FM-3-09 Fire Support and Field Artillery Operations Download
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Chapter 6 6-22 FM 3-09 30 April 2020 6-95. FA units reposition to where they can support a renewed attack. Aviation assets can provide support while artillery systems reposition. A commander may need to request additional resources to include reconnaissance, surveillance, and TA WLR assets to help identify targets for attack. 6-96. Pursuit is a type of offensive operation designed to catch or cut off a hostile force attempting to escape, with the aim of destroying it (ADP 3-90). A pursuit normally follows a successful exploitation. Unlike an exploitation, which may focus on seizing key or decisive terrain instead of the enemy force, the pursuit always focuses on completing the destruction of fleeing enemy forces by destroying their ability and will to resist. The commander in a pursuit tries to combine direct pressure against the retreating forces with an enveloping or encircling maneuver that fixes the enemy in positions where the enemy force can be defeated in detail. Fires can restrict movement of the enemy force and delay and disrupt its ability to quickly execute the maneuvers vital to protecting itself as a whole. See figure 6-4. Figure 6-4. Exploitation and pursuit 6-97. An aggressively executed pursuit keeps the moving enemy unprepared, and unable to defend, ultimately faced with the options of surrendering or complete destruction. Pursuits require swift maneuver and attacks by forces to strike the enemy's most vulnerable areas. There are two options in conducting a pursuit; each involves assigning a subordinate the mission of maintaining direct-pressure on the rearward moving enemy force. The first is a frontal pursuit that employs only direct-pressure. The second is a combination that uses a subordinate element to maintain direct-pressure and one or more other subordinate forces to encircle the enemy. In the pursuit, the most decisive effects result from combining a direct pressure force and an encircling force (FM 3- 90-1). 6-98. There is generally little time to establish and affect new task organizations or support relationships between an attack and exploitation or pursuit. These operations transition very quickly from one to another. During exploitation and pursuit it is important to have decentralized execution authority and support relationships. Considerations for supporting a maneuver unit during exploitation and pursuit include: