FM-3-09 Fire Support and Field Artillery Operations Download
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Fire Support and the Operations Process 30 April 2020 FM 3-09 3-5 3-18. Surface component SEAD capabilities. Based on the JFC guidance, the land and maritime surface components' fires cells and FSEs will determine the weapon systems available to conduct SEAD. Examples of these capabilities include FA, mortars, naval surface fire, attack helicopters, EW, and surface-to-surface missiles (referred to as SSMs). To ensure unity of effort and conservation of force, components need to coordinate SEAD activities within their AO with the JFACC to ensure they meet mission requirements and do not interfere with other planned operations. The BCD can assist localized suppression operations by coordinating the means to request surface FS. A rapid and free exchange of SEAD target information between the JFACC and Army commanders is required for effective surface suppression. 3-19. Threat. Air defense threats can encompass many national or multinational systems normally integrated into an IADS. Adversaries' IADS have become increasingly complex and can differ widely from country to country in terms of organization, sophistication, and operational procedures. An adversary's IADS needs to be analyzed in-depth for strengths and weaknesses, especially seams in coverage. The goal is to identify command structure, air defense doctrine, early warning and tracking capabilities, C2 reliability/redundancy, and defensive weapons systems. SEAD operations target the HPTs of an IADS: C2 nodes/centers. Surface-to-air missile sites. Surface-to-air missile carriers and storage bunkers. Antiaircraft artillery. Early warning and fire control radars and ground control intercept sites. Air defense operations and maintenance personnel. Naval air defense assets. Directed energy weapons. EW systems. 3-20. SEAD operations are accomplished through denial, degradation, destruction, and disruption. Denial eliminates the utility of an enemy's targeted system, usually without physical damage. Denial prevents an enemy from acquiring accurate information about friendly forces. Degradation permanently impairs (partially or totally) the enemy's targeted systems, usually with physical damage. Degradation may confuse or delay the actions of an enemy. Destruction seeks the destruction of the target system or operating personnel. 3-21. Disruption temporarily denies, degrades, delays, or neutralizes enemy surface air defense systems. Means include OCO, EA, and tactics such as avoidance or evasive flight profiles. In addition, UA can be used to actively employ disruptive means. COUNTERFIRE 3-22. Like friendly FS systems, the threat FS systems can inflict serious damage on friendly maneuver forces, FS systems, and supporting infrastructure; therefore, the enemy's FS system must be acquired and eliminated. The counterfire battle is not a separate battle, but one aspect of the overall combined arms fight. Counterfire contributes by providing fires against the enemy integrated fires complex; it protects friendly forces, combat functions, and facilities from enemy indirect fires by neutralizing, or destroying enemy weapons, TA assets, observers (to include special purpose forces), C2 facilities, and communications and logistics sites. Counterfire gains freedom of maneuver for all friendly forces. Counterfire is inseparably tied to current and future operations and is part of the overall combined arms fight to achieve fire superiority. 3-23. In large-scale ground combat operations, the corps commander is responsible for counterfire throughout the depth of the corps AOR. They determine the best way to protect the corps combat forces and to defeat, delay, or disrupt the threat array. This estimate or analysis includes an assessment of the counterfire capabilities of the corps and its subordinate divisions. For more information on corps operations see ATP 3- 92. The corps commander's counterfire responsibilities include the following: Segmenting the battlefield by delineating maneuver boundaries and assigning areas of responsibility for corps and its subordinate divisions. This helps establish the delineation of counterfire responsibilities within the corps zone.