ATP-4-90 Brigade Support Battalion Download
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Chapter 4 4-10 ATP 4-90 18 June 2020 success of any engagement area depends on how effectively the commander can integrate the obstacle plan, the indirect fire plan, and the direct fire plan in the engagement area to achieve the defense of the base. The seven steps listed represent a way to build an engagement area: Identify all likely enemy avenues of approach. Determine likely enemy concept of operations. Determine where to kill the enemy. Plan and integrate obstacles. Emplace weapons systems (includes preparation of fighting positions). Plan and integrate indirect fires. Rehearse the execution of operations in the engagement area. While the BSB S-3 is overall responsible for developing the BSA security plan, the BSB S-2 assists by developing the information collection plan to support security operations in and around the BSB base. The S-2 also provides intelligence updates from the BCT especially during periods of heightened threat activity. The perimeter shape may conform to the terrain features that best use friendly observation and fields of fire. The commander can increase the effectiveness of the perimeter by tying it into a natural obstacle that allows the unit to concentrate combat power in more threatened areas or operations. The shape and size of the defensive perimeter depends on mission variables. In anticipation of the need for a quick reaction force or tactical combat forces, the S-3 develops and rehearses procedures to hand-off the battle to arriving quick reaction force, military police response forces, or tactical combat forces. All units occupying the base must coordinate with adjacent units to form a cohesive defense. The company commander coordinates with adjacent units to integrate fires and cover gaps between positions. Companies establish contact points between each other to ensure friendly forces meet at some specific point on the ground to tie supporting direct and indirect fires between their flanks. In many cases, companies can accomplish this with the exchange of sector sketches. Typical information exchanged includes— Locations of primary, alternate, and supplementary positions. Sectors of fire for all crew served weapons. Location of dead space between platoons and how it is to be covered. Location of observation posts. Location and types of obstacles and how the company will cover them. Size, type, time of departure and return, and routes of any patrols. The BSB leverages all available enablers and BCT assets to defend the BSA. This includes brigade and maneuver battalions’ indirect fires. The BSB planners develop the BSB’s fires plan with the brigade fire support element and integrate it into the brigade’s overarching fires plan. The BSB S-3 synchronizes direct and indirect fires to mitigate levels I, II, and III threats’ use of avenues of approach and infiltration lanes. The S-3 must consider the number of crew-served weapons in the BSB and balance them between perimeter security and convoy protection. The brigade fires cell, located in the brigade S-3 section, is the central planning cell that integrates all required information for fire support planning in the BCT. The BSB S-3 should have radio contact with the fire support cells for nearby battalion mortar sections, brigade fire support element, and the field artillery battalion to contact them for fire support if needed. From the field trains command post (FTCP) from the battalions, particularly if they have vehicles evacuated for repair, can emplace non-mission capable combat vehicles oriented along their own perimeter toward enemy avenues of approach to that the crew served weapons can be employed as part of the defense. Artillery targets are easily recognizable points on the ground, either natural or man-made, used to control indirect fires through grid coordinates or target numbers. Units should identify targets where the BSB S-3 section anticipates enemy contact. Targets allow for units easily call for fire to suppress an enemy attack on the BSA. Once identified, the BSB S-3 must coordinate any targets with the BCT fires cell and field artillery battalion for fire support. The BSB S-3 maintains the brigade fires overlay, fire support task matrix, and fire support execution matrix displayed in the CP. If a base cluster is used, all base CPs must have the same fire support information.