TACTICAL USES OF PLANNED INDIRECT FIRE

C-7. Fires are used for many different tactical reasons. They include:

• Preparatory fire, delivered before an attack to weaken the enemy position (Refer to ADRP 3-90 for more information.)
• Supporting fires (covering fires). Supporting fires enable the friendly maneuver element to move by destroying, neutralizing, or suppressing enemy fires, positions, and observers.
• Final protective fires are an immediately available prearranged barrier of fire designed to impede enemy movement across defensive lines or areas.
• Suppression.
• Obscuration.
• Counterfire (indirect fires only). Counterfire is fire to destroy or neutralize enemy artillery/mortars.
• These missions normally are controlled at higher level headquarters.
• Direct support artillery moves with supported units and aviation may be used to destroy enemy direct and indirect fire support means, essential enemy units and facilities.
• Counterfire radars are positioned to maintain radar coverage to ensure continuous coverage during rapid movement forward.
• Harassing fire is observed or predicted (unobserved) fire intended to disrupt enemy troop and vehicle movement, disturb their rest, and lower their morale.
• Illumination.

ECHELONMENT OF INDIRECT FIRE

C-8. Echelonment of fires is the schedule of fire ranging from the highest caliber munitions to the lowest caliber munitions. The purpose of echeloning fires is to maintain constant fires on the enemy while using the optimum delivery system. Leaders use risk estimate distance, surface danger zones , and MSD to manage associated risks. In the defense, triggers are tied to the progress of the enemy as it moves through the area of operation , enabling the leader to engage the enemy throughout the depth of the area of operation. In the offense triggers are tied to the progress of the maneuver element as it moves toward the objective protecting the force and facilitating momentum up to the objective.

Defensive Echelonment

C-9. In defensive missions, echeloning fires are scheduled based on their optimum ranges to maintain continuous fires on the enemy, disrupting his formation and maneuver. Echelonment of fires in the defense places the enemy under increasing volumes of fire as he approaches a defensive position. Aircraft and long-range indirect fire rockets and artillery deliver deep supporting fires. Close supporting fires such as final protective fires are integrated closely with direct fire weapons such as Infantry weapons, tank support, and antiarmor weapons systems. Figure C-1 illustrates an example of defensive echelonment.

Offensive Echelonment

C-10. In the offense, weapons are scheduled based on the point of a predetermined safe distance away from maneuvering friendly troops. When scheduled, fires provide protection for friendly forces as they move to and assault an objective. They also allow friendly forces to get in close with minimal casualties and prevent the defending enemy from observing and engaging the assault by forcing him to take cover. The overall objective of offensive scheduled fires is to allow the friendly force to continue the advance unimpeded. (See Figure C-2.)

C-11. As an example of echelonment of fires use during the conduct of a mission, consider an operation in which a platoon assaults an enemy position. (See figures C-3 through C-6.) As the lead elements of the unit approach the designated phase line enroute to the objective, the leader orders the fire support officer to begin the preparation. Observers track friendly movement rates and confirm them. Other fire support officers in the chain of command may need to adjust the plan during execution based on unforeseen changes to anticipated friendly movement rates.

C-12. As the unit continues its movement toward the objective, the first weapon system engages its targets. It maintains fires on the targets until the unit crosses the next phase line corresponding to the risk estimate distance of the weapon system being fired.

C-13. To maintain constant fires on the targets, the next weapon system begins firing before the previous weapon system ceases or shifts. This ensures no break in fires, enabling the friendly forces’ approach to continue unimpeded. However, if the unit rate of march changes, the indirect fire support system must remain flexible to the changes.

C-14. The fire support officer shifts and engages with each delivery system at the prescribed triggers, initiating the fires from the system with the largest risk estimate distance to the smallest. Once the maneuver element reaches the final phase line, the fire support officer ceases the final indirect fire system or shifts to targets beyond the objective to cease all fires on the objective. Direct fire assets in the form of supporting fires also are maintained until the final assault, then ceased or shifted to targets beyond the objective.

The following video features a Soldier who explains how he performs his job firing 60mm mortar rounds.