Intro to Battle Drills

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Battle Drills
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Objectives

• Define Combat Power
• Define battle drills
• Describe characteristics of battle drills
• Describe the battle drills

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The doctrine that guides infantry forces is based
on the four elements ofcombat power maneuver,
firepower, protection, and leadership.
Combat Power
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Maneuver is the movement of forces supported by
fireto achieve a position of advantage from
which to destroy or threatendestruction of the
enemy.
Maneuver
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Firepower is the capacity of a unit to deliver
effective fires on a target. Firepower kills or
suppresses the enemy in his positions, deceives
the enemy, and supports maneuver.
Firepower
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Protection is the conservation of the fighting
potential of a force so that it can be applied at
the decisive time and place.
Protection
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Military leadership is a process by which a
soldier influences others to accomplish the
mission. Leaders coordinate the other three
elements of combat power.
Leadership
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Battle Drills
Battle drills describe how platoons and squads
apply fire, maneuver, and react to commonly
encountered situations. They require leaders to
make decisions rapidly and to issue brief oral
orders quickly.
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Definition
A Battle Drill is a collective action executed
without applying a deliberate decision making
process.
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Characteristics

• Requires minimal leader commands
• A trained response to enemy actions or leaders
  orders
• Has sequential actions
• Standard throughout the Army
• Steps are followed the same in training and in
  combat
• Applies to platoon or smaller units

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Minimal leader commands
Characteristics

• All soldiers and their leaders must know their
  immediate reaction to enemy contact as well as
  follow-up actions.

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Trained responses
Characteristics

• Drills are limited to situations requiring
  instantaneous response therefore, soldiers must
  execute drills instinctively.

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Sequential actions
Characteristics

• They identify key actions that leaders and
  soldiers must perform quickly.
• They provide for a smooth transition from one
  activity to another for example, from movement
  to offensive action to defensive action.

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Characteristics

• They provide standardized actions that link
  soldier and collective tasks at platoon level and
  below. (Soldiers perform individual tasks to CTT
  or SDT standard.)
• Battle Drills are executed the same in training
  and in combat
• Battle Drills require minimal training for newly
  assigned Soldiers

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React to contact (visual, IED, direct fire,
includes RPG)React to indirect fireReact to
chemical attackBreak contactDismount a
vehicleReact to ambush (near)React to ambush
(far)Evacuate a casualty (dismounted and
mounted)Establish security at a haltCheckpoint
entry operationsReact to Vehicle Roll-OverEnter
and Clear a Room
Battle Drills
As of 25 Feb 2008 Approved CG, TRADOC
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React to Contact

• Situation A squad or platoon receives fires from
  enemy individual or crew-served weapons or
  unexpectedly encounters an enemy force or
  position.

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React to Contact
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Scene 12 Saving Private Ryan
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Training Center Observations

• Squads/Platoons slow to react to contact take
  excessive casualties
• Platoons sometimes annihilated by fire-team or
  smaller size enemy force
• Fratricide situational awareness communication
• Lost initiative helps the enemy escape

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Training Battle Drills

• Cross Train
• Develop/train/enforce SOPs
• Fire control
• Train for different scenarios
• Stress hand and arm signals
• Enforce all-round security

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Training Battle Drills

• Train all soldiers to give go where, do what
  orders
• Minimize amount of verbal noise
• Clearly define what decisions you expect leaders
  to make under fire
• Instill decision-making at the lowest level
• Leaders mark the enemy and rely on Battle Drill
  training for Soldiers to fire and maneuver to
  destroy the enemy
• Do not micromanage subordinate leaders or
  Soldiers while executing Battle Drill training
• Allow junior leaders freedom to make mistakes and
  provide feedback at the AAR

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Questions?