ATP-3-09-42 Fire Support for the Brigade Combat Team Download
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Fire Support for Tactical Enabling and Other Tasks 1 March 2016 ATP 3-09.42 3-11 FIRE SUPPORT CONSIDERATIONS FOR FIGHTING ENCIRCLED 3-55. The brigade FSO assists the field artillery battalion commander (FSCOORD) to control fire support for the BCT commander. At lower levels, commanders may place mortars from various units under centralized control, especially if there are insufficient artillery assets. The centralization of mortar control may require collocating firing units. Fire Support Considerations For Breakout from Encirclement 3-56. Considerations for fire support during a breakout from an encirclement include: Plan fires to support the immediate defense and the breakout. Coordinate with fire support units and staff outside the encircled force for additional fire support. Use appropriate FSCMs. Consider: RFAs around encircled forces without AOs where only calls for fire by that encircled force are permitted. Restrictive fire lines between converging breakout and linkup forces. ACAs in the vicinity of a breakout point may be necessary if close air support is used. Concentrate continuous massed fires at the breakout point to open a gap for the rupture force. Ensure that radar sectors of search and indirect fires cover 6,400 mils (360 degrees). Use electronic attack to deceive the enemy as to the location of the breakout. Plan for linkup operations. Reorganize available fire support. Provide fires to support defense in other areas to delay or disrupt enemy attempts to attack. Consider the use scatterable mines in areas other than the breakout point or to help hold the shoulders of the breakout gap. Support the deception plan. Consider designating critical friendly zones and no-fire areas for the breakout force. 3-57. Fire support for a breakout must have centralized control to ensure that the maximum amount of combat power is brought to bear at the breakout point. Initially, the priority for fire support is with the force to conduct the rupture and should focus on suppressing and obscuring the point of penetration. Fire support assets move as part of the main body and rear guard so security forces have adequate fire support. Target identification difficulties resulting from close proximity and intermixing of forces, as well as the rapidly changing ground situation during the execution of a breakout, make close air support difficult. See FM 3-90-2. FIRE SUPPORT CONSIDERATIONS FOR MOBILITY OPERATIONS 3-58. Commanders conduct mobility operations to mitigate the effects of natural and manmade obstacles to enable freedom of movement and maneuver. Mobility operations include breaching operations, clearing (area and routes), gap-crossing, the construction of combat roads and trails, forward airfields and landing zones the traffic operations. FIRE SUPPORT CONSIDERATIONS FOR BREACHING OPERATIONS 3-59. The BCT plan must synchronize combat multipliers to isolate the point of penetration. As a general rule, obstacles are covered by fire; a primary role for the field artillery is to suppress the weapons systems that can engage the rupture force. The BCT staff integrates maneuver, close air support, artillery, mortars, Army aviation, electronic attack, the employment of scatterable mines, air defense, obscuration, and deception to create the conditions for the success of the BCT breaching operation. Additionally, the BCT must continue to fight well beyond the breach area to stop the enemy from counterattacking or repositioning to reinforce the enemy unit targeted for penetration. Detecting and engaging the enemy’s reserve is a primary concern for the BCT. The fire support planners must carefully balance resource requirements (such as Army indirect fires and close air support) for isolating the point of penetration with