around you - for shame...Even elements we worked with had issues with this. As such, we had to fight a war on two fronts - against the Talib/Haqqani/whatever special assholes poked their heads up, and against the stupidity of our parent or host organization. One of our guys had a good point: "You can be in a dangerous AO and not have to deal with the bullshit, or you can be in a safe area and endure the dumb shit - but it can't be both." Basically, we went to war and garrison broke out. We fought it initially, but after so many ass-chewings it just wasn't viable anymore so we towed the party line.

Interestingly, no one Higher asked us why we did certain things our way. They just didn't care and wanted a cookie cutter approach to uniformity for uniformity's sake, mission effectiveness be damned. They missed out on a lot of good G2 that could have been put out across the board for the better of the force if they had. Ego is a terrible, terrible thing and more than a few Soldiers this deployment have died from it.

This is what I've been using for General Purpose Work the past 11 months in Afghanistan's Arghandab River Valley. I'm located about ten klicks from aadrian82 and I highly recommend you read his post here prior to mine. Read his post first. He knows of which he speaks and is a true Leader. We had different jobs in similar locales and had to solve a lot of the same problems - only difference was in our respective solutions. I'll tell you what worked, what didn't, what I ultimately went with and why. The solutions I came up with were common sense and combat proven. My super cool guy specialty stuff will be the next installment once my colleague finds his damn camera cable.

We neglected to take pictures a lot of times, so you can find pictures of the terrain in a few articles in this area:

The Last Patrol - Located Here

Slow Progress in Afghanistan's Treacherous Arghandab - Here (They didn’t bring 7.62 machine guns, rocket launchers, and their Raven only had one wing. We didn’t like working with them.)

Michael Yon has a slew of photos as well. I despise the guy, but he can take a decent photo sometimes.

 

[MikeL]

KDH PC:



This is a bottom of the barrel Plate Carrier, but leaps and bounds better than the IOTV in terms of comfortability. Why the Army adopted the PC that finished dead last in testing is beyond me, but I intend to talk to John Murtha about it when I return to PA. The problems I found with the KDH PC are as follows:

1) Side Plate Attachment System: KDH elected to go with an asinine side buckle / strap attachment system. The problem lies in the straps not having sufficient retention and becoming undone. This is exacerbated by water and sweat, and applying 100 MPH Tape only mitigates the issue, not eliminating it entirely. On average, we tightened up straps 1 x per week during fighting season. This deficiency resulted in the side plate carriers sagging low, almost or to the point of riding on one's hips. More important than the chafing / rubbing issue adding to fatigue and inducing uncomfortability was the fact that side plates came about directly due to people getting shot in highly vascular organs and bleeding out on the chopper. With the side plates sagging, they are exposing the very same area they were designed to protect while still incurring a weight penalty. A cummerbund would have been a better solution depending on execution which perfectly seques into my next point...

2) Lack Of MOLLE Real Estate: Depending on PC Size and what all you have to carry, there simply may not be enough room to mount everything. There are ways to work around using only issued kit (using MOLLE columns on the front of the PC and the first one on the side plate attachment, or making a beltline out of the medium ruck belt) but a simpler, more effective solution would be the aforementioned (well-executed) cummerbund.

3) Lack Of Soft Armor Protection: Due to the side strap attachment system and your sizing, there can be a noticeable gap of soft armor coverage area. Where it is depends on your particular configuration. I have approximately an 1"x7" columned gap to my 10:30, 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30. It may not sound like a lot, but it adds up to 28 inches of unprotected area. There is no valid reason for this. I know of two Soldiers whose wounds were made more severe directly due to this fault in our element alone, and I reckon there are many more out there. The forced angling of rifle plates is another issue that needs to be resolved.

4) Comfortability: This thing just hangs off you. Maybe it's just me, my body size, and the PC I wore (or maybe I'm just a pussy) - but the shoulder straps simply dug into you like an Alabama Tick. They did their level best to cause pinched nerves in my shoulder region, like I just locked up with the dude in my avatar.

HELMETS

You're wearing a helmet for months on end, probably. You might as well make it comfortable! I have two helmets – one issued (ACH) and one personal (Ops-Core Ballistic FAST). What I wore depended on what we were doing, when, and with whom. Stability, comfortability, and functionality could all be improved on the ACH and my goal was to mirror the FAST with the Force Modification of the ACH.

1. Stability: You need to stabilize the helmet, and stabilize the NOD's. I stabilized the helmet by upgrading to the Ops Core “H” harness – same one I wore last deployment. It stayed put, even when swinging around or bumping my head or headbutting someone. It also allowed for ease of adjustment (important when going from slick to beanie/ neck gator / balaclava). For two combat deployments and one NATO deployment, I haven't had an issue with straps shrinking. Mine is pretty grungy now because I failed to properly PMCS it over the years, but it has held up well – only one small break in the chin strap that I don't feel. It doesn't interfere with my beard. The Crye nape Pad adds soft armor coverage to a vital area and effectively counterbalances NOD's. A better base plate and NOD's mount would have helped stabilize that platform immensely, but odds are if I was doing work at night I was wearing the FAST anyway.

2. Comfortability: You can only do so much to mitigate the weight of several pounds pressing down on your cranium. The H harness worked very well in this regard by evenly distributing the load and stabilizing it. I wore electronic ear protection (Peltor ComTac II's) so I configured my pad setup to best route them.

A) Tossed the giant center pad in one of my tac boxes never to be seen again until I prep to clear CIF.
B) placed 1 x Medium Square Pad on front and back interior of helmet.
C) Placed 2 x Small Rectangle Pads on either side of Square Pad oriented vertically.

Pictures can explain this much easier.






Not only did this clear an unobstructed path to route the headset, it was also the most comfortable configuration that I have come up with to date. That being said, I just use the issued pads and am likely not knowing what I am missing with aftermarket pads but these worked fine for me.

Functionality: Sometimes you need tactical hands free devices. I added the MSA ARC accessory rails to my helmet but instead of doing the common sense thing like EOD and aadrian82 did by mounting them on the exterior of the helmet, I placed the helmet cover over them and just cut a section of it out to slot the devices through. I had an Insight M3 on the left side for SSE and the like where I didn't want to put my rifle to white light everything, but I broke it by headbutting someone that tried grabbing my hand when it was on my M4's pistol grip. Crazy asshole. Right side had my VIO POV HD helmet camera from time to time until it got deadlined. Not just for cool guy, but also intel and it came in handy for investigations where footage confirmed my Sworn Statements. The POV also came in handy as a snake cam of sorts to peer through windows or over gates in order to get eyes on in an unobtrusive manner while looking at the LCD screen to assess the situation. More on that in a later installment.

COMA Back Panel / Camelbak Pouch:

aadrian82 has it right when he talks in his post. Our patrols were typically a little longer, and I preferred a Camelbak to keep one hand on my weapon system at all times. We also did Air Assaults and multi-day operations where the bladder was a better choice than a half dozen water bottles for storage. I liked the Tyr Camelbak pouch for the most part – it fit perfectly on the harness while still allowing a few MOLLE channels on the bottom of the beltline portion, and a neat design was to flare out the top to allow for the bladder to fully seat itself properly to fit. Many other offerings fail to do this, and in the past I have had to short myself on water to make bladders fit properly. With this one I don't have to. The top portion did, however, tend to get caught up on things such as MRAP's with opening back doors and low overhangs. This created a split second “Oh, SHIT!” moment and a thought process where you paused. I ended up fashioning a loop of 550 Cord that ran through two slots in order to secure it down so it didn't flare up like a Dilophosaurus getting ready to spit acid at you. This worked well and I didn't have any further issues getting hung up. I hated that feeling, man, made my heart leap into my throat every dame time. You can route both hydration and antennae through front and back configuration of this combination, which is made easier with the Velcro routing loops that came with the LWPC (that will be featured in the Specialty Stuff).

Tyr COMA Sniper Harness



The above picture is weird because it's taken at an odd angle and evidently I'm doing a Captain Morgan pirate pose or some crazy ass shit for some reason and it doesn't showcase just how slimline this setup really is. Here's a better photo looking down from a first person view. Hopefully by Specialty Work pictures will showcase this a lot better.





My element was often called out, which required an immediate response. As such, I didn't want to have to configure and reconfigure my kit based on the mission. Time sensitive targets require efficient planning and execution. With this in mind, I've utilized GP pouches to cross utilize equipment as much as possible.

This is my most favorite piece of gear I own. Ever. Just so you know. It does everything. I wanted my entire 2nd Line on this Harness to a) keep everything off my chest and b) bring the fight slick if needed. I used it slick and in kit over the KDH PC and Tyr LWPC, requiring for only the cummerbund to be cinched up. This took only seconds due to how easy and intuitive the cummerbund is accessed and adjusted – simply lift the rear panel and configure as needed. I added 1 x Tyr MOLLE Adapter Panel to each side of the cummerbund for added real estate and they have not shifted to date, and I abused the hell out of this thing.



This thing is incomparable. I can prone out with it (properly), get lower by unclipping the front, or just take it off entirely as needed for a field expedient rest with IFAK being accessible ambidextrously or whatnot. It is the pinnacle of versatility.

An added benefit of the Harness directly under my kit is it supporting the PC to stay in place (Much more a factor with the KDH PC) – it kept the plates where they offered the most protection. This was unintended as far as I know, but it is simply awesome for correcting a deficiency. This same concept also added increased resistance from the weight of the PC to faciliate draws from the Happy Mag's. Harness never flopped around when properly configured.

Only drawbacks are as follows: if the harness is worn over kit, it can have the shoulder straps work loose off the shoulder straps of your armor system, increasing muscle fatigue and generally just annoying you. I ended up using the VTAC Assault Glove cuff's to help secure them, but it'd be cool if Tyr developed a retention system in house even though the system was designed to be worn slick. It has application for both. Only other improvement I would make is for an added layer of retention for the front of the cummerbund / clasp system – a locking panel / sleeve interface would make this thing damn near perfect. I just made do with 100 MPH Tape, but I did have a lot of weight hanging off this system.



(For weight reference, in Assaulter configuration the Harness was loaded up with 3 x PMAG's, IFAK, M500 in holster, 2 Frag's, 1 Bang, 24 spare shotgun shells, and NOD's. The shoulder straps / buckle did not move one millimeter. I measured to be sure.)

I could layer my cold weather gear more effectively over my armor and then layer my fighting rig on top of that if the situation dictated. Guys, I know I'm riding this things dick hard, but fuck – it is amazing.

Tyr NVG pouch w/ Protective Insert:



The Army has been fielding NVG's for decades now and has been proclaiming that they “Own The Night”, yet no one outside of SOCOM issues a dedicated NODS pouch. I guess we can only say that maybe we just rent it for awhile. Most folks use their canteen pouch to store NOD's and accessories such as batteries or an IR Buzzsaw, some with the canteen and some not. I don't think my NOD's need to be on my 2nd Line or even on me all the time, but placement is mandated so all I can do is seek to optimize. The protective insert wedges perfectly into the pouch and cushions the NOD's, even going so far as to molding around them for a better fit so they don't come loose or get turned on inadvertently like they do in the CIF/RFI canteen pouch. This also greatly reduces the risk of NODS and ancillary equipment such as the J-Arm breaking or loosening. It has a dual retention system, Velcro and a clip. I hate clips so I un-threaded it and dropkicked it into the random box of shit and just run the Velcro for retention – never an issue, and I've taken some epic dives down hills and once front flipped over a grape wall. This also worked well for a Vectronix PLRF. There’s room in the pouch for small chemlites as well.

Tyr RG Dump Pouch:



I like the slick exterior, Velcro retention, and rigid mouth opening (no homo). But this just sat too damn high on my harness for it to work well. I had to articulate my arm high and at an awkward angle. I missed my CSM Gear dump pouch, and should have used that or went with Tyr's other, lower-hanging offering. This did hold a lot (empty mags, partial mags (never both at the same time...), bottles of water, handfuls of 40mm, SSE material, an explosive charge or two, a battery pack for an enabler. It just didn't work out as well as I thought it would. It ended up holding chem lights and a VS-17 panel with our FREQ on it and wolf-tails / buzzsaws.

Paraclete Frag Grenade Pouches:



I hate snap top closures, which the issued frag grenades pouches are. Or maybe they're fastek buckles, I forget. Either way, I don't like them and prefer Velcro. “But Velcro makes a ripping noise!” Yeah, well, a grenade makes a giant boom, so noise discipline by then has gone out the window. These fit the bill and had the loop to secure the tabs when threaded through MOLLE. They either carried some Composition B fancy sauce, or shotgun shells depending on mission and loadout. I went to pouches that offered versatility for dual purpose roles.

Paraclete Signal Pouch:

Again, Velcro for the win. These carried 2x M14 magazines that were easily stored and drawn. If I wasn't carrying the EBR, it held shotgun shells, an NFDD, or a VS-17 panel with our FREQ. Again, one general purpose pouch capable of filling multiple roles as needed. Re-configuring pouch placement for every mission can suck it. Work smarter, not harder.



BFG Trauma Kit Now! W/ Tourniquet Now!

This is a quickly deployed IFAK. I did tie it down with a spare issue IFAK coiled retention shock cord. I like the side pocket for a pair of EMT shears, didn't lose mine all deployment, can be accessed without opening IFAK. Same thing for the TQ – I carried several SOFT-T's I bought or traded for myself on both 1st and 2nd Line due to working in a heavy IED environment. What I don't like are two things – One is the Velcro MOLLE attachment system which wore out on two deployments, and the other is that when loaded up it tips forward in the pouch and increases girth. I worked hard to streamline and slim my kit, and this was the only thing holding me back. I realize there are so only so many ways to go about business, with many of them patented already, and certainly don't fault BFG with on that. I'll be trying Tyr's SOF IFAK next.

Tyr Happy Mag's:


Due to a reduced combat load, I opted to place all three on a belt line for combat reloads with a similar index point, with slim / streamlining the system to reduce profile and lessen girth a priority due to working in confined areas. These fit that bill. Excellent retention with Kydex, after 50-65 draws got them to where I wanted them. My PC is slick so as to not interfere with the draw, but I can tip them outboard a little as needed. Slick exterior reminds me not to layer unnecessarily. I didn’t need bungee retention so just tucked them under the pouch.

 

[MikeL]

PMAG's:

I work with a reduced combat load of 4 x PMAG's loaded to 28 rounds per. I only shoot at what I can see and know I can hit. My watchword was surgical precision. Let's say it takes seven bullets for me to bring someone down. That is 4 tango's down per magazine for a grand total of 16. Only one element around here supposedly went up against 16 hard pipeswingers, and I strongly believe that number was greatly exaggerated – plus I know I'm not going to be the only one putting in work to kill motherfuckers. I had 3 x loaded with M855A1 (I ran out of MK 262 MOD 1 early on) and one loaded with M995 due to a specific threat in my AO and having needed to engage armored threats previously. No, I will not go into details on an open forum. The PMAG to the rearmost sans Ranger Plate held the AP awesome sauce. PMAG's are reliable, consistently – period. I have never had a magazine-related malfunction with a PMAG in either training or combat. They flat out work and are the only magazines I currently use.

One of our guys got a soldering iron so I let a few dudes practice stippling on my PMAG's. They did good, but eventually got bored with it so not all mine are done. I was just glad to be able to help them out.

I identified deficiencies with the newly fielded M4/M16 magazines with Tan Followers to include a tendency for the follower to lock up on the last three rounds due it not being a proper anti-tilt follower, and the flared feed lips are more prone to separating more easily than OG USGI magazines with Green Followers when dropped on the deck. I do not recommend these for use. They can’t be upgraded with the Magpul follower either due to differing specifications. Adding insult to injury to Magpul...

1st LINE SHOULDER POCKETS:



LEFT SHOULDER POCKET:

VTAC Rite In The Rain Pad:

For writing in all weather, which I find myself in all too often. Bonus that it has the same planning process we use for missions. Makes it a lot easier for briefs and as a quick reference for clarification to others, whether they be in or attached to our element.

Lockpick Set:

I encountered padlocks exclusively. I had four different types of tension wrenches and a few different pick types. In order to minimize time on target I ended up using the angled tension wrench and rake pick primarily. I also had a pair of the titanium Bogota picks that worked well, but wasn't as comfortable with them due to lack of prior training. Majority of the specialty stuff was in a dedicated pouch in the truck along with small cans of Dust-Off and WD-40 to clean / lubricate locks as needed. Lockpicking did not leave indicators to our presence as other methods of entry did, and in some COIN environments it was the only way to go about it as owners would acquiesce to our course of action provided that we did absolutely no damage. It's definitely a viable tool for .mil types to have with the requisite training.

Ipod Shuffle (2 GB)

Not pictured because I was rocking out to Journey when I took the picture. This came in handy during multi-day operations for quick rack time when it was your turn to sleep in order to eliminate the noises in a compound that otherwise affected your sleep. Put some ear phones in (I used Bose ones as the stock iPod buds are rather fragile) and everything fades away but an epic classic rock mix. If we got hit, you'd know it. Even if you didn't, the RTO had a pile of rocks to throw at you just in case. This thing was so small and lightweight it didn't penalize you in either category. Just make sure your Soldiers have the maturity level to use it professionally.

Papers & Shit

Ihre Papiere, bitte! I had a few SMART Cards I never used, my Bullet Drop / Wind charts for different rounds / weapon systems spec'd on my ballistics program, mil-dot cheat sheet, and my shaving profile. I refused to carry all the additional “inspectable items” which by this point number at 16 different documents which probably weighs in at a pound.
RIGHT SHOULDER POCKET:

1 x SOFT-T

Metal windlass > plastic windlass – no stress fractures from repeated use. Able to be used one-handed for self aid, realistically one of the two forms of self-aid I will be able to perform. Set up for maximum girth to fit both arms and legs. I trained putting one on from various setups daily during periods of downtime just to have something to do.

There's some random SERE stuff there as well.

The next installment will be similar to this one, but focusing on the equipment I wore when doing specialty work. It may be a bit because all the cool guy photos of me are on someone else's camera and we don't know where the cable is. So if you like beards, FAST helmets, COTS PC's, and Crye uniforms you're in luck. If you don't then you probably aren't reading this anyway, commie.

 

[MikeL]

Suggested Best Practices

OCCUPY: COMPOUND

So, you need to occupy yourselves a compound. Whether it be to get your guys out of the open and take a breather, a dedicated mission set to observe and report, or there's some small unit kill team action going on - sometimes compounds just need to get taken the fuck over. This particular focus is on occupying compounds for a specific mission, but some points will be applicable across the board. Use what is useful, discard what is useless.

Type Of Occupation: Low Visibility Vs. High Visibility

Both have their benefits and drawbacks and the decision is heavily dependent on mission and situation. You need to ask yourself the hard question of whether your force and it's mission is more suited to being hidden initially, or to have a fortified compound but which is clearly visible as to what it is to the enemy. Be prepared for both, as low visibility can suddenly transform into High Visibility at the drop of a hat or the rotating of a selector switch.

POSTURES:

With Low Visibility you are doing your level best to deny the enemy any indicators whatsoever as to your presence. Infil will typically be done at night, away from prying eyes. Abandoned compounds are preferred, as the last thing you want is to hold an Afghan family hostage over the course of a few days- or, even worse, being forced to kick them out so they can go and tell everyone the good news that the Americans are here. Keeping them contained to an area, providing security for them, establishing SOP's to give them privacy to do their business while still trying to maintain that fragile link that we're here to help can be a real nightmare. Emphasis is on intelligence gathering, establishing patterns, and surveillance. Due to the covert nature of this, you are sacrificing cover in favor of concealment and electing to use only the natural formation of the compound and whatever happens to be inside of it / can blend in with the compound. Moreover, you are more than likely sacrificing 360 degree security in favor of overall concealment due to lack of suitable areas to provide security without being seen. Majority of manpower will be consolidated within compound out of sight. Select elements (PSG, SL, FO, SDM, Sniper/Observer) will establish a hide site with a good field of view and begin their work unobtrusively. This includes sector sketches, range cards, GRG Numbers, Target Reference Points (TRP's), all the way up to wargaming scenarios as to what you would do if you were the enemy. The PL/PSG is responsible for risk assessment/matrix as to potential enemy courses of action and how to go about solving them. Method of movement topside will be a slow, low crawl. It is importat to not fuck this up, as all it takes is that one dude who forgets where he is and stands up like a damned giraffe to force a change in posture.

For Low Visibility, hard questions are asked - is it best to simply take the incoming fire and not respond? Is it direct fire, or indirect fire? Sporadic, or sustained? Both are indicators as to the enemy thought process and their level of force - rarely are they going to mortar or shoot grenades at someone who may have been providing them active aid in the past. The enemy might not be sure of our presence or location and are merely performing a Recon By Fire based off secondhand information, hearsay, or gossip from the locals. In some situations it may be best not to respond with force, perhaps not respond at all, or even respond by one of the above in a hide sight acting the role of an Afghan in mufti in an effort to assuage the fella's with AK's down range that all is well over here...

If the need to engage is there, who initiates? The majority of the time with us (once we were consolidated and formed like Voltron - stirring up the Talib hornet's nest was a whole 'nother case entirely), there were only one or two people spotting on the compound and moving in, sometimes using children as human shields. As such surgical precision was called for once they crossed the ROE Line by showing their true colors. I won't get into our ROE specifics, but behavior outside the normal for farmers such as actively hiding behind children, sketching a building, using binoculars, or talking on ICOM's are all clues as to whom you are dealing with. Some aspects of this can be cross-referenced with other supporting elements for clarification. Are there suppressed capabilities internally? This will only aid in keeping your presence a low signature. It's difficult to first ascertain where you're being shot at from with unsuppressed weapons - suppressed weapons confound this exponentially. Do you eliminate the threat and hold to Low Visibility, or commit to High Visibility? It depends on what platforms you're engaging the enemy with, and whether you compromised yourself - were others able to see / hear and potentially pinpoint your location or did you eliminate the threat with no one the wiser as to where the shot came from? You may be able to get away with a few lone gunshots due to difficulty in them to slice the pie, but realize that with each successive shot you are both narrowing your window and maximizing their ability to make you. It may very well be a question not of if, but when - think of those first shots as starting a timer. How fast it winds down or makes it to zero depends. With other weapon systems, think of it as flipping a switch. Typically anytime one of our big, bad, and belt fed's started barking, the jig was up and we went Hard Target immediately.

For High Visibility, you are anticipating a fight. You roll in heavy and element flows to provide 360 security after clearing. You may end up stacking sandbags in front of fighting positions, or at least using items found in the compound for this purpose such as bags of rice or wheat. Knocking down or putting holes in walls isn't frowned upon, it's encouraged in order to maximize sectors of fire and fields of view. This takes priority over keeping the compound's integrity intact, as indicators to presence have a correspondingly lower priority. Additional weapon systems (extra machine guns) may be left topside for supplementary fighting positions while Soldiers rotate out for shifts, ready to be manned as needed. Stockpiles of ammunition are with the weapon system, pre-linked and ready to go. This reduces mobility, but you are in a fortified structure ready to duke it out. Rocket launchers are prepped and staged at each primary fighting position. No one likes being shot at with things that make a giant boom when they hit, that shit is terrifying. Equipment such as grenade belts would be kept in key security positions, but which also made passing them around to whom needed them much easier.

Regardless of initial posture, the PSG will establish security, to include securing the compound from entry. This may go so far as to provide an early warning network of some capacity (broken glass outside gate, bottle with small rocks in it hinged on gate interior, or even a tripwire NFDD). It may also incorporate Claymores, which can work in both postures. He works this out with his Leaders who then brief their respective elements. Section Leader tells machine gun teams where they will be emplaced if compound comes under contact, or emplaces them for High Visibility. Squad Leaders/Team Leaders best employ their elements for security in a TIC or all the time - same principles apply. Boss sets the Uniform, to include PPE Levels. For Low Visibility, it may be common to work slick whereas you are actively expecting a fight with the High Visibility option and it may be best to be fully kitted up. PPE levels may be different during night and day depending on situation and past experiences. Specific Compound-Based Battle Drills are planned for and rehearsed. In order to more effectively mass fires, Soldiers may be oriented in a specific direction with a reduced number providing 360 security. Again, you must adapt to the threat. Information is disseminated to the lowest level and it is an individual level skill to be able to call out GRG's, ADRAC's, SALUTE Reports, Call For Fire if the dedicated individual typically running point on this isn't co-located, up top with them, or they are wounded. That being said, if they are shooters, their primary focus should be shooting. You may want to invest in having someone in a leadership role responsible for processing and disseminating information to the Boss so he can better make decisions and brief his boss.



The enemy has a systematic process for scouting you out. They will send spotters out to test your ROE. Typically they will be unarmed, and may be using children in an effort to fall outside ROE. It is not uncommon for them to hang about, then go back to where they were only to reappear later, this time testing you even more because they have something to write on and with. Other times they may be talking on a cell phone or even an ICOM. Sometimes it's not enough for them to simply get your location down - they want force composition, how many of you there are, and what weapon systems you're employing. This requires them to get closer. Common sense reigns supreme. Look for the man that is out of place. How many farmers have you seen tending field with a fancy black vest over their sparkling white mandress with a sequined hat and formal shoes?

I will say this - by confirming hostile intent / acts and eliminating spotters IAW established ROE, you are denying the enemy their first line of offense and are blatantly telling them that you are not fucking around and have no problem killing them and their associates when afforded the opportunity. This will result in the real bad guys, those with guns and RPG's, to engage you from a distance - if at all. During this mission, they did not venture within 250 meters of our compound and I attribute this to not only a healthy standoff distance with lack of cover and concealment for them, but also because we relieved them of their initial assets / information gathering network. RPG's were launched at us, but never struck the compound (though one did fly way too close to the tower once). AK small arms fire was ineffective and basically turned into shooting practice for people behind our machine guns. We had guys intentionally silhouette themselves standing up on the rooftop in order to draw the enemy out in order to engage and eliminate them. GOTCHA, BITCH!

By the same token, you need to be absolutely sure of what you are doing and to whom. It can be difficult, and sometimes even impossible, to gauge whether an individual is providing active aid to the enemy and you need to err on the side of caution in these murky moments. An example of this would be the two young adults with the confirmed enemy spotter. I couldn't ascertain whether they were being coerced into giving him a false sense of security or if they were providing active aid due to lack of facial expressions or other physical cues, and made the judgement call that I would not engage them until they presented a clear and present danger to me and my element, if it came to that. In the end, they hauled ass after their "benefactor" took to a round to the throat, and were never to be seen again.

Here are a few photos from the suicide mission we were sent on. The initial plan was to infil and go Low Visibility, however the compound we were to occupy had squatters in it and we had to send them away based on orders from Higher. They came back a couple days later to claim all their stuff and move. In short, the bad guys knew where we were so we opted to go Hard Target right off the bat due to this and limited personnel (we had to split up our already small element into two to occupy two separate compounds.) This was the mission where our other team that split from us was literally surrounded on all sides and were under constant contact for 5 hours and eventually the bad guys got within hand grenade throwing distance and tossed a pineapple grenade (!) over the wall. Our sister team took a casualty and fought their way to the MEDEVAC AND back to us. Fucking. Studs. The bloody KDH PC above is from my friend and teammate who was wounded by a grenade.

Reference the COIN aspect of occupying a compound - it sucks, and there's no good way of going about it. Even though this family was squatting (strange they would admit it) they still consider it their HOME. They have blankets, keepsakes, money, livelihood, and memories tied up here. It will be a tremendously jarring experience for them to get kicked out. They were given claims forms so they would be reimbursed for everything, but I don't see how you can reimburse a family the place where they grew together. I had my own reservations about whether the Unit was capable of providing recompense for something like this, and I honestly had a big problem with it in general, but had to force myself to think of things tactically because there just wasn't much we could do to positively affect the family aside from help them gather everything, not causing damage, and provide them with a little extra money.

We never sustained a casualty from small arms fire, ever, and not on this mission. Our host organization did, but it turned out it was a case of friendly fire where a Soldier was shot in the back (shoulder region) from his mate behind him. Proof positive that the Universal Safety Rules Plus should be heeded, and that if you are going to be shooting you need to get on line. You can see this concept on our rooftop where we have the Firing Line set up - SMAW-D, M14 EBR, MK-48, and M249 (SAW not visible due to behind behind rooftop hill) .

 

[MikeL]

All allowed for traversing within sectors of fire without being a safety violation for fellow shooters on line with and next to you. With High Visibility, you can directly signal AWT's - our VS-17 Panel was weighted down and next to the firing line, with our internal FREQ spray painted on so pilots could drop down and talk direct. The enemy really don't like helicopters, as they are fast, mobile, can see things from their particular perspective, and will lay waste. AWT's are nothing short of tremendous murdering inventions - Da Vinci would be proud. For all the fools we merc'd during this mission, AWT's waxed even more. Kiowas are like angry little hornets stinging to death anything that crosses their path. They are an incredible asset and Force Multiplier, and we can't thank them enough. The only time you can have too much CAS is when you're buying drinks for them at the bar...or when you're trying to jerk off on a rooftop. Wait, what?

Here is a case of manipulating your battlespace. This was in the tower, which was the highest point within the compound and offered the best line of sight to several GRG's we were being engaged from.

It was an ideal spot, save for not being able to engage from the side windows. But what about that wall at the end - it had a perfect field of view of all it could survey...if only it wasn't there. It could also compliment the Firing Line by massing fires more effectively. By channeling Macho Man Randy Savage and putting boots to the wall, we were able to knock out a hole big enough to put a MK-48 in, where it could sufficiently traverse. Note the bags of grain in order to provide comfort to who was manning the position in order to minimize fatigue and maximize situational awareness. One member of the machine gun could rack out while his teammate pulled security and vice versa without being forced to sleep on the cold, hard ground. This led to Soldiers being more well rested, which resulted in quicker target identification and elimination.



Another example of fortification in this photo are the wicker baskets being plugged in as stopgaps in the exterior windows. This was due to our other team's experience with having the grenade tossed into their compound. The baskets were reinforced in place so they simply wouldn't fall in if struck with sufficient force, and the intent was that the shape would either bounce the grenade back, or roll it out courtesy of gravity. Thankfully, we never had to test the validity of this.

I don't expect TIME Magazine to do any reporting on this particular Occupy Movement, but hopefully it can provide you with some insight and framework in your particular applications. This mission's lessons came at the cost of the blood of one of our own, and this is something that is incredibly important to me to convey as he is a friend and teammate. He is recovering well, and is just as funny as ever. Perhaps even moreso. The hardest lessons we learn are those at the expense of our own, and it drives the point home that we learn and adapt by experience.

 

[MikeL]

Also dudes, don't sell yourself or your deployment short. As satisfying as it is dropping the hammer on a bad guy, it ain't doing much in the grand scheme of things. Odds are you folks did much more to positively affect change to the people, their way of life, and the kids than we did. In the end, that's ultimately what is going to matter - the future is going to be that one kid who grows up and remembers some small act of grace from a Soldier and strives to do right for their people and their country.

Like I said before, a lot of this is just luck of the draw. Whenever I think about how many different paths my life could have taken, I am continually surprised at how the smallest decisions have the biggest influence. When I first came to this Unit I was asked by S1 where I wanted to go. I am incredulous that if I answered differently (and it was a spur of the moment decision) - my experience would have been waaaaay different...

Below is an Operational Needs Statement I wrote for a Lightweight Designated Marksman Rifle (LWDMR) to replace the M14 EBR based on personal experience as well as anecdotal / experiential input from others. Not only is it important to learn from lessons, but it is important to be proactive and put forth the effort to change things for the better.

It looks like it is all but hopeless of getting this approved within my Unit, but hopefully some Gunslingers here can use it as a basis to positively effect change within their organization and start a trend towards better solutions for the mission at hand in lieu of being saddled with sub-par interim band-aids.

ONS's work better when multiple requests hit. As far as I'm concerned, Distro is unlimited and you can feel free to use my work and/or change and modify it as you deem fit. The more Lightfighters that strive to force change in the GPF's, the better. Go forth and fucking conquer.

If you require this in a .pdf or MSWord document, please feel free to PM me and I can kick it out to you.

-------------------------------------

XXXX-XX-XX


MEMORANDUM THRU


Commander,
Commander,
Commander,

FOR

SUBJECT: Operational Needs Statement (ONS) for a Lightweight Designated Marksman Rifle (LW-DMR) to replace the M-14 Enhanced Battle Rifle (EBR).

1. Unit Identification Code (UIC).

2. Ship to Address:

3. Problem. XXXXX currently deployed to OEF requests a Lightweight Designated Marksman Rifle (LW-DMR) to replace the current M-14 Enhanced Battle Rifle (EBR).

4. Justification. XXXXX has identified deficiencies with the M-14 EBR during X tours in OEF while equipped with the M-14 EBR as produced by TACOM-Rock Island.

The TACOM-RI produced M14 EBR is chambered for NATO 7.62 x51mm which makes cross-loading ammunition amongst the squad impossible. Match grade rounds are preferred; rendering de-linking machine gun rounds a sub-standard solution.

The overall length of the M14 EBR is 44-1/8 inches with stock fully extended and 40 inches with stock fully retracted. The weight of the M14 EBR, unloaded and without accessories is 13 pounds and when loaded and with accessories is 16.6 pounds. This added weight further increases the soldier's load and adds to mental and physical fatigue resulting in decreased situational awareness and ability to perform to standard. Further, the SDM’s ability to function as a member of the squad in close terrain is decreased due to the weight and length penalty of the M-14 EBR.

The M-14 EBR is dissimilar to the current M-16 based family of weapons, which increased the requirement for training in the units, and presents a dissimilar target indicator to enemy snipers. addition, virtually all SDM Schools utilize the M4/M16 Family Of Weapons (FOW) with the ACOG optic which means SDM's are being trained on a different manual of arms as well as a different optic and reticle. The M14 EBR also features a poor safety design which requires the SDM to place their finger inside the trigger guard in order to manipulate it.

The M14 EBR is not a common weapon system trained on by Unit Armorers and Direct Support. There is a lack of spare parts available for repairs and replacement due to a limited supply of M14's still remaining in service. The M14 EBR must be sent back to TACOM-RI for specific repairs / replacement, leaving the SDM without the materiel capability to accomplish his mission. These factors all negatively impact a BCT's ability to provide support for the weapon system.

The Leupold Mark 4 optic issued with the M14 EBR features a Bullet Drop Compensator (BDC) adjustment knob for 168 grain bullets. The preferred ammunition for the M14 EBR is M118LR which is a 175 grain bullet, this BDC ammunition mismatch decreases the SDM’s ability to achieve a first round hit on combatants at extended range. The turrets are non-capatured which leads to frequent loss of zero due to weapons handling. The mil-dot reticle is not conducive to second shot correction based off observable bullet splash.

5. System Characteristics. The LW-DMR rifle should be equal to the following Designated Marksman Requirements:

a. A weapon currently in service within SOCOM and the Marine Corps which may meet these requirements and has safety releases is the MK-12 Special Purpose Rifle (SPR).

b. Weapon features shall include a 16” barrel, folding back up iron sights, adjustable stock, ambidextrous controls, constant trigger pull, an improved flash suppressor, free-floated rail system and accessory attachment points. Weapon accessories shall include a precision optic, an adjustable bipod, a sound suppressor, a two point sling, and a PEQ-15.

c. The LW-DMR shall weigh 9 pounds or less unloaded and without accessories. The LW-DMR shall weigh 12.5 pounds or less loaded and with all accessories. Overall weight savings of the LW-DMR when compared to the M14 EBR shall be 4 pounds or greater. LW-DMR will allow the SDM to add an increased basic combat load of 210 rounds over the present M14 EBR basic combat load of 120 rounds while reducing overall system weight by 35% from 16.6 to 12.5 pounds. In addition, organic systems will not require SDM’s to reconfigure their load platforms to accommodate 7.62 x 51mm magazines.

d. Demonstrates accuracy greater than the M-14 EBR with match grade ammunition. Accuracy standard of 1 MOA with MK 262 MOD 1, and an accuracy standard of 2 MOA with both MK 318 MOD 0 and M855A1 at 300 meters.

e. The LW-DMR shall have an ergonomic adjustable stock similar to the RFI issued SOPMOD stocks that feature adjustable Length Of Pull (LOP) as well as a sloping style stock for an enhanced cheek to stock weld and a removable rubber butt pad to reduce recoil and prevent stock from slipping when shooting with body armor

f. The LW-DMR shall have an adjustable two-point tactical sling capable of quickly adjusting sling tension for such acts as long range precision shots and transitioning the LW-DMR to the SDM’s back.

g. The LW-DMR shall have a free-floated rail system to ensure consistent barrel flexing and harmonics and eliminate Point Of Impact (POI) Shift from pressures exerting on barrel.

h. The LW-DMR shall have a two-stage combat trigger with the trigger pull of the first stage between 2-2.5 pounds, and the trigger pull of the second stage between 1.5-2 pounds.

i. Signature Reduction System: The LW-DMR shall have a Signature Reduction System of a flash suppressor and a sound suppressor. Flash suppressor shall be equal to the recent RFI issued units. Sound suppressor shall offer
reduced auditory and visual indicators as well as minimal Point Of Aim / Point Of Impact shift when suppressor is attached. Sound suppressor shall be a Quick Attach / Quick Detach item.

j. The LW-DMR rifle shall have a variable power First Focal Plane optic in the 2.5x10 or 3.5x12 magnification range. The turrets shall be capatured in order to prevent loss of zero during weapons handling. A Quick Attach / Quick
Detach mount that has ability to retain zero and Return To Zero capabilities will be used to mount the optic. A laser protective filter shall be included. The reticle pattern shall be one conducive to second shot correction based off observable bullet splash similar to the reticle pattern currently fielded with the M-2010 .


6. Operational Concept. The LW-DMRs will be used under the arms room concept by the maneuver commanders to meet METT-TC requirements. The LW-DMR’s will be used as the primary weapon system for the DM, who given METT-TC and leader guidance, will employ the weapon while serving as an interchangeable member of the Infantry Squad yet who is capable of establishing Positive Identification (PID) and delivering precision direct fire at extended ranges out to 600 meters as a mission requirement when necessary.

7. Organizational Concept. The system will be distributed using the Bases of Issue Plan (BOIP):

(Table not compatible via text, and will depend on your particular MTOE. PM me with an -email if you want to see this in its original format.)


b. The system shall be maintainable by the Brigade Support Battalion Small Arms Repair Section under the supervision of the 913A Warrant Officer Armament Repair Technician.

8. Procurement Objective. Request the immediate replacement of on hand M-14 EBR’s with one of the current 5.56 x 45mm weapon systems in use within SOCOM/USASOC and the USMC.

9. Support Requirements.

a. Request PM Soldier Weapons/TACOM Rock Island provides a training team to train the BCT’s 45Bs on maintaining the LW-DMR. XXXXX' 45B’s will also receive sufficient PLL to support repair of the LW-DMR for the duration of a deployment.

b. Ammunition type is standard NATO 5.56 x 45mm, fully compatible with the MK-12, M4, and M16. MK 262 MOD 1, MK 318 MOD 0, and M855A1 NATO 5.56 x45mm are the preferred ammunition supporting this requirement in order to support the accuracy requirement.

10. Availability. The MK-12 Special Purpose Rifle (SPR) are available on loan from SOCOM stocks or can be fabricated from government owned Technical Data Packages by TACOM Rock Island, the Army Marksmanship Unit, or the Crane Surface Warfare program responsible for the USASOC MK-12

11. Recommendation. Field a total of 142 Lightweight Designated Marksman rifles to XXXXX as soon as possible.

12. Point of contact is xxxxx.

Name
Rank
Position

 

[MikeL]

One of the replies by another person on the forum

Thanks for an excellent post MickFury. This should be required reading for anyone moving into that AO. You have a lot of damn good TTP's in here and it sounds like your unit was a damn good place to be. If you are where I think you are, I've got to watch a few of your larger engagements from the other side of the river. I think you hit all the technical things pretty in depth, but here are some of my thoughts, coming from a former PL in the nearby area.

Communications and support - Layering of operational support was a terrible hurdle I spent a fighting season trying unsuccessfully to overcome. The CO TOC would stick the biggest retard there, (And not just the RTO, the officer type fell into this category as well) and it destroyed our ability to employ fires, conduct MEDEVACs, maintain big picture SA, work with aircraft, and get any information from the S2. I was unable to fix this one personally, but having battle captains push enablers directly to comms with the ground force commander and keep their hands off the situation would have boosted their effectiveness immensely. Putting the right guy in the CO COIST position can pay out big dividends and enable effective targeting... while putting the wrong guy can force a platoon to do nothing but conduct movement to contact "presence patrol" missions for months straight trying to develop the S2 picture internally.

Refresher training - Our BN initially was extremely unsupportive in my efforts to conduct refresher training, especially small arms ranges. They believed pre-deployment training would last Soldiers through the full year. The workaround I found to get them to change this was when I incorporated the ANA. Having team leaders and Joe conduct small group training with the ANA both allowed them the muscle memory repetitions as they demonstrated and increased the skills of our partners. We were lucky and had 7 interpreters for our PLT (Don't ask) and could thus do training at a very individual level. This showed as the performance of the ANA at the squad and platoon level increased during TIC situations. I also saw a decrease in the institutional distrust that existed between our two organizations off the bat. It took months to reap the reward of this, but eventually the end result was a switch to jointly planned, ANA led, US supported patrols, and the increase of all basic skills across the board.

Most useful piece of equipment : Garmin Foretrex 301. The DAGR has its spot, but is just too damn clumsy and big. Anyone who will be navigating or sending up reports needs one. Its just too fucking good at what it does.

Second most useful piece of equipment : Contour HD Helmet cam. Can be any helmet camera. Useful for covering your ass on a 15-6, showing you did the right thing. Useful making notes for patrol debriefs. Useful for conducting AAR's of firefights. Its amazing what you pick up the second time around when you slow it down and can break it down piece by piece. Also useful for covertly capturing imagery of people and places as you patrol through the area, as stated previously.

Kit set up- The one big lesson I want to pass on is water. The unit we RIPed with had the SOP of two 3L Camelbaks per person, for a total of about 16 pounds. Our AO has plentiful numbers of wells in the area, as well as moving water in canals near most of our movement routes. Rather than carrying that second camelbak for SHTF, planning for water resupply at one of these locations and carrying iodine tablets saved about 8 pounds of weight per man. Other than that identify what is needed for the AO and how much ammunition you really need. For us, being light and able to jump walls and stay off the roads (thus avoiding being predictable and IED's) was better protection than having a few more bullets.

Paper trail - If you have someone that is not an asset to your organization, start a paper trail on them and kick them out. In 7 months I went through 4 PSG's. My PSG during the first 3 months of the deployment was worthless and I had no faith in his abilities. The unwillingness of the CO/1SG to replace him could have been overturned by counseling him more aggressively. Monthly will not cut it, event oriented is required. As soon as an individual starts taking away more from the unit then they bring to the table, counsel them at every fuck up possible. Make them either come around or get out.

ADO - Great program, but needs to be utilized properly. Our company did it by allowing Soldiers to place their own orders once a month for what they needed, setting each individual a monetary limit. It worked. Others just put in stock orders that failed to address which each Soldier needed, and tried to use the two week turn around uniform DX process. This did not work. Also, FRACU multicam pants suck.

Rehearsals - These get old, quick. They are also insanely valuable and need to always be done, and include any Afghan units. Actions on contact need to be fresh on everyones mind prior to the start of the mission. After our guys continued to show proficiency at simple walkthroughs, I delegated rehearsals to the SL, then TL, then Joe level. Only requirement was to go over actions on. Joes started stressing different things in accordance with their skills, which ended up being good refresher training. The medic would stress medical stuff, the guys who walked point would stress CIED stuff, the SL's would stress battle drills, FO would talk about how to mark targets for aircraft. It worked.

Mindset, enable lower Soldiers to lead - Our biggest success was lasting the summer without an IED strike. Combined, the rest of our Company had 87 purple hearts given out in that timeframe, some with 3 or more this deployment. I attribute this to our route selection, proactively changing our TTP's, honesty traces, and common sense. I allowed the TL / Joe who was walking point and minesweeping to choose the route. Sometimes we took only roads. Sometimes we stayed in the grape fields the entire time. Sometimes we'd start off going on one, and change it halfway because of a gut feeling. I would give my guidance on specific areas to avoid, and the rest was up to the TL. Any chokepoint we went through or any place we set up for an extended period of time in was treated as if it was an IED. It worked for us.

Stupidest thing I saw this deployment: 0300, set in assault position 50m away from the OBJ, breach teams are moving up. I know it was exactly 0300, because my fucking Platoon Sergeant's Iphone alarm starts going off full volume with that annoying siren noise. All the goats and sheep start freaking out in the compound, lights come on from inside, three guys start running out to the grape hut just behind us. Could have gotten very interesting...

Just some of my thoughts.

 

[MikeL]

I'm glad this is helping people, and especially some sections being applicable to our Brothers In Blue as well.

Mac,

Glad to see common sense is indeed out there. That's exactly the way my Company in the previous Unit did it. The only change was that my Boss enforced us using every last available dollar per order...but he knew better than us and we were glad he did.

Reference the ASP - indeed. This was why we had our guys field a combat load + a little extra for their systems under their cots as part of the Contingency Plan. Even then, the reality of going Black in sustained TIC's without a heavy resupply was a factor.

Virgil,

Can't help in reference to lot analysis - I acquired a case of M118LR and didn't work my way through it all.

Rack-grade M14's (including EBR's as they use stock barrels) are 1:12", right hand twist, 4 grooves.

Mumbles,

I went to Jericho Specialized Entry Training down in AZ because it was after another course I was attending nearby. Instructor there used to be with Carey & Associates International (whom I plan to go to this year). Two day course, I learned a lot, and the manual and interaction with Instructor post-course was excellent. He also lets folks re-attend a course for sustainment training. at no cost provided there are available slots to fo so.

Some folks I consider to be Subject Matter Experts in the .mil highly recommend a group called Northwind Security. I am told they specialize in OCONUS work, to include foreign locks which is a huge plus.

There is also an actual military course for this - PM me for details as you won't find it on ATRRS......

I just use a set I picked up from EOG - a Southord 20-something pick set in a carry case, but only carry a few tension wrenches and picks, to include a rake tool which I used the most. The titanium Bogota Lockpicks are awesome and dual purpose, I plan on putting them their paces when I redeploy. PS, I'd love to see your PLT ASLP photo whenever you get a chance to post it.

Desert01,

Good gouge, and know that your work wasn't in vain. The Unit we RIP'd with had horrendous latrine sanitation, which resulted in several getting incredibly sick. Many COP's went to contracted LN work for latrine sanitation, those that didn't (the remote outposts like Rohan in your 1SG friend's AO) used barrels that were subsequently burned by us. Food wise - primarily MRE's, with the remote places getting Mermite's trucked in and trash out occassionally.

The only thing Higher didn't account for (possibly couldn't account for and was only an issue recently) was outpost flooding due to sustained periods of rain.

Ribot0,

Thanks, Sir. EXCELLENT post, and thanks for taking the time. It sounds like you and your guys solved a lot of the same problems, and in many cases found success where we didn't. Event-oriented counselings would have been a great concept to use, both for the bad things as well as the good. I'm likelise loving the concept of publishing intent and empowering subordinates once the standard is known and trusted to be adhered to.

One of our TTP's (VS-17 Panel with FREQ spray-painted) was a direct result of what you just said. Having AWT's drop down directly to your net after a fly-by was invaluable - the TOC folks typically can't afford to monitor a PLT level net -and they would get told to clear it if encountered.

You make a very clear point about effectiveness, or lack thereof, with personnel staffing. It may not be glamorous, but one of the best and brightest in there can positively affect change exponentially more than they could being on the ground. I also despise that instead of firing people not performing to standard, they instead send them to be problems somewhere else where the entire process starts anew. Many times, their new area of responsibility is even greater, with lack of abilities being an even larger hindrance.

That water load is ridiculous. Have you ever noticed how little water ANSF drinks compared to US? One of my former teammates who went to the Combat Tracker course when it was still around said the Instructor there made mention of this as well, that we drink way too much water than what may actually be needed.

The only instances we carried more than a Camelbak were multi-day missions and air assaults.

 

[MikeL]

Reference the book idea, I think it has merit but should be a compilation effort from several individuals focusing on the ARV so as to better present the puzzle with more pieces.

If anyone has interest in contributing to something like that, drop me a line please.

ASSET / ENABLER INTEGRATION

AWT / K9 / EOD


Until the Army realizes the value of an actual Asset Integration FM / Course, the best way to go about learning and best integrating various assets / enablers is to go talk to them. Odds are someone within that billet is on Post somewhere - if you can talk directly to the elements that will be in the fight with you, so much the better. Have someone within your ranks act as an LNO between your element and theirs. That was one of my jobs, on three deployments, and it helps if you have a vested interest in other lines of work, can play well with others, and are naturally inquisitive and can problem solve. I'm going to limit myself to AWT's, K9, and EOD. I'd like to delve into UAV / UAS, but there are too many OPSEC considerations. Keep in mind I'm not MOSQ'd for any of these jobs, I'm just a shooter that was given the mission of better understanding their specialty, capabilities, proficiencies, what they could bring to the fight, and how to better our working relationships and increase overall joint effectiveness by forming like motherfucking Megazord. If I am articulate or knowledgeable, it is directly due to the folks who schooled me proper. If not, the fuck ups are all my own.

Higher may have thought ahead and tried to integrate this, but the coordination may be too higher echelon centric to benefit the guys on the ground most. Attend it anyway - it shows your Command Team sees an issue, the Capabilities Brief is worth its weight in gold, and it gives you the opportunity to network which is a huge thing with working with other elements. However, proactively link up with the Pilots & Crew Chiefs / Handlers / Team Leaders & Technicians as these will be the dudes supporting the mission whether they be in the air or on the ground with you. They have a direct stake in the fight, and can impart tremendous amounts of knowledge and resources. Take advantage of this, at every opportunity that presents itself...especially the first one as it will set the tone for what is to come. If the dudes offer some form of training evolution after duty hours or on the weekends - take them up on it as it speaks volumes to their commitment (they're probably off too) and it will be well worth it. If the LNO can disappear for a duty day to do this during the week, so much the better and do your best to cover for him if the working relationship isn't officially blessed off on. Don't let Higher be a hindrance to overall mission effectiveness. He will be able to bring back much needed information to better round out the element's knowledge base. This is your chance to develop a TACSOP, valid TTP's, and Suggested Best Practices prior to the fight. Forming these on the fly in combat is haphazard at best, develop them in training so you have an actionable foundation that will only need minor fine-tuning, adjusting, and polishing once the realities of combat dictate the need to adapt and change.

K9

I loved working with K9, for the most part. Handlers tend to be some of the most down to earth, funny, and easygoing team players out there and the bond between them and their fine furry friend is unbreakable. The doggies are awesome, friendly, and instant morale boosters. Dogs can be narco, explosivo, or biters - or a combination of biter and one of the sniffers. My focus is going to be on explosivo/biters, as that's who we worked with predominately this deployment.

EXPLOSIVO!

K9 effectiveness is predicated on talent, ability, and training (on both the Handler and Doggie) as well as their ability to work together and communicate effectively. The Handler has to be very attuned to the behavior of his canine counterpart, even down to subtle nuances and changes that can be hard to detect.Those little clues and indicators may mean the difference between success and failure, life or death. Most IED's have included HME/ANAL, so training in buried and concealed scents will serve you well. Just like 360 degree security is a Principle in combat operations, it is a principle in explosives detection. If your canine is hitting on a scent, but equipment enablers aren't picking up on anything on the ground - don't discount the doggie. He or she has instinct on their side. Go from small picture (immediate area K9 is hitting on) to big picture (think 4-dimensionally). In many instances where K9 found a hit, it wasn't a false positive but just not precisely where the doggie sat - often in the general vicinity or even other levels. cases of ground K9 hits that led to the discovery of other IED's included wall-emplaced IED's and rooftopborne IED's. Once a K9 hits, everything stops and a dedicated, systematic clear with multiple redundant systems should be conducted on everything. It is now a legitimate danger area, and should be treated accordingly. Ain't no half steppin' unless you want to lose a leg.

DIC: DOGGIES IN CONTACT

Canines shine in a lot of areas, but man do you dogs suck in a gunfight. Handlers primary responsibility in a TIC should be the immediate positive control of his K9, grabbing some hard cover for the duo, calming his K9 and providing fire support as needed. Remember that they are a team whose whole is the sum of its parts - if even one partner in the team is wounded, capabilities are greatly reduced or lost entirely - and that survival of both is paramount. They are more important in their primary role as explosives detection / squirter control, we have dedicated shooters in the element. After you can calm your dog down to a sufficient level (he'll still be super excited but shouldn't do anything crazy like take off) and you guys are both safe and secure, another gun in the fight is never a bad thing as long as the handler understands the Universal Safety Rules Plus and can apply them when moving, shooting, and communicating is going on. Having the medic and K9 co-located for casualty treatment may be a valid option for your element. It provides another person with above average medical training to render aid, casualties are a lot more calm when they can pet the dog or even just look at it, and canines are so incredibly sympathetic to injured soldiers it is no wonder at all that they are man's best friend.

 

[MikeL]

Doggies fare worst with machine gun fire, explosions, and a lot of yelling and moving. Look at it from their perspective. They are going for a walk with their most favorite person in the whole wide world and a bunch of his friends, where later he'll see if he can find anything and get a treat. BOOM. Everything changes and their world turns upside down. He is surrounded by chaos and confusion - loud noises startle him, everyone is adding to the verbal din, he may experience overpressure, dudes are running around - in short, his once stable world has gone scattershot erratic and he is scared. You, his Handler, need to be that one thing he can always depend on - his bedrock, his stability, his two-legged compadre that he can turn to and be reassured that everything is going to be okay. Never waver in this duty, as the alternative can be an utter and irrevocable breach of trust between the two. Put aside whatever qualms, concerns, and fears you have (and they will be valid ones) and place your Canine's needs above your own. This was never a problem with handlers I worked with - their bond to their doggie and his well-being ensured this happened every single time without needing to be told. It was heroic to watch.

Being shot at sucks, especially when it's 37mm grenades, RPG's, and 82mm Recoilless Rifles. As a shooter, I recommend you dudes to volunteer to work the pits at a shooting range pulling targets at the 100m, 200m, and 300m lines. You will be protected by the berm, but able to experience in training what being shot at sounds like. If you can bring your dogs, even better. You'll be able to understand and differentiate between whizzes (airballs that aren't that much cause for consternation) and cracks (close calls where someone has you dialed in and is putting rounds on target). I ensured all our guys did this prior to deployment, and it helped. On the Canine side of the house, stress innoculation / gunfire adaptation training shouldn't be limited to just the handler shooting with just his K9 with him - team-based movement drills and courses of fire are needed so the doggies can see and get used to multiple people maneuvering, verbalizing, and shooting. Arty sims are also a good thing to incorporate into training for them to get used to boom boom. Experience these things in training so you are better prepared for combat, this will serve to speed up the Observe and Orient phases in your OODA Loop.

HANDLER LOADOUT: Carry your M4. One of the handlers attached to us (the ONLY handler I have met that I disliked) opted to only carry his M9 on mission despite our guidance. We got into some gunfights and he ended up regretting his decision. He also didn't work with us again, we ensured that. This being said, your primary responsibility is explosives detection and squirter control - you and your awesome little buddy will be fighting the terrain more than the Talib. Odds are the shooters with you aren't carrying M9's - the weight penalty may very well not be worth having a secondary that may not even get used. Ask yourself the hard question of if you are trained to any semblance of a combat standard with the M9. Most folks, including Army combat arms, aren't - and there is no shame in admitting this. If you feel you absolutely need the M9, don't be that guy carrying three spare magazines plus one in the gun. Ounces make pounds, and 70 pounds of lightweight kit is still 70 pounds of working against gravity. Odds are you can roll with a reduced combat load for the M4 and ditch the M9. Remember you're also carrying a doggie IFAK AND his food and water (lazy bastard  ;D  ) - this adds up, big time. Base your loadouts off the harsh realities of the ground and assess everything in this manner. Standardized loadouts suck, especially when they come from someone not doing your job. Adapt and overcome.

ENVIRONMENT: The heat is downright brutal on doggies. We encountered temperatures of up to 140 degrees, and that is not a typo. Imagine that heat and humidity and how it affects a dog covered in fur. Combine this with very difficult terrain, to include wadi's, canals, packed dirt, rocks, grape rows, mud - and doggies are going to be hating their lot in life at times. Get your canine in shade as much as possible, ensure his water intake is monitored and consistent, and do not be afraid to call up for a break if he needs it. As a shooter, I would much rather take a knee and face out to allow for a collective catching of breath before moving back out than having to MEDEVAC a K9. He may not be able to keep up front with the element for the duration of the patrol, it's okay to drop back and reduce his fatigue level. We'll call a short halt and call you guys up for danger or suspect areas. I have yet to meet the canine who likes to be picked up, let alone thrown over grape walls. Catching him on the other side is no small feat either. Keep an eye on their paws - your little guys are some tough as all get out hombres but a paw injury left unchecked / untreated can and will be downright brutal on him. You, the Handler, are going to be sucking just as much as your doggie, but you still need to be attuned and cognizant of your buddy at all times.

SQUIRTER CONTROL: One of the problems we face is pursuit of suspects. We are typically in body armor, helmets, and wielding weapons, facing the dubious mission of chasing down someone in pajamas. I work with some pretty fit dudes, and this is still unrealistic at best. You will find the best success in operations by emplacing the right people with the right equipment in the right places. How does this affect you guys? Squirters are dog food. They ain't gonna outrace a four-legged ferocious frenzy off-leash in a footrace. Have your perimeter teams layered for best containment, but be prepared to unleash snarling hell on someone dumb enough not to comply with verbal directives coming from a bunch of dudes with guns. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Dogs can also be used for barricaded suspects in Tactical Call Out (TCO) operations. People inside don't want to listen to your directives? Tell them you're sending in the dog and watch them come out all of a sudden with their hands raised like, "Oh we just woke up and heard you, sorry." Whatever. If they don't? Dog food, and bet that next time they'll think twice before trying to ignore verbal commands and the sic is imminent.

In closing, there is nothing like the hurtful incredulous look cast at a K9 team by a fool who just got ravaged by the dog as he watches the Handler give his canine counterpart a treat for a job well done. It adds insult to injury, and warms my heart to no end.

AWT's and EOD to be covered in later installments. I need to eat a white pizza at that fancy joint on the boardwalk when I make it to KAF first, though.

 

[MikeL]

EOD INTEGRATION

EOD. They can blow shit up with the surgical application of explosives, they can render safe Improvised Explosive Devices (IED's), and they have robots. Seriously, how awesome is that? These folks have all the trappings of an epic 80's era cartoon show. Okay, well, the robots aren't that cool but still - they're f'n robots. I love working with EOD. They are some seriously smart muchachos, take their craft and professionj very seriously, and are the last of the true technicians. The fact that they are hilarious, have dark senses of humor, and rock badass mustaches only enhances their standing with me. So, how do we best integrate them?

1) Listen To Them

Especially the Team Leader, but also the Techs. These dudes have an incredible amount of training and experience, don't write that off. Give them the open stage, listen, learn, take notes, ask questions, and pass it on. Odds are if they're taking the time to put something down, you'll be well served to pick it up.

2) Incorporate Them Into The Planning Process

No one knows their job better than EOD. After all, they're the 89D's. Let them take charge for their portion of the brief. They can often shed light on historical IED information in the area not found in the SIGACTS or Storyboards, can offer input as to their Suggested Best Practices for your element based off working with various Units over the years. They are a fount of knowledge, tap it. It's likewise a two-way street - you can brief them on specific threats and enemy TTP's in your AO, what you guys have been seeing, and how to react. They may not be tracking some of this stuff due to a heavy workload over varied areas, so don't have any reservations about providing updates.

3) Establish Call-Up Procedures...As Well As Providing Them With An Initial Report

All too often the maneuver element just plays "Whisper Down The LOane" yelling for EOD and they trudge up to the front not knowing what the deal is. Don't do that to those dudes, they deserve better. We had one guy get the abbreviated 9-Line EOD Report and physically link up with EOD while en route to the site to brief them personally and answer any preliminary questions as this liason typically had eyes on or was there when K9 had a hit and they can best describe the situation. This allowed EOD a better situation update so they could immediately flow in and do their thing on arrival in lieu of waiting around with heavy-ass packs while 3 excited dudes tried to talk at once about what the deal is. They have a dangerous job, endeavor to give them exactly what they need to ensure total success and avoid total failure.

4) Be Able To Effectively Discriminate On Your Own

Let's be honest, the initial response when encountering anything vaguely relating to an IED is to call up EOD. What does this do to them? First, it fatigues them physically as they have to trudge up all the way to the front of the formation, sometimes having to shimmy past assholes who won't get out of their way, all the while wearing heavy-ass packs. Second, it mentally fatigues them as they have to assess and exploit the site which requires an incredible amount of focus and precision. If this is done repeatedly, the effects are cumulative. Plus, repeated false alarms tend to piss them off. Embrace the mindset that EOD isn't here to solve your problems, they are here to help us solve problems.Use their expertise and training and take the time to see if the problem you face can be effectively disciminated at your level.

An example of this was when a Soldier not organic to our element yelled out he saw an IED and started backpedaling. After all, no one likes IED's. Instead of calling up EOD immediately, our SOP was that a Leader trained up by them assessed the situation first. These are folks with previous deployments who know what they're looking for. In this case, our Section Leader was able to effectively interrogate that it was not, in fact, an IED - just the casing for a 40mm round that our predecessors fired. This was accomplished by using an ACOG optic while maintaining a relatively safe distance. All the while, EOD could take a seat, rest their packs, and catch their breath while we provided security. It didn't drain them physically or mentally, was a pleasant surprise we could handle a situation in house, and ensured they were bright eyed and bushy tailed later that day when we determined they were needed. That 40mm casing was indeed an indicator.

5) What's Theirs, Is Theirs

EOD ain't your pack mules. Their boom boom is strictly for their use to blow in place suspected IED's. It's not for you to make breaching charges, it's not for you to make line charges. You want those assets - you construct them, you carry them. They're the dudes humping all this stuff, and it's to support you. Don'[t try and take advantage of them, the Team Leader will set you straight and it may strain the working relationship. Don't let that happen, don't be that element - be that go-to element they like and prefer working with. Good things tend to happen then.

6) Look For Ways To Minimize Their Workload

Once EOD is in the zone assessing, exploiting, and preparing to blast - look for work to keep them there, such as all are the ancillary stuff. Clear the air space (I recommend sending the request even before they announce intent to blow - our SOP was to request the ROZ when they were initially called up. At worst, a temporary ROZ is established and then pulled down. I'd rather have it and not need it then need it and not have it immediately.) Call up the 9-Line IED Report (ours was abbreviated), verify the countdown procedures and relay the countdown. In short, knock out all the admin stuff so they can focus on the tactical. Everyone will be better off and it shows you understand their mission and can work together.

7) Teach Them Shooter Stuff

We're all serving in a High Risk profession, and they're gonna be around when the shooting starts. The bad guys tend to aim at people with big packs, so teach them asymmetric shooting positions that maximize use of hard cover and lowers the profile but allows for effective rounds on target. Show them the differences between M855 and M855A1 (especially if they have ACOG's). Teach them World War II combatives should they need to go hands on, then high five about it afterwards. Did you just become best friends? YUP!

8) Talk To Them

Not just Soldier to Soldier, but personally. They're pretty cool dudes and know a lot. I learned they could wear the Crye uniforms but had to pay for them out of pocket, and that all I had to do was get smoked for an hour (half of that in a bombsuit) for preliminary EOD suitability. If they like you, sometimes they'll let you be the one to detonate the charge or play with the robot. (Hint: Charging the $25,000 robot at a K-9 doggie is hilarious but not recommended.)

9) Thank Them.

I made it a point to thank them after every mission and told them how much we appreciated working with them, that we felt a lot better about things when they were with us. These guys put in a lot of work that goes unnoticed and are true team players. Once when we were ambushed inside a village getting rocked by 82's and RPG's and my buddy and I needed rooftop access and I was assessing how best to jackie Chan my ass up there, EOD was the first group of dudes to lend their hands, backs and shoulders to boost us up. I'm 6"2 and weigh in at 250 with kit, and they didn't hesitate. Selfless service.

EOD was largely responsible for the ground assessment that led to an entire Taliban village laden with IED's by leveled by MLRS strikes launched from KAF. How's that for job satisfaction? Work together and once-in-a-lifetime things can result.

An EOD TL who was in the same area in Iraq at the same time and worked with us several times over here in the Arghandab lost a leg due to an IED. It is a small community of consummate professionals given an incredibly dangerous mission and they go forth to do it without reservation. I never heard EOD complain, I never heard them have qualms. They embody what Soldiers should strive to be.

 

[MikeL]

You bring up an excellent point. As always, situation will dictate the tactics and we are all victims of our own frame of reference. What works in the Arghandab may not work in Helmand.

The reason why we worked like we did were due to the following:

1) Lack of AWT support outside of TIC's.
2) Observational assets capable of operating even with ROZ established.
3) Vast majority of IED's being victim operated, as aadrian82 has stated.
4) Time sensitive targets / hack times for select mission sets.

Next up is AWT Integration and answering wrparrish's queries.

AWT Integration

Next to firearms, helicopters are my favorite invention. I wish I could go on an Excellent Adventure back in time to show Da Vinci what they look like today. And then some dudes go and put guns and rockets AND missiles on them!? SHIT'S BANANAS'S! They just fly around and lay waste like this is a Sega genesis game. The pilots are a different breed, the crew chiefs are top notch, and the Talib hate our helicopters as much as their predecessors feared the HIND. Now to go about maximizing joint effectiveness between these rotary winged steeds and the guys on the ground...

I highly suggest getting the AWG GTA Smart Card for Ground / Air Integration.



1) Do Not Layer Operational Assets. Push Them Down To The Ground Commander.

One of my leadership principles is to trust the guys on the ground because they are the ones watching what is unfolding in front of their eyes. This dovetails into the combat principle of providing the guys on the ground everything they need. There is no tactical merit in layering operational support. It slows the process down, allows breaks in communication (the flow or exchange of information between two elements, Sender + Receiver), fosters micromanagement, and prohibits effectiveness. Only the ground forces can see the Big Picture and threat specifics, what gains whatsoever does the Company bring to the table sitting in a TOC miles away who might not even have eyes on? Most likely none. If you can't convince your command team to keep their hands off and give you operational assets, circumvent them. They have stopped being a part of the solution and have started becoming part of the problem. Fuck them. We accomplished this by having AWT's drop down directly to our net by spraypainting our FREQ and Call Sign in black on the orange side of the VS-17 Panel. After 2-3 fly-by's (one if it was the 160th) they would drop down to our and positively establish communications. This was the easiest and fastest, most surefire way of positively effecting link-up and integrating air assets. (Pilots - if the dudes on the ground are doing the right thing, let them know. If there are better ways to go about linking up, pass that info along to them.)

2) Give Them Everything They Need And Nothing They Don't

As soon as you establish communications, provide them with the friendly update. This includes where your elements are and methods of marking for them. This should be in the form of a PACE Plan with permanent markings preferred, our Primary was VS-17 Panels Orange-side up. Friendly update also includes verifying whether or not there ANSF patrols in the area. This mitigates Green-On-Blue or whatever color wheel fratricide combination is the doctrinal term du jour. Next is enemy update. provide them with what you are seeing on the ground and where. Give them distance and direction (meters, azimuth). If you have the capability to convert that into a grid (DAGR/Vectronix combo, GPS) even better. We always gave a terrain description as a lot of times that was the easiest and fastest means of talking them on to see what we were looking at. Understand that the OODA Loop is vital with AWT integration. They have a limited time on target due to fuel considerations and want to kill things as quickly and efficiently as possible. Work with this and assist them in this endeavor by providing the information and intel they need in an expedient but complete manner. This can be practiced in training.

3) Give Them Ground Insight / Instinct

Just like my man Stephen Colbert says - go with your gut. Things may seem a bit hinky on the ground as the situation develops and then AWT's come on station. Don't be afraid to tell the Pilots your ground assessment and request specific actions. They don't have the benefit of human interaction on the ground, and you don't have the benefit of a mobile aeriel view. Work together and you get the best of both worlds thanks to the wonders of communication.

An example of this was when a farmer ran to us yelling and two shady dudes started walking fast away from us - an odd scene. We yelled out "Wadarega!" but the corrupt ANA up front whisked them away while the ANP in the rear yelled out "Taliban!" and got agitated. Instead of getting excited, we assessed the situation and took stock of our surroundings. We tucked in tight behind some hard cover and established 360 security on both sides of the wadi splitting our elements, keeping tabs on comings and goings of folks. I began scanning the woodline with my high power optic and made out moving figures with what looked like weapons. My Boss determined it was a bait-initiated ambush, lazed the distance and shot azimuths for me and had the FO work on converting this information to grids after he requested AWT's. Ground Commander started talking with the TOC to verify there were no US and/or ANSF patrols in sector. AWT's came on station, we provided friendly and enemy update and Ground Commander confirmed no patrols out, Boss requests an aerial hard scan of the woodline from the Apache. He obliges, and confirms armed dudes walking around with RPG's but no rounds. Boss suspects we interrupted a cache retrieval and we hit the grape hut as AWT's go to work. After our work is done, AWT's stayed on station to cover our exfil. Easy day. 40mm smoke works well for marking suspected area sites, but provides indicators to the enemy and may lead to misinformation if your grenadier is off.

4) Know Their Capabilities

Know each rotary wing asset and their capabilities individually. This includes weapon systems (both type and ammunition) fuel reserves (approximate time on target), and scanning / discrimination capabilities. Most times AWT's will brief you on weapon systems and approximate time on target as soon as they check in on station, but it never hurts to know capabilities beforehand. This is where talking and training with them prior to the fight comes into play as you're dealing with ordnance like 2.75" rockets and hellfires - it pays to know things like blast radius, penetration capabilities, minum safe distance et al. Especially link up with the Apache teams for TADS / M-TADS imaging capabilities - you must see before you can shoot, and this is an incredible asset to familiarize yourself with. Also know their mindset and missions - a lot of times rotary wing type and classification falls into this. Kiowa's love the scout / special reconaissance and surveillance mission set. They are incredibly fast, agile, mobile and will fly dangerously close (or so it seems to us, the uninitiated) close to the ground to get eyes on. They are like deadly hornets, buzzing around and then darting in and stinging relentlessly with the .50 cal. Kiowa's have racked up the most kills out here. AH-64's are Hunter / Killers. Apache pilots are a horse of a different color. They are incredibly offensive-minded and are almost detached in how business-precision level attention to detail they are about killing bad guys. Hearing the dispassionate voice of an Apache pilot confirming kills and providing Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) showed our guys how that should be reported on the ground. No whooping, no yelling, not even a raised voice in excitement - just the facts, ma'am. They are also relentless in their pursuit. MDK - Murder, Death, Kill...

5) Know Your Unit's SOP's

The Ground Commander needs to know what assets he is able to employ on his own authority and volition. He needs to know the capabilities of the munitions empliyed. He needs to know the range limitations for collateral damage environments for each weapon system and how that applies to the situation on the ground. SMART Cards can help, but he should know this without having to reference material. He needs to know what weapon systems require Higher approval and just how high that is. Talking to your colleagues about how long it took to get authorization is a good idea as well. I don't care who relays the information first - AWT or Ground - as long as the request gets there. There may come a time when you need to determine if you need those assets right fucking now in the fight. If that decision is made, back it up with whatever empirical data you can get just in case - have distances for CDE, articulate the threat, et cetera.

6) Report BDA - Monitor AWT Patterns Of Fire And Coordinate With Adjacent Units For Ambushes / Kill Teams

If you can provide a Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) or confirm effects on target, let the AWT's know. Their view may be initially obfuscated due to clouds of dirt, dust kicked up, explosions, coming off target, et cetera. By giving them this information or correcting their fires you are allowing for increased target engagement and rounds on target. A threat is still a threat until there are brains on the deck, and the bad guys tend to play dead sometimes when AWT's start rocking out. Know this and don't be offput - they're just offering you a stationary target to engage now, murdalize 'em. Ensure you monitor AWT patterns of fire, especially when the bad guys fall outside effective small arms range for your element - knowledge is power. By observing patterns of fire you can determine probable enemy exfil routes and coordinate with adjacent elements to either kick out Small Unit Kill Teams or full-fledged target interdiction teams for dedicated ambushes to attrite or eliminate them entirely. Sometimes the damned fools are so flustered they come within effective small arms range or outposts / towers - one time we drove them into a wall full of everything from a MK-19 to XM-25's and H&K M320A1's, plus the bristling array of machine guns. That was a good day.

7) Know How To Talk To AWT's

This isn't like Skill Level One Radio-Telephone Operations from the FM or even the CALL RTO handbook where each station identifies their call sign every transmission, robotic sentences are kicked out, and people say "Over". Again, AWT's have a limited time on target and can't afford all that rambling protocol. Plus, Pilots are just fucking cool (they fly helicopters!). It's the one time you can talk to an Officer all laid back like you're best buds. Conversate with them, they're all lonely because they are stuck in a machine of 70,000 parts moving together with the same group of dudes. This may seem highly unorthodox, and oh boy is it, but it just may be a great way to go about doing business. Link up with them in training to come up with Suggested Best Practices and how to best work together. Here's a conversation I had with AWT's while on a rooftop to give you guys an idea of how we coomunicated: