Decision Making Exercise 01: Turndown Service
" . . . two o'clock in the morning courage."- Napoleon
Editor’s Note: This is the first installment in our Decision Making Exercise (DMX) Series. Going forward, we will publish a DMX on the first of every month. Solutions should be sent to cxfile0302@gmail.com NLT 21 February for a chance at publication. We will highlight our favorite solution(s) in the following Saved Rounds. For others, we will publish them in Notes for you all to debate!
You are the Squad Leader: 3d Squad, 1st Platoon, India, 3/7.
You are conducting a night recon patrol in heavily wooded terrain. Illum is 15%, vegetation is thick and humidity is high from recent rains. Your platoon patrol base (PB) is 3km to the south, off map. They are co-located with the company 60s in a mortar firing position (MFP).
Your platoon is conducting patrol base operations in support of battalion offensive operations. We have been searching for a suspected enemy company (threat Charlie marine infantry: these are conventional forces of a peer adversary/rival power in the region) 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, the 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.
Tonight’s mission is to recon Hill 92 in order to identify suspected enemy battle positions. Your platoon commander makes it clear that you are to only fight in self-defense. You are expected back before 0600 but mission has priority.
It looks like tonight will be another bust as you splash across a creek and approach hill 92. Suddenly there is some thrashing in the bush. You move up to 1st Team and realize they have stumbled on an enemy listening post/observation post (LP/OP)! 1st Team literally walked into the LP/OP and fortunately your point man and his buddy were quick with their Ka-bars: both enemy soldiers were dispatched with minimal noise. You recover a small radio and two bullpup style rifles. The LP/OP was equipped with camo-ghillie blankets and it looks like they were building a hide sight.
You radio in the contact to your platoon but haven’t received acknowledgment yet. You continue the patrol with 1st Team. A deer path seems to lead from the LP/OP over Hill 92 and into a small valley. You decide to check out the valley before hooking back home.
The vegetation closes in and you stumble forward before coming into a small clearing. The hair on the back of your neck stands up. You realize that two teams of enemy soldiers are on either side of 1st Team! They are in sleeping bags and you can hear snoring. Directly ahead, two figures appear to be hunched under a poncho. You catch the glint of red light and can hear them talking. You see a long radio antenna extending from the poncho. A lone enemy soldier emerges from the poncho and folds up a map as he peers into the dark. 1st Team has instinctually gotten down and is looking to you for direction.
What now, Sergeant?
In a time limit of 3 minutes, issue your order to your squad including any actions you are immediately taking.
Include an overlay of your plan and any reports you are making to higher.
You have 1x PRC 152 on you. 1x PRC 119F with Team 2. Team 2 also has 1xM240. The remainder of your teams are equipped with the standard loadout of M27s and M320s. Your APL is a solid corporal who is back with 3d Team. It is currently 0230. 3.5 Hours to sunrise.
