Military Review English Edition July-August 2016 | Page 77
ARTILLERY
Corps
Responsibility
Guided MultipleLaunch Rocket
System/Rockets
35
Friendly
II
kilometers
Cannon
Forward Line of
Own Troops
II
GS
II
Battalion
X
Brigade
Unmanned Aerial
System
Reconnaissance
(CFL)
II
Artillery
Reconnaissance
Multi-rocket
Launcher
Brigade Combat Team
Responsibility
I
Section
Company
X
Coordinated Fire Line 101 Airborne
Squad
(FSCL)
II
Division
Responsibility
20
Enemy
U.S. Air Force
XVIII Airborne Corps Fire Support Coordination Line
kilometers
Key
X
Radar
(FLOT)
I
I
GS-R
GS-R
Aviation
Self-propelled
Artillery
I
GS-R
General Support
Reinforcing
GS
GS
General Support
(Graphic by Maj. Travis Robison, U.S. Army)
Figure. Delineation of Responsibility Using Fire Support
Coordination Measures
Dividing responsibility significantly improved fire
mission processing times and responsiveness. The targeting officer and the S-2 (intelligence staff officer) then applied predictive battle-damage assessment to determine
likely effects on the enemy that facilitated subsequent
targeting, positioning, and task-organization decisions.
Second, the next counterfire task involves actively
targeting enemy indirect fire systems, referred to as “proactive counterfire” in doctrine. However, since counterfire by definition is always reactive, the 101st DIVARTY
opted to assign the task of “strike” or “interdiction” fires.
It accomplished this task by analyzing patterns in radar
acquisitions and ground-movement target indicators
(GMTIs). The targeting officer and the S-2 determined
what type of indirect fire system was engaging friendly
forces based on the range at which the enemy fired. The
S-2 mapped patterns of acquisitions and GMTI routes
between firing positions to create target areas of interest
(TAIs), which the division observed with UAS assets.
Once a UAS asset detected enemy artillery formations, the DIVARTY initiated fire missions against the
target and conducted immediate battle-damage assessments. Strike fires that integrated UAS and dedicated
MILITARY REVIEW July-August 2016
fires assets proved to be the most effective counterfire
technique during both WFXs. These fires maximized
the DIVARTY’s extended-range and precision-munition
capabilities, while mitigating enemy range advantages.
Unmanned aircraft system integration.
Integrating UAS and fires assets into a direct sensor-to-shooter link is fast, responsive, and effective. The
ability of UASs to loiter over TAIs and provide highly
accurate target locations makes them ideal for leveraging advantages in precision-guided munitions against
enemy indirect fire systems. UASs are also capable of
providing immediate battle damage assessments to
inform intelligence collection and targeting processes.
During its WFXs, the 101st DIVARTY replicated
recent Russian tactics in Ukraine with similar success.
The 101st DIVARTY developed techniques and procedures for integrating UASs into the counterfire fight
during WFX 15-5, and it perfected dynamic retasking
procedures and fire-mission processing during WFX
16-2. Both experiences proved that UAS integration in
support of counterfire strike operations works.
Planning. The DIVARTY should assist in coordinating, integrating, and synchronizing the division’s
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