AHOY,

MCG April 2011, Ideas and issues (C2) The Ground Commander and the COC

By 1^st Lt. Adam J. Franco

Marines have fought for generations utilizing ?brilliance in the basics.? Fire and maneuver combined with commander?s intent allow Marines to close with and destroy the enemy utilizing speed, intensity, and violence of action.

Reporting became a Units critical vulnerability or center of gravity.

He (Newjarheaddean; i.e. the commander) understands the basics of ?you, this is me? reporting. ?Pretend you are on a radio and pass me your size, activity, location, unit, time, equipment (SALUTE) report [which is now a size, enemy activity, location, time, friendly activity (SALTA) report in-country] or a call for fire.? (Newjarheaddean; here imo we could just use the first A i.e., Activity enemy and then friendly. Because you?re going back and forth with the L and T when you get to the second A anyways.)

Within the first initial minutes of contact the unit leader or radio operator needs to call with a position report (Newjarheaddean; here is a good example of what I have said before about the officers being trained in traditional combat tactics but not the enlisted. The officer here is using my Tri-F Conduit of Engagements rule number one, Flash report.) and an estimated direction and distance to the enemy. This initial call to the COC (combat operations center) alerts the COC that a unit is in contact and starts their battle drill, which should include pulling in key leaders from the fire support team (FiST) and other agencies to support the element.

SALTA Report;

AHOY,

Finally some useful info in my Gazette. Two back to back articles like an Al-queeeedah attack. But as usual its full of disinformation too. I have edited a lot and used parenthesis and my call sign to indicate my commits.

Tactical Reporting Update; by 2^nd Lt. Francis Anello

Scout/Sniper Platoon Commander Course (SSPCC) held at Weapons and Training Battalion at Quantico Va.

A scout/sniper team observing a named area of interest or as a command and control element (i.e., a surveillance and reconnaissance center (SARC)

high-value individuals (HVIs) in order to trigger a subsequent company-sized raid. (Newjarheaddean; would that be like a QRF)

Secondary mission (Newjarheaddean of the Scout sniper) of intelligence gathering. Maintaining reliable communications and providing accurate reporting thus become the essential tasks.

Though we experienced and worked through typical communications challenges, the poor quality and limited tactical utility of reporting plagued our effort. Typically, a less than optimum reporting sequence sounded something like this: Team 1: ?I have a guy in a mandress entering the field.? SARC: ?Roger. Interrogative—what does he look like? Old or young? Clothing description? Is he carrying a weapon? Does he match the HVI description??

Team 1: ?Break, break, break. (Newjarheaddean; please, go, go, go is this really nessisary with today brust communications and last message repeat etc. etc.) He just hopped into a red truck and drove off north.? SARC: ?Roger. What kind of red? Did the registration match anything on the BOLO (be on the lookout) list??

The ubiquitous size, activity, location, unit, time, equipment (SALUTE) report is our common standard. However, the SALUTE report is better suited to the conventional battlefield with unit-sized enemies (e.g., squads, platoons, companies, etc.) than the counterinsurgency (COIN) environment where reporting on individuals and civilian vehicles is a daily occurrence. The SALUTE report is just what the teams defaulted to when reporting on individuals and vehicles, and it failed them—and ultimately nearly cost us mission success. (Newjarheaddean; most of the vets of today I posted with acted as if they had never heard of SALUTE, is this more of the officers trained in traditional tactics while the enlisted die unprepared. And imo no reason to through out the old just modify. Recall I?ve added I.R.W. i.e. ISALUTERW).

A major factor in both the improvement and a potential answer to my second question came as the result of a very fortuitous exchange of personnel between two Marine Corps—ours and the British. For nearly the past 20 years, the two Marine Corps have exchanged snipers and instructors. While either Marine Corps? sniper brings with him an impressive marksmanship and concealment skill set to share, the Royal Marine sniper brings an immense institutional COIN experience. What many Americans may forget is that the Royal Marines have been engaged in

COIN operations almost continuously since the end of World War II, from Malaysia to Northern Ireland.

It is from the latter ?troubles? in Northern Ireland that the Royal Marines developed two reporting formats that potentially address the deficiencies of the SALUTE report in the COIN environment: the A to H report (individual/

HVI report) and the SCRIM report (vehicle report). Using these two formats and coaching from the Royal Marine colour sergeant on loan to the staff of Scout/Sniper School, scout/ sniper teams vastly increased the accuracy and usability of their reporting back to the SARC. An explanation of the reporting formats follows.

A to H Report (Individual/HVI Report)

Age: How old does the individual look? Give a range, for example 16 to

20 years old.

Build: How is the individual built? For example, bulky, fat, skinny, etc.

Clothing: What is the individual wearing? For example, a white dishdasha, a red headscarf, and black sunglasses.

Distinguishing marks: Are there any unusual or identifying marks that make the individual stand out? For example, missing half of an index finger on the left hand.

Elevation (read: height): How tall is the individual? For example, appears to be between 70 inches and 72 inches tall.

Facial features: Are there any unusual or identifying marks on the face? For example, scars, an odd nose, eye color, a beard, a pierced ear, etc.

Gait: What is the manner of the