FM-3-09 Fire Support and Field Artillery Operations Download
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Fire Support in Depth During Large-Scale Ground Combat Operations 30 April 2020 FM 3-09 6-17 Concentration 6-84. Concentration is massing the effects of combat power in time and space at the decisive point to achieve a single purpose. It is imperative to have concentrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets to support this effort. Commanders can use FS to achieve concentration by: Allocating fire support assets to support the decisive operation. Focusing information collection and TA assets. Focus fires in support of one aspect of supported unit decisive or shaping operations for brief periods. Massing fires on choke points and key terrain to canalize, slow, and block the enemy's movements. Surprise 6-85. Commanders surprise enemy forces by attacking at a time or place or in a manner enemy forces did not prepare for or expect. They achieve this by showing enemy forces what they expect to see while actually doing something different. FS enables the commander to achieve surprise with the instantaneous delivery of a high volume of fire on the enemy without warning. Commanders can use FS to achieve surprise by: Meet the five requirement for accurate predicted fire, for first round FFE. Rapidly shifting FS assets and massing effects. Using short duration, intense fires against key enemy functions at critical times. Foregoing a preparation to achieve surprise in initiating an attack. Tempo 6-86. Tempo is the relative speed and rhythm of military operations over time with respect to the enemy (ADP 3-0). Commanders can use FS to enhance or maintain the tempo of the offense by: Using a decentralized organization for combat and decentralized FS planning and fire control methods (especially in the offense) to facilitate rapid, flexible execution of fires and immediately available dedicated fires to a designated ground force. Providing fires to slow the enemy's retreat during the pursuit. Using on-order missions to facilitate transition to subsequent phases, branches, and sequels. Providing fires in support of shaping operations that complement the decisive operation and set the stage for rapid transition. Developing a thorough sustainment plan that properly anticipates potential culminating points. Ensuring FSCMs are planned to facilitate a permissive environment. Providing fires to stop reinforcements; use smoke to delay and disrupt the enemy retreat. TYPES OF OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS 6-87. Offensive operations are movement to contact, attack, exploitation, and pursuit. During the offense, the FSCOORD and FSE integrate close-supporting FA, mortars, counterfire, strike, electronic attack; naval surface fire support, CAS and AI aircraft into the operations of the AO owning commander. Such fires may be time or event-driven. The planning also involves the use of surface-to-surface fires necessary to suppress enemy air defenses to facilitate air component operations within the supported command's AO. MOVEMENT TO CONTACT 6-88. Movement to contact is a type of offensive operation designed to develop the situation and establish or regain contact (ADP 3-90). It is conducted when the information related to enemy positions, situation and deployment is not clear. In a movement to contact the maneuver commander has lost contact with the enemy main body and attempts to reestablish it, using all available sources of intelligence to develop the situation. The commander may know the location of enemy reserve and follow-on forces. (See figure 6-2, on page 6- 19)