FM-3-09 Fire Support and Field Artillery Operations Download
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Fire Support in Operations to Shape, and Operations to Prevent 30 April 2020 FM 3-09 5-3 Setting the Theater Soldiers from Hawaii based FA unit, provided fire support for a combined arms task force, during a Pacific Pathways exercise. Pacific Pathways is a training exercise program run by United States Army Pacific with the goal of expanding the Army's engagement in the Pacific region, by linking multiple military exercises together. The combined arms task force conducted various live-fire exercises, enhancing gunnery and fire support skills along with strengthening relationships with the partnered host nations. SECTION II – OPERATIONS TO PREVENT CONFLICT "Enemy leaders must be made to understand clearly that, if they choose to move militarily, no longer will there be a status quo ante-bellum...something to be restored. Rather, the situation they themselves have created is one which will be resolved on new terms" GEN Donn A Starry 5-8. Army operations to prevent include all activities to deter undesirable actions by an adversary. While these activities are normally focused on preventing a shift from competition to military conflict, they may also occur during conflict to prevent further escalation. These operations are typically in response to indications and warnings that an adversary intends to take military action counter to U.S. interests, or in response to adversary activities that are ongoing. Prevent activities are intended to change an adversary's risk calculus. Regardless of the methods used to raise the potential cost of ran adversary, the primary deterrent is the demonstrated ability of a properly manned, equipped, and trained joint force to prevail in large-scale ground combat operations. 5-9. Fire support (and FA) activities that contribute to operations to prevent consist of, but are not limited to, the participation in activities such as flexible deterrent operations, flexible response operations, setting the theater, and force tailoring. Elements of the FS system will also have an important role in initial deployment into a theater of operations including echeloning CPs and integration with the initial employment of intelligence collection assets. 5-10. A flexible deterrent option is a planning construct intended to facilitate early decision-making by developing a wide range of interrelated responses that begin with deterrent-oriented actions carefully tailored to create a desired effect (JP 5-0). An example of a flexible deterrent option for a FA unit be the movement of a FA BN into a position where it can range potential HPTs. Other examples include, standing up an FFA HQ, deploying long range fires assets that could provide joint SEAD or strike HPTs, or establishing a counterfire HQ and deploying the appropriate firing units. Flexible deterrent options are preplanned actions designed to deescalate the situation that must be carefully weighed by theater-level leaders against the potential that they may unintentionally elevate tensions. Flexible Deterrent. An example of a flexible deterrent is the Regionally Aligned Forces mission assigned to the multiple launch rocket system rotational battalion in the Korean Theater of Operations. Each of the firing batteries, with enablers from headquarters and headquarters battery and forward support company, deploy to a combat outpost for a total of four and a half months of an eight-month deployment. The battalion’s mission is to work closely with Republic of Korea forces as a deterrent option to North Korean aggression. 5-11. Unit's assigned missions during operations to prevent generally have branch plans that describe how they can respond should a situation escalate. Those plans describe conditions that are created or maintained