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 6-25 Commanders orient their reconnaissance assets by identifying a reconnaissance objective within an AO. Reconnaissance is a focused collection effort. The reconnaissance objective is a terrain feature, geographic area, enemy force, adversary, or other mission or operational variable, such as specific civil considerations, about which the commander wants to obtain additional information (ADP 3-90). Although all units conduct reconnaissance, ground cavalry, aviation attack reconnaissance units, scouts, and Special Forces are specifically trained to conduct reconnaissance operations. The five types of reconnaissance operations are: Area reconnaissance. Reconnaissance in force. Route reconnaissance. Special reconnaissance. Zone reconnaissance. 6-111. FS considerations during reconnaissance operations are as follows: Orient fires on the reconnaissance objective. Use fires to help the reconnaissance force retain freedom of maneuver. Provide deception fires. Consider attaching FA assets to the supported reconnaissance force. FA units must have the mobility equal to that of the supported force. Main body FA units should be positioned forward to support reconnaissance elements. FS plans should only be executed if surprise is lost. While a fundamental of the reconnaissance is to gain and maintain enemy contact, it is not normally the intent of the reconnaissance elements to become engaged with the enemy. Report all information quickly and accurately. SECURITY OPERATIONS 6-112. The main difference between conducting security operations and reconnaissance is that security operations orient on the force or facility being protected while reconnaissance orients on the enemy and terrain. The ultimate goal of security operations is to protect the force from surprise and reduce the unknowns in any situation. A commander may conduct security operations to the front, flanks, or rear of the friendly force. As a shaping operation, economy of force is often a consideration when planning security operations. The four types of security operations are area, cover, guard, and screen. For more information on types of security operations see ADP 3-90. 6-113. FS considerations during security operations are as follows: Provide responsive fires for all security forces due to the typically limited number of maneuver units operating over a large area. Provide deceptive fires for covering forces and security forces in the offense, and fires to deceive the enemy in the defense. For example, by delivering effects in an area away from the friendly defensive positions. Forcing the enemy to deploy out of a traveling formation believing that they had made contact with the MBA forces. Provide proper FS allocations for covering and security forces which operate on a wide front, in a large area, and at great distances from the main body causing an imbalance of relative combat power. This includes additional CAS and attack helicopter allocations. For FA units, this could mean extreme decentralization of assets. The allocation of one FA BN in a DS relationship for each BN sized maneuver element in a covering force is appropriate. Plan fires for hasty attack and/or hasty defense. Plan fires for forward passage of lines for MBA forces in the offense, and rearward passage of lines of security forces in the defense. The control of indirect fires passes to MBA forces as covering forces hand over the battle. Detailed coordination between passing and stationary force commanders and FSCOORDs is essential. FA unit displacements in the offense and defense will be frequent, plan for routes and PAAs well in advance. Fire plans should be simple, most fires will be against targets of opportunity.