Decision Making Exercise 02: Bumps in the Night
"Darkness is a friend to the skilled infantryman."- B.H Liddell Hart
Editor’s Note: This is an installment in our Decision Making Exercise (DMX) Series. We publish a DMX on the first of every month. Solutions should be sent to cxfile0302@gmail.com NLT 21 March for a chance at publication. We will highlight our favorite solution(s) in upcoming Saved Rounds. For others, we will publish them in Substack Notes for you all to debate! This scenario builds off of DMX 1.
You are the platoon commander: 2d Platoon, India, 3/7.
It is 0245. Illum remains 15%, vegetation and humidity are stifling. You have just gotten back into the platoon patrol base with 1st squad after a no joy recon patrol that covered 2.5 kilometers to the North. The platoon has gone to 50% security and you have three LP/OPs out. You have 2x M240s.
India company is conducting patrol base operations in support of battalion offensive operations. 1st Platoon’s patrol base is 2 km west of yours, 3d’s is about 3 km east. The company CO has been rotating along the “line” and spent the last 2 days with your platoon and has since shifted to 3d platoon’s position. Company Mortars are at an MFP co-located with 1st Platoon’s PB.
We have been searching for a suspected enemy company (threat Charlie marine infantry) that has been operating in the area. They are expected to be digging in to defend heavily camouflaged cache sites. In a week’s worth of patrols, battalion has had a few brief meeting engagements with team to squad sized enemy. But we can’t seem to pin them down before they withdraw.
3/7’s mission is to destroy the enemy company in the battalion Area of Operations (AO) IOT prevent the adversary from gaining a foothold for the introduction of follow on forces.
India Company’s mission is to recon north to the company limit of advance (3 km from your PB) in order to identify suspected enemy battle positions for follow on offensive operations. 1st Platoon is the main effort.
2d Platoon’s mission is to recon within the platoon sector to the LOA IOT identify suspected enemy battle positions for follow on offensive operations.
As you gratefully receive a jet boil cup of ramen from your platoon sergeant before the patrol debrief, a garbled report comes in over company TAC 1 on the platoon radio. It sounds like some kind of contact report from 1st Platoon? As you ask the radio operator if he heard the transmission, a whine and crack fills the air. The noise is followed instantly by a shockwave. Some kind of mortar round has impacted 50m West of your position.
You pass the signal for stand to as two more rounds hit, this time close enough to shake your fillings and send frag hissing through the forest canopy. None of your Marines are reporting any sign of enemy observers or UAS but the LP/OP just North of your position hasn’t responded.
As you hear the faint whistle of another incoming salvo, it begins to downpour. 3.25 hours to sunrise.
What now, Lieutenant?
In a time limit of 5 minutes, issue your order to the platoon.
Include an overlay of your plan and any reports you are making to higher.
