The infantry may also conduct the defense to achieve one or more of the following purposes:
- Gain time
- Retain key terrain
- Support other operations
- Preoccupy the enemy in one area while friendly forces attack him in another
- Erode enemy forces at a rapid rate while reinforcing friendly operations
What is the purpose of defense?
The immediate purpose of a defensive operation is to defeat an enemy attack and gain the initiative for offensive operations
What are the 3 types of defensive operations?
- Area defense
- Mobile defense
- Retrograde defense
What are the characteristics of the defense?
- Preparation
- Security
- Disruption
- Massing effects
- Flexibility
What is the defensive sequence ?
- Recon and security operations and enemy preparatory fires
- security force
- guides - Occupation and preparation
- Approach of main attack
- Enemy assault
- Counter attack
- Consolidation and reorganization
What are planning considerations for movement and manuever when doing defensive operations?
Movement and manuever
- Depth and dispersion
- Flank positions
- Displacement planning
- Direct fire suppression
- Cover and concealment
- Indirect fires and smoke
In defensive operations what are Obstacle integration considerations?
- Obstacle integration
- Mobility
- Counter mobility
- tactical obstacles- protective obstacles
- supplementary obstacles
What are planning considerations for protection and sustainment?
Protection
- air defense
- survivability
Sustainment
- pre positioning and caches
- positioning of company trains
What are the defensive techniques?
- Defend in sector
- Defend from a battle position
- Defend a strongpoint
- Defend a perimeter
- Defend in a linear defense
- Defend in a non linear defense
- Defend on a reverse slope
What is the defend in sector technique?
- Consists of phase line sectors, a series of mutually supporting BP on armor restrictive terrain
- Positions are arrayed in depth
- Strength of defense is flexibility
- Orients on enemy not retaining terrain
- Effective as it allows enemy to expose his flanks and assets
Define characteristics for defend a sector:
Consists of phase line sectors, a series mutually supporting BPs on armor restrictive terrain
Positions are arrayed in depth
Strength of defense is flexibility
Orients on enemy not retaining terrain
Defend from a battle position characteristics:
Primary, alternate, supplementary, and subsequent
More linear and centralized
Achieves surprise and allow maneuver
Effective in concentrating combat power into engagement area
Defend a strong point characteristic:
Holds key terrain
Provides a pivot point
Blocks an avenue of approach
Canalizes the enemy
Defend a perimeter:
Platoon prepared a perimeter defense when there are no friendly units adjacent to it
Disperse the plt in a circular configuration for all around security
Defend in a non linear defense:
Enemy oriented
Depends on suprise, offensive action
Used when commanders find it hard to select one decisive point on which to focus combat power
Reverse slope defense:
Units deployed on terrain that is masked from enemy direct fires
Key to this defense is control of the crest of the hill with direct fires
Engagement area:
Where the commander intends to contain and destroy an enemy force using the masses fires of all available weapons
What are priorities of work?
Establish security Position key weapons Clear fields of fire and prepare range cards Prepare fighting positions Employ obstacles Prepare alternate positions Stockpile ammo, water, and food
