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 3-33 FIRE SUPPORT CONSIDERATIONS FOR SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES 3-180. Special operations forces are units tasked to conduct special military operations in support of national policies and objectives. These operations require highly trained, well-disciplined units that can be employed in any environment, either alone or in concert with other military forces. Special operations forces may support conventional military operations or the forces may conduct independent tasks. FIELD ARTILLERY FIRES 3-181. Many special operations are out of the range of supporting field artillery fires. However, when such fires are available, they are planned for and integrated into the force’s ground tactical plan. 3-182. Coordination and exchange of call signs, frequencies, and target lists occurs before insertion. Not all special operations units receive forward observer and JTAC augmentation. Special operations forces request and adjust all fires as needed. 3-183. Field artillery fires can be used to support the special operations force even if the objective area is out of range. Cannon field artillery and MLRS can be used to fire missions to suppress enemy air defenses as needed during airborne or air assault operations. Field artillery fires can be used to support the exfiltration of special operations elements as they approach friendly lines. These fires can contribute to the deception plan and add combat power to feints used to support special operations. When in range of an objective area, field artillery units can emplace scatterable mines to enhance the security of the special operations force. 3-184. The special operations units use man-portable laser target designators to designate hardened point targets or enemy armored vehicles for laser-guided munitions. Precision-guided munitions include laser- guided munitions or those munitions that may employ inertial measurement units or GPS-aided homing capability instead of a laser-homing capability. AERIAL FIRES 3-185. Aerial fire support is usually the prime means by which the special operations force is supported because of the distance behind enemy lines at which most special operations take place. Manned fixed- wing aircraft, non-Army armed helicopters, and some unmanned aircraft systems can provide fire support. Army armed helicopters conduct attacks where the enemy is in contact with friendly forces as a maneuver force rather than as a fire support asset. Fixed-Wing Aircraft 3-186. Fixed-wing aerial fire support may come from Air Force, Navy, or Marine Corps units. The type of unit providing the support, the aircraft, and the mix of ordnance carried all affect fire support planning and coordination. Some aircraft have a night and all-weather strike capability that enables them to support the special operations force during any level of visibility. Operations during poor weather that limit visibility to less than three nautical miles (approximately 5.6 kilometers) are still somewhat restricted, however. The special operations unit FSOs and Air Force tactical air control party must ensure that the correct aircraft are requested and employed effectively against the enemy. The JTACs from the Air Force TACP control fixed- wing aircraft fires against surface targets in the objective area. 3-187. The special operations force can use ground laser target designators to pinpoint targets for air strikes, as well as electronic navigation aids to permit non-visual air strikes (beacon bombing). The special operations assigned Air Force TACP can control a laser-designated standoff air strike. 3-188. If the enemy air defenses are not formidable, or if the defenses can be degraded to a low level, the special operations force uses specially equipped and armed AC-130 aircraft for fire support. These aircraft provide an invaluable combination of firepower, night observation and illumination, communications, and long loiter time. A well-planned and executed program for suppression of enemy air defenses, coupled with electronic countermeasures directed against enemy air defense units, normally permits the use of AC-130 aircraft.