FM-3-09 Fire Support and Field Artillery Operations Download
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Chapter 6 6-6 FM 3-09 30 April 2020 Balance CAS, attack aviation, and AI capabilities as additional indirect fire support systems arrive. Deconfliction of the saturated airspace. Begin moving FA and mortars with maneuver forces as lodgment expands. 6-24. During the fourth phase, introduction of follow on forces FS considerations include: Utilize FS planning and execution principles to support ground offensives as additional maneuver forces arrive. Be prepared to shift priority of fire. Be prepared to shift boundaries and respective FSCMs. 6-25. During the fifth phase termination or transition of operations FS considerations include: Increase in nonlethal and information related capability options. Redeployment of FA balanced with CAS and AI and attack aviation. 6-26. Deep operations do not occur separately. They are conducted simultaneously with operations in the close, support, and consolidation areas. These operations are conducted to protect forces, provide freedom of maneuver, and facilitate operations in the close area. The following sections will describe the defense and offense in the close area and FS considerations of each. SECTION II – THE DEFENSE 6-27. While the offense is more decisive, the defense is usually stronger. The conduct of the defense alone normally cannot determine the outcome of battles. The purpose of the defense is to create conditions for the offense that allows Army forces to regain the initiative. 6-28. A defensive operation is an operation to defeat an enemy attack, gain time, economize forces, and develop conditions favorable for offensive or stability operations (ADP 3-0). The defense is what provides time for a commander to build combat power and establish conditions to transition to the offense. The defense is ideally a shield behind which a commander maintains or regains the initiative. Initially, a defending commander is likely to be at a relative disadvantage against an attacking enemy since and enemy can choose when and where to strike. 6-29. A defending force does not wait to be attacked, it aggressively seeks ways to attrit and weaken enemy forces before combat begins. A defending force attacks enemy forces at every opportunity and seeks every opportunity to transition to the offense. FS is a primary means for the maneuver commander to continually attack the enemy, even as his forces are preparing for and executing the defense. As discussed in Chapter 1, a characteristic of the Field Artillery is to always operate in the spirit of the offense, even when maneuver forces are in the defense. THE ENEMY ATTACK 6-30. During offensive operations, enemy forces typically attempt to mask the location of their main effort with multiple fixing attacks on the ground while using fires to disrupt critical friendly CPs, radars, and FDCs. Generally, enemy forces seek to reinforce success, massing capabilities at a vulnerable point to achieve large force ratio advantages to enable a rapid penetration of friendly defenses. The enemy uses mobile forces to exploit the penetration rapidly to the maximum possible depth in order to make the overall friendly defensive posture untenable. 6-31. Threat forces can have advantages in both volume and range of fires, so they can simultaneously mass fires on the point of penetration to enable rapid closure and breakthrough, fix other friendly elements along the FLOT, and target key friendly C2 and logistics nodes along the depth of the defense. Threat forces prefer to use fires to move around fixed positions when possible and through destroyed units when necessary. Threat forces seek to maneuver tactically to a depth that achieves operational objectives in support of his overall strategic purpose. Threat forces will employ intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; EW; information warfare; SOF, and all other capabilities at their disposal. These are likely to include CBRN weapons. For more information on enemy attack see FM 3-0.