CAPÍTULO 2: MODELO DE NEGOCIO
2.5 D ESCRIPCIÓN DE LOS P ROCESOS DE N EGOCIO
2.5.1 Descripción del proceso de negocio de Despacho
4-51. A guard force protects the friendly main body either by fighting to gain time (while simultaneously observing the enemy and reporting pertinent information) or by attacking, defending, and/or delaying the enemy to prevent him from observing the main body and engaging it with direct fires. There are three types of guard operations—advance guard, flank guard, and rear guard. They can be conducted in support of either a stationary or a moving friendly force. The company team can conduct an advance guard for a battalion task force or a rear or flank guard for a brigade. Additionally the company team may participate as part of a task force in an advance guard for a brigade.
4-52. The guard force differs from a screening force in that it contains sufficient combat power to defeat, repel, or fix the lead elements of an enemy ground force before they can engage the main body with direct fires. A guard force uses all means at its disposal, including decisive engagement, to prevent the enemy from penetrating to a position where it could observe and engage the main body. It operates within the range of the main body’s fire support weapons, deploying over a narrower front than a comparable-size screening force to permit concentrating combat power.
PURPOSES
4-53. The purposes of the guard operation, in addition to those listed in the earlier discussion of the screen, include the following:
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Destroy or repel all enemy reconnaissance elements.•
Fix and defeat enemy security elements.•
Cause the enemy main body to deploy and report its direction of travel to the friendly main body commander.TYPES OF GUARD OPERATIONS
4-54. The following discussion covers operational considerations for advance guard, flank guard, and rear guard operations.
Advance Guard
4-55. An advance guard for a stationary force is defensive in nature.
During task force defensive operations, the company normally defends or delays in accordance with the task force commander’s intent as the stationary advance guard for the task force. Its role is either against main body and security elements or against reconnaissance elements.
(See stationary guard below for detailed information.) An advance guard for a moving force is offensive in nature. The company team normally conducts an offensive advance guard mission during a movement to
warning of enemy activity to the protected task force and by finding, fixing, and destroying enemy reconnaissance and security elements.
Additionally, the company may participate as part of a battalion task force in an advance guard for a brigade. (See Chapter 5 for more details on advance guard operations and movement to contact.)
Flank Guard
4-56. A flank guard protects an exposed flank of the main body. A flank guard is similar to a flank screen except that both OPs and defensive positions are planned. The company team may conduct a moving flank guard for the brigade during an attack or a movement to contact. In conducting a moving flank guard, the company team will normally occupy a series of BPs along the protected flank. It must maintain orientation both to the front (to perform its overwatch role and to maintain its own security) and to the protected flank. It must also maintain a sufficient distance from the main body to prevent the enemy from engaging the main body with long-range direct fires before early warning can be sent.
(See paragraph 4-64 for a detailed discussion on execution of a moving flank guard.)
Rear Guard
4-57. The rear guard protects the rear of the main body as well as all CS and CSS elements within the main body. The company normally conducts a rear guard for the brigade during offensive operations when the main body breaks contact with the FLOT or during retrograde operations. A rear guard may be deployed behind both moving and stationary main bodies. The rear guard for a moving force displaces to successive BPs along PLs or delay lines in depth as the main body moves.
During retrograde operations, the rear guard normally deploys its elements across the entire sector behind the main body’s forward maneuver units. (See Chapter 6 for a more detailed discussion of retrograde operations.)
STATIONARY GUARD
4-58. As noted, a stationary guard mission is, at least initially, defensive in nature. The guard force normally employs OPs to accomplish all surveillance requirements of the guard mission. The company team must be prepared to conduct actions against the enemy’s main body and security elements as well as his reconnaissance forces. The following paragraphs discuss considerations for operations involving these enemy elements.
Actions Against Main Body and Security Elements
4-59. Once contact is made with an enemy main body or security force, the guard force attacks, defends, or delays in accordance with the enemy situation and the intent of the commander of the protected force. (See Chapter 6 for considerations for the defense.)
Actions Against Reconnaissance Elements
4-60. When it must execute counterreconnaissance tasks, the team will normally task organize into a surveillance element (normally occupying a screen line) and an attack element. Each element has specific responsibilities but must be prepared to work effectively with the other to ensure success of the operation.
Surveillance Element and Surveillance Sectors
4-61. The commander must assign clear responsibilities for surveillance of identified avenues of approach and designated NAIs. The surveillance element (normally scout or mechanized infantry elements) is tasked with detecting, reporting, and maintaining contact with the enemy in the assigned surveillance sector. In addition, the surveillance element is responsible for passing off the enemy force to the attack element for destruction.
Attack Element
4-62. In this role, the company team’s tank platoons (or sections) will be the primary direct fire killing assets and will remain responsive to the commander. (NOTE: Depending on the composition of the company team conducting the guard mission, BFVs may also be employed in this role, especially in a mechanized-heavy team.) The attack element occupies hide positions, BPs, or attack by fire positions along enemy avenues of approach. Once alerted by the surveillance force, it moves into position (if necessary) and destroys the approaching enemy element. The attack element is responsible for direct fire planning and EA development in support of the commander’s plan. It must also rehearse all necessary movement to the planned fighting positions and report the required movement times to the commander.
Relationship of Surveillance and Attack Elements
4-63. The company team’s surveillance element must track locations of any enemy vehicles moving through the sector while the attack element moves into position. Once the attack element is set and can observe the enemy, the surveillance element completes target handover. This operation requires continuous communication between the two subordinate elements conducting the handover as well as close control by the company team commander or XO. In close terrain, the surveillance and attack elements must be positioned much closer together than in open terrain. This helps the elements both in maintaining visual contact and in achieving target handover at the appropriate time. Figure 4-2 illustrates a company team stationary advance guard for a task force.
Figure 4-2. Example Company Team Stationary Advance Guard for a Task Force (With Infantry Squads Forward in Observation Posts)
MOVING FLANK GUARD
4-64. Many of the considerations for a moving flank screen apply to the execution of a moving flank guard. Unlike a moving flank screen, which occupies a series of OPs, the flank guard force plans to occupy a series of defensive positions. In conducting a moving flank guard for the brigade, the company team either occupies a series of temporary BPs along the protected flank or, if the protected force is moving too quickly, continues to move along the protected flank. During movement, the team maintains surveillance to the protected flank while preparing to occupy designated BPs based on enemy activity or on the movement of the protected force.
The three basic methods of controlling movement along the guarded flank are—
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Alternate bounds by unit.•
Successive bounds by unit.•
Continuous marching.NOTE: These are identical to the methods for controlling movement along a screened flank except that the company team and its platoons occupy designated defensive positions instead of OPs. (See paragraph 4-40 for the discussion of screen operations.)
4-65. The lead element of a moving flank guard must accomplish three tasks. It must maintain contact with the protected force, reconnoiter the flank guard’s route of advance, and reconnoiter the zone between the protected force and the flank guard’s advance. The rest of the flank guard marches along the route of advance and occupies BPs to the protected flank as necessary.
4-66. Figure 4-3 illustrates a company team flank guard operation during a movement to contact. One platoon is employed to provide security to the front and maintain contact with the main body; the other two platoons are oriented to the protected flank. Figure 4-3 shows the BPs that the platoons may occupy to respond to the approaching enemy force.
Figure 4-3. Example of a Company Team Guarding the Brigade Flank During Movement to Contact