Military Review English Edition November-December 2014 | Page 34

Publication (ADRP) 3-0, Unified Land Operations,
the basic principles governing Army operations were
identified together with the six primary warfighting
functions. Reconnaissance and surveillance became
a task associated with the movement and maneuver
warfighting function. Screen, guard, cover, and their
related tasks found no coverage at all. Although the
protection warfighting function alluded to security, the
related task list included nothing more than basic force
protection measures expected of all combatant forces.14
A related publication, ADRP 3-90, Offense and
Defense, directly influenced every other manual
associated with tactical tasks. Unfortunately, it encouraged the de-emphasis of traditional security doctrine.
ADRP 3-90 noted the importance of security missions,
correctly noting their value in providing early warning
of hostile actions and sufficient time and maneuver
space within which to react to enemy operations. It also
identified screen, guard, and cover missions as effective

methods of achieving these objectives. Nevertheless, it
cautioned commanders against the diversion of combat
power to these tasks and reminded them that no BCT
included screen, guard, and cover in its mission-essential task list (METL). Moreover, the manual did
nothing to restore the broken linkage between reconnaissance and security operations.15
The subordinate manual FM 3-90-2,
Reconnaissance, Security, and Tactical Enabling Tasks,
Volume 2, published in 2013, addressed screen, guard,
and cover missions. It provided guidance for the execution of these missions and outlined the underlying
principles. Yet this manual, too, nullified this coverage with these statements: “All three types of Army
brigade combat teams (BCTs)—armored, infantry,
and Stryker—have conduct[ed] security operations
as part of their METL. No BCT has the cover, guard,
and screen security tasks as part of their [sic] Army
METL.”16

Soldiers with 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, prepare to search Starkats Village,
Khowst Province, Afghanistan, 2 April 2011.
(Photo by Pfc. Donald Watkins, Joint Combat Camera Afghanistan)

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November-December 2014  MILITARY REVIEW