The biggest piece of advice I can give Officers is know your shit. Know your tactics better than anyone. Know how to conduct Battle drill 1A or react to near and far ambushes. Know how to set up a Patrol base and an Ambush. Knowing how to do these things on the platoon level is a necessity. Not just knowing them but knowing the ins and outs of each one, each step and how it is supposed to work will set you up for major success. Also know your weapon systems. Don’t be that officer who looks like a fool using the 240. Know how to correct a malfunction and man handle the 240 and 249. Know how to correct jams malfunctions. Know how to take them apart quickly and efficiently. This will set you apart from other officers in the eyes of the enlisted. Know not just your role but everyones role and it will help you understand the bigger picture and be successful.
Darby Phase,
Darby is a very detailed phase everything you do in darby is in a squad size element. The squad leader and 2 team leaders are the graded positions here. Everything you do is graded on the meticulousness of your detail to ensure you have the utmost understanding of the basics.
The Warning Order
The critical parts of the warning order are the Timeline and Task to subordinate Ordinates the other details are small in comparison such as higher headquarters mission the mission statement, weather and command and control. The timeline you create yourself and add the NLT hard times that are given to you in highers op order. Your Timeline needs to be very detailed and followed by your Team leaders. Start your timeline from when you receive the op order which is normally at 0530 continue the timeline from this point all the way to Mission complete. Your timeline is going to be quite long and it should be EX: timeline is as follows.
TIME WHAT LOCATION WHO
0530 order received Company TOC SL + RTO
0600 Warning Order issued Squad Bay ALL
0630 Supply request turned in Squad Bay to RI BTL
0645 Crew served test fire Test Fire Pit BTL
0700 M4 test fire Test Fire Pit BTL
0730 Routes Complete Squad Bay ATL
0730 Paragraph 1 complete Squad Bay ATL
0745 Fires Coordination PLT Bay SL/RTO
0800 Route Coordination PLT Bay SL/RTO
0800 Supply Pick up Company TOC BTL
0800 Equipment DX Weapons Pool BTL
0815 Crew Drills Squad Bay HQ attachment
0845 Paragraph 4 complete Squad Bay ALL
0845 Paragraph 5 complete Squad Bay RTO
0900 Sand Table complete Squad Bay ATL
0915 op order walkthrough Squad Bay SL
0930 Issue OpOrder Squad Bay SL
1230 NLT Op order complete
1245 Back briefs from TL’s
1300 Rehearsels by Priority Company TOC Field ALL
1330 SP
1350 INFIl Grid AB1234546 ALL
1600 NLT Ambush set
1800 NLT MC
1900 NLT back at camp DARBY al given to you by highers order
Your timeline is almost never going to change. I suggest after the first time you make it you put it on an index card and laminate it this way anyone in your squad can put the timeline on the boards. Every night when you get back from mission, Ensure you clean your weapons and prep your boards for the next days order. Timeline and task to subordinate units are 2 things you can prep the night before along with your sustainment paragraph.
For the Warning order all you need for the sustainment paragraph is what you have on hand and what you are requesting.
Your task to subordinate units should also be very detailed.
Most people at the start of darby will just assign tasks like ATL your are in charge of the sand table
And BTL you are in charge of ammo draw, resupply and distribution. But you need to be more detailed than just that. You have to explain how you want it done. EX for the ATL and creating the sand table wen you brief your op order.
EX: ATL you are in charge of the Sandtable. Make sure the Sand table has exaggerated terrain features.
Include the Primary and alternate routes that do not cross and are no closer than 300 meters. On the primary and alternate routes make sure you put all checkpoints, LDAs, near and far side rally points with grids. Coordinate with the Medic/BTL to ensure that you get all possible AXP and HLZ sites marked. Ensure the OBJ is marked with the grid as well as the tentative security halt and ORP. I need this done by 0900 so I can review it before I brief the oporder. Use your Ranger Handbook Chapter 2 page 31 as a guide for construction the sand table.
This type of detail needs to be there for all your tasks to subordinate units. Ensure you are spot checking these tasks as well. For if they do not get done. You and the person you assigned it to will get gigged.
OPERATIONS ORDER-
People will be falling asleep during the operations order. It is Key for the Team leaders to keep people awake during the operations order without calling them out individually. Hints for this, have the team leaders stand up and watch the squad. When someone is falling asleep begin to be loud and say things like stay motivated guys, Stay awake guys or stand up. While the squad leader is briefing you can have someone with a ruler slap the section of the board we are at everytime you move to a section. The SL and TL’s can get gigged for sleepers as well as you can receive a spot report for it if you’re the sleepy ranger
Your actions on Objective for Ambush and Recon should take you 35 mins to an hour to brief. This is after you brief the FOOM(Formations and orders of movement) boards. All foom boards should be briefed once you hit the INFIL point when briefing paragraph 3. Remember when briefing the FOOM boards that detail is yet again the key. An exampling of the FOOM for squad column fire team wedge is as follows.
EX: ATL is Ranger Mikes he is responsible for Frontal Security, Land navigation and enroute route selection. To his right 10 meters off at a 45 degree angle is Ranger Smith you are a riflemen an the primary compass man. You are responsible for security to the right of the point man as well as keeping him on azimuth.TO Ranger Mikes left 10 meters off his side at a 45 degree angle is Ranger Jones whom is a riflemen. Ranger Jones you are the primary Pace man, you are responsible for keeping pace for the Ranger Mikes as well as security to his left flank.
You go through the entire squad like this explaining each person’s location and job in the order of movement. You do this for all the FOOM Boards to include react to contact, crossing an LDA, Crossing an Open Danger area, modified wedge, React to near ambush, React to far ambush and more…. It is monotonous but that’s just part of DARBY….
When you finally get to the Actions on.. you will be doing a Recon or an Ambush both Recon and Ambush have specific steps which you must follow there are 29 for an ambush and 27 for a Recon MAKE SURE YOU RIGHT THEM ALL DOWN WHEN GIVEN THE CLASS as WELL AS THE DIAGRAM THEY USE TO BRIEF IT. YOU WILL NEED TO RECREATE THE DIAGRAM AND USE ALL THE STEPS WHEN YOU BREIF YOUR ACTIONS ON>..
Steps 1-16 are the same for both Recon and Ambush, they are as follows.
1 1) Start/Stop
<!2) Security Halt
<!3) Conduct SLLS (Stop, Look, Listen, Smell) Pinpoint your location.
<!4) Long Hault, SpotCheck
<!5) Give 5 Point (GOTWA) to ATL-BTL
<!6) Conduct Recon of ORP
<!7) Characteristics of ORP
-Easily defendable
-Away from natural lines of Drift
-Away from high speed Avenues of approach
-Provides no tactical advantage to the enemy
-Provides cover and concealment(asymmetrical) from above as well)
8) Conduct SLLS once possible ORP found
9) Clear/Secure ORP –Give 5PT(GOTWA) to element left at ORP
10) SHP /Occupy ORP- Call BTL and get squad in the short halt posture and prepped before leaving the ORP to get them
11) Conduct SLLS and Pinpoint –once back at the ORP
12) LongHault –put everyone in the longhault
13) Strong point at the 10, 2, 4, 6
14) Spotcheck security and Opskeds
15) Prep MWE - once you have security in ORP prep Men weapons and equipment
16) Confirm Route
Ambush Steps 17-29
17.) Inspect Ambush personnel
18.) 5PT to BTL and S+O Depart ORP
19.) Identify the RP
20.) Emplace S+O (5 PT)
21.) Confirm, Change, Abort
22.)Conduct Recon of Ambush Site
23.)Occupy Ambush Site ( Security, then Support by Fire then Assault)
Recon Steps 17-27
17.) Inspect Recon Team
18.) Give 5pt(gotwa) to BTL,ATL and S+O
19.) ID Release Point/ Conduct SLLS
20.) Pinpoint Objective (use the DAGR)
21.) Confirm, Change, Abort
22.) Emplace S+O/Give 5pt with compromise and
Withdrawal Plan
Make sure you mark your Release point with IR chemlights. Same thing with your ORP it will be tough to find your rucksacks at night without an IR chemlight if you did not put them near and easily identifiable terrain feature.
MOUNTAIN PHASE –
Yes the blueberry pancakes in mountains are amazing… The quick keys mountains …. The first 4 days of techniques you are developing your SOPS for your platoon and practicing them. The keys to making this fluid during the FTX is identifying friction points and putting in control measures for these friction points
Some common friction points are getting everyone on line to set up the patrol Base, Figuring out who gets radios for AOO to keep comms up and where they will come from. Also work out a good withdrawal plan that you can use for ambushes and raids as you will conduct raids instead of recons in Mountains.
From here on out the graded positions are PL, PSG and the 4 Squad Leaders. There are 2 schools of thought on team leaders as you pick your own. Pick the best guys to disseminate information and keep people awake. Or pick your biggest shitbags and sleepy rangers so they don’t have to worry about falling asleep on the line just hope they disseminate info.
If you’re the security squad leader pick a good Alpha team leader(by good I mean good at land nav) as he will be the point man for movement all day. Something you don’t want to fuck up in Mountains. It is a lot easier to land nav there but also 1 mistake and your off the ridge and climbing in and out of draws and spurs.
The op order process does not have to be as detailed as Darby. Your enemy sit is going to be a lot smalled same as friendly sit. What they are really looking for is the detail in your actions on Objective. The control measures you are setting up. They want to see a solid PACE plan for shift and lift fires. Make sure you are using TRPS to control your Support by fire ka weapons squad. Make sure that you do a good leaders recon and that the weapons squad leader knows the TRPS which ones to shift to and when and you will be good to go.
Keys to success as a PSG this was my only graded position in MTNS. During movement make sure you are actually moving up and down the formation and controlling the spacing. Make sure guys have there heads on a swivel and are doing the right thing on short haults. When the PL stops to pinpoint his location. Check on the guys, check there water and ammo and have your squad leaders update there status cards to get updates. Crossload ammo if need be. Also ensure the Sla know where they are and spotcheck guys and let them know where you are on the map and how much futher you have to move. Dissemination of Info is key. Also make sure you always have a good count when stepping off and if its not right stop the formation or the recon element and figure out the number count.
While in the ORP never stop moving. Continually spotcheck guys. Have the medc go clockwise while you go counterclockwise. Shoot the shit with every pair of guys on the line. Ask them about family, what they are gonna do after they graduate. Spotcheck the 5 point, challenge password and so forth. And keep moving making sure they are staying awake. It is gonna suck but you gotta work for them so they will work for you.
One thing I did to start conversation once I started a list of what was in every single MRE. Guys would always be asking what was in there MRE and I would pull out the list and tell them or try to trade MRES and tell them what was in each. IT was a great convo starter to keep guys awake. Like hey man what you got for dinner? Oh that comes with this that’s gonna be good and so forth it became a platoon thing,. In the end if you are working for them all the time. When your in charge they will work for you.’
FLORIDA PHASE
The big changes from mountains into Florida is dealing with casualties. The first few days of Florida you will be given time to make adjustments to your platoon SOPS. Remember it is your platoon, if you see something that will help the platoon speak up. It is your and everyone elses GO on the line. These few days allow you to make changes and try the changes before you are actually graded.
The only changes to the oporder is the grading of control measures in your actions and The 3 new criteria which come to become go nogo criteria. They are a Compromise plan, Engagement criteria and Withdrawl plan. For the platoon, for you security elements once in position and for your S+O. These 3 more heavily graded criteria just need to be briefed in detail for each section of the platoon that it applies to. Whether it is your support by fire, security elements, or assault element being emplaced.
In florida remember that it is literally your platoon. You will not be guided by RI’s as much as other phases. The RI’s will show up in the morning and tell you they are your walker and that is it. You will not see them or they will not engage you when they are around. They will be asking your squad and team leaders questions to make sure you are doing your job.
During the morning they will check the line to ensure your squad is awake and doing there job. This will happen randomly all morning until the oporder is being briefed. Everyday when the oporder is briefed you will be attacked and take mass cal while in the patrol base. The Platoon SGT will be responsible for taking over the situation and dealing with all the casualties. Ensure that you have a good Mass Cal plan and the morning PSG has briefed it to the SL’s so everyone knows what to do when the casualties start happening. To include you’re a+l teams and EPW teams.
The missions don’t change in florida just the means by which you get there whether it is through the swamp, by boat or foot. You just need to execute more efficiently. Never violate the 5 principles of patrolling, look out for your guys, know your tactics and you will be good.
