15 Fire Support Planning in Support of Scout_Sniper Operations

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Fire Support Planning In Support Of

Scout/ Sniper Operations

14 December 2000

By Jeff Waters

Sniper Mission:

The Sniper's mission is to " Engage targets w ith long range precision fire and/or f ire support

assets and to gather and report timely and accurate information".

Fire Supp ort Results:

During WWII, 45% of all casualties resulted from indirect fire (taken from the US Army NCO

Academy Instructor 's Guide). Think about that figure for a second. Almost half. And that was

with WW I I technology. Today's art illery reaches fart her, faster, with a much higher degree of

explosive power. Not to ment ion the development of rounds like FASCAM (Family, Scatterable,

Mines) that can plant a minefield between you and an enemy force in minutes, or the Copperhead

anti-tank round.

Fire support is used when, due to wind or distance, it is not realistic to rely on a rifle shot, or to

help a sniper team that has struck a target and is being pursued by a large force. Since fire

support is generally the only form of friendly help nearby, it is crucial for the team to thoroughly

understand how to plan for its use, and how to call it in when the time comes.

Planning & Coordinating Fire Support for a Sniper Mission:

In general terms, you want to have Target Reference Points (TRPs) established to cover your

patrol during insertion, movement to the objective, at the objective, withdrawal route, extraction

point, and any patrol bases you might have.

After establishing the TRPs and determining what type of rounds you want on each target, you

Fire Support Planning I n Support Of Scout / Sniper Operat ions

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can begin to coordinat e with the unit 's Fire Suppor t Off icer, or FSO. TRPs should be established to

coincide with as many natural checkpoints along the rout e of m ovement as possible. The idea is

that as you reach each checkpoint, you can call it in by codeword and have the FSO adjust the

guns to the next TRP on that leg.

Insert ion.1.

For example, let's say that the team's insertion is to depart the base camp with a friendly

pat rol. A TRP is established to screen the patrol if it makes contact during depar ture. By using

smoke, they not only immediately gain protection from enemy observation, but they have

protected themselves and the Friendly Forward Unit (FFU) from any chance of friendly fire.

Since the smoke can be used to verify impact points, they still have the option to adjust fire

onto t he enemy location and switch to high explosive. Since the smoke w ill probably reduce the

patrol's ability to observe the enemy location and the impact of rounds, the fire may have to be

adjusted by a mem ber of t he FFU. This contingency should be part of the coordinated plans made

prior t o departure.

Movement to the OBJ.1.

Insertion is complete when the patrol has reached the first rally point away from the insertion

point and has completed a SLLS halt (stop, look, listen, smell). When they are ready to move,they call in a code word that lets their HQ know that they have completed their insertion, lets

them know the patrol's general location, and signals that it is time for the guns to shift to the next

TRP.

During the movement, TRPs should cover known/ suspected enemy locations, rally points,

danger areas, and pat rol bases. Again, by planning TRPs to cover each leg of the movement

between checkpoints, the simple act of calling in a code word keeps higher up advised of your

location and fire support readily on call. Sending a single-w ord code does not violate COMSEC,either, and the t eam's location cannot be compromised by such a short t ransmission. I t also

serves as a radio check, and it should be noted during the map reconnaissance whether the

terrain near t he checkpoint is in dead space where commo will be difficult. I f so, call it in on the

last bit of the leg where you have line-of-sight with the unit or plan a jump-off point where you

can make commo. If you don't think you can make comm o at a danger area based on terrain,

you should consider changing you route since you won't be able to use fire support if needed.


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Patrol bases and Rally Points are covered also, and can use the "Polar" method of control

rather t han the " Shift fr om a Known Point" method.

At the Objective.1.

This is obviously a critical time. One thing our stalking exercises don't teach is that af ter youtake your shot, you will probably have some very pissed off people coming after you immediately.

If you are dressed in a heavy ghille suit, good luck getting away in a hurry without leaving a giant

trail.

If you take a shot or two at a platoon-size element and they begin to pursue you, then it's nice

to have a TRP between you and them where you can simply call in something like, "Immediate

Suppression on AA10," as you run for your life. I f it's betw een you and the enemy, they are more

likely to move away from t he impact zone rather than through it to pursue you. This buys you

valuable time for your getaway.

Another idea, based on the organization and doctrine of the enemy is to have the guns

standing by for counter-battery fire if the enemy decides to guess at your position and blast away

with an artillery strike of their own.

Additionally, the team can use fire support assets to keep a unit pinned while it picks off a

person or two and moves to an alternate location. For example, a sniper team engaging enemy

LP/Ops or patrols departing the enemy's perimeter can use fire support to suppress the maincamp, which might be sending out a reaction force.

Training:

As usual, the U.S. Army has some highly sophisticated and expensive training aids for use in fire

support training. And not surprisingly, they don't w ork well, are hard to schedule, and are not that

realistic.

The best way to train at the squad level is to start by reviewing the different types of missions,

the communications procedures, and how to adjust, along with the basics of danger close

distances.

Instead of wasting a lot of time at the lecture board, you can take the troops to a sandtable

marked with numbered strings for gr idlines and give them a radio. You act as the FSO and they


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radio in their request (for some reason, using real radios wor ks much better t han without) . An

assistant instructor uses a pointer with a cotton ball taped on it to designate the impact point of

the round and the sniper adjusts accordingly. The rest of the class is allowed to stand by t o watch

and learn. The first few soldiers invariably screw it up and are sent to the back of the line to do it

again.

But, after watching a few people do it correctly, almost everyone catches on and can pick up a

radio and do the job. The sandtable should be used after teaching each mission, beginning w ith a

grid mission, then a shift, and finally a polar if time permits.

The next step is to get them onto a live fire range and FO for the BN Mortars at least

quarterly. The mort ar platoons generally enjoy having FO support.

After they have a sound foundation in the basics, training should take place on different

methods of control, fire support overlays, and the fire support coordination.

Air Support should also be trained on.

Conclusion:

Employing fire support is an integral part of the sniper mission, both for his safety and his

combat eff ectiveness. FS training should be part of a sniper sect ion's Mission Essent ial Task List

(METL) and require mandatory training on at least a quarterly basis.

Teams should make every effort to establish a good working relationship with the BN's FSO and

mortar sections. The sandtable is an excellent tool, which should be used to evaluate EVERY

member of the section on Call for and Adjust I ndirect Fire, regardless of rank. All snipers must

know these tasks by heart.

Further, understanding the MIL Relation Formula used in determining shift, increasing the

snipers understanding of range estimation, and the mil dot scale in his scope is excellent, excellent

training for a sniper.

And as with any training - for anyone, not just snipers - practice does not make perfect.

Perfect practice makes perfect!

Finally, it's your ass out there and the unit is counting on you.

What more needs to be said?


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15 Fire Support Planning in Support of Scout_Sniper Operations

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