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As I'm leading/participating in 'how to become a FG' LPD's I'm trying to pick something I failed at with a recommendation on how to not fail. Today I incorporated something from my @JayMiseli 'How we fight' Series. (thread)
during my NTC rotation, on TD 1 we were absolutely where I expected to be. Three IN CO strong points on the eastern wall looking into Barasu. Our WG'd technique centrally controlling mortars and employing against known/suspected had worked for our MTC through the Whale. 2/
I expected to take Barasu easily and move through the central corridor. That didn't happen. After infiltrating an Infantry Company to KT west of Barasu over POD we began to clear it. Thats when red air showed up - then a MIC rolled out of a passage in the norther wall 3/
I couldn't fully understand what was happening. In my mind I didn't understand we were fixed and that the MIC was shooting down the MSR because it was clearly the unit boundary. I called brigade... it was all too late. 4/
I focused all my attention on reorienting a company into a WADI and engaging that MIC. They destroyed most of it, and also had most of their vehicles were destroyed. The next element was pivot steering on the BCT Main soon after. 5/
All the things I wanted/expected to do didn't happen because while it was not my first time maneuvering a battalion, it was my first against an enemy who could really out think me if I wasn't careful. 6/
I never called @WeGettinAfterIt who was literally my adjacent unit to coordinate. So what did I fix? taking everything I knew and applying it. Every piece of staff analysis and every step of the MDMP we executed 7/
I refocused on the enemies COA and the time distance analysis and really what they wanted to achieve. If I was seeing a MIC, how long until I see the next one? and where would they be physically right now, let's get a Raven up and find it. 8/
If I have 15 minutes between echelons can I push the FLE forward to cache more Javelins? (Yes) Where are my Javs O/H (PLT/CO TRNS/FLE/CTCP/BSA) and how long until I can push them forward. 9/
This was the same with mortars - How many PLT 3's do I have with the BN Mortars? How long will it take to shift the the FLE to their location? What is with the CO Trains... etc 10/
I even had @cashmoneyrims come through with the FPF next time. Which was amazing. Thinking this way allowed me to rapidly combine arms in contact when the plan crumbled because I refocused on the science of fighting and understanding the fight. 11/
I could see the flexibility I had based on what the mission variables were. I struggled through - but I was better on TD 2 than TD 1. All this to say, think about how you build your mental models and how you combine arms and be better than me from the start. 12/
Where NTC helped me was it allowed me to think faster and faster everyday (Sometimes positive, a lot of times we took a beating) but it made me better. I wish I was better at these things going in, I wish I processed what was happening and decided/acted different. You can 13/13
