DMX 10: Unexpected Turbulence
“The general who . . . never loses an opportunity of striking at an unguarded foe, will be most likely to succeed in war.”- Thucydides: History of the Peloponnesian War
Editor’s Note: This is an installment in our Decision Making Exercise (DMX) Series. Solutions should be sent to cxfile0302@gmail.com NLT 14 July for a chance at publication.
Situation
You are the battalion commander, 3d Battalion, 7th Marines.
3/7 is fighting as part of Regimental Landing Team 7 (RLT 7). The RLT is subordinate to a corps-level Joint Task Force: TF DRAGOON.
The TF has been fighting for several months against a Threat Charlie force that is occupying a small island nation. The fighting has been brutal, with neither side gaining air, space, cyber, or maritime superiority. Despite the challenges, the Joint Force is finally seizing the upper hand. The upcoming offensive operation is expected to deliver the decisive blow against the adversary.
The terrain within your Area of Operations (AO) is predominantly agricultural. Most of the vegetation is knee-to-shoulder-high brush, with swaths of dense forests and small mountains breaking up the landscape. A prominent river runs from southwest to northeast. Its waters feed a series of irrigation canals that run throughout the populated area. The river terminates in a massive swampy delta. The delta is thickly vegetated. Modern macadamized roads crisscross the area. You have one major town in your AO, nicknamed SCRAPPLE TOWN. The town is well-off, with multiple amenities, including a small health clinic, stores, restaurants, and a school. Most of the buildings are medium-clad residential structures or commercial properties tied to farming the multiple agricultural grain fields (marked in tan on your map) along RTE BILLS and RTE STEELERS. Another major boon to the local economy is the large industrial airport, nicknamed SCRAPPLE FIELD. The airport primarily services bulk shipping flights and is capable of handling even the largest transports as well as heavy equipment. A chain-link fence surrounds the field, and the complex includes a fuel farm, a large hangar, and multiple storage facilities and terminals.
Many of the locals have fled, but approximately 500 residents remain to work the land. These individuals appear determined to keep a low profile and avoid trouble; they have attempted to remain neutral, particularly in light of the adversary’s presence in the area.
A mechanized naval infantry company has occupied SCRAPPLE FIELD for about two months. The company HQ is on the field, with a co-located mech platoon reinforced on the premises. Two mechanized squads occupy two checkpoints on RTE STEELERS. Another mech platoon has been digging in a strongpoint defense on HILL 330.
The enemy company’s higher HQ is located about 100km to the north on RTE STEELERS in the next major town.
You are informed that the enemy’s security posture has been lax. SCRAPPLE FIELD is a bit of a backwater and has seen minimal use by the adversary. The checkpoints are barely dug in, with only a single layer of sandbags in place. The platoon on the airfield is typically parked in the open. Even the HILL 330 strongpoint lacks overhead cover, though fields of fire have been cleared to allow observation along RTE BILLS.
The time has come for TF DRAGOON to seize the initiative. In two days, the TF main body will attack to clear the major town 100km north of your AO in order to envelop and collapse the enemy division-sized defense in that vicinity. Once that attack commences, RLT 7 will seize a series of airfields and logistics sites to the south of the main body in order to prevent the enemy from withdrawing or reinforcing. The commander is determined to make sure this attack is a surprise, so the RLT has been strongly discouraged from jumping the gun before the main body commences its attack.
Each battalion in the RLT has an independent objective that will be attacked near simultaneously. The RLT CO has accepted risk in spreading out his forces to better achieve shock against the enemy’s poorly defended southern flank.
3/7’s mission is upon TF DRAGOON’s attack, SEIZE SCRAPPLE FIELD (RLT OBJ 2) in order to prevent enemy reinforcement or withdrawal within the AO. Be prepared to continue offensive operations to the north along RTE STEELERS. You are RLT Supporting Effort One. You are first in priority for rotary wing, second in priority for fixed wing, HIMARS, and cannon support. You have one LAAD section and one engineer platoon attached.
After a grueling infiltration focused on preserving stealth, 3/7 has finally arrived in the dark of night at the designated TAA/Hide Site south of HILL 326. The battalion has traveled almost exclusively on foot, including man-packing all heavy weapons. UTVs and experimental “dog” robots helped carry some of the load. But each company only has two ULTVs and six “dogs.”
With 48 hours until TF DRAGOON’s main body is expected to attack, you begin final tactical planning. Two of your scout teams have been in position for two days already, and they come up on the net to relay their latest observations.
Team One reports one enemy LP/OP located by a weather station on HILL 500. The post appears to be “smoking and joking,” and the soldiers are embarrassingly sloppy. Some enemy small UAS have been observed, but it looks like they are used primarily to harass the locals.
Team Two reports something off baseline: within the last eight hours, a platoon of trucks arrived at the airfield, accompanied by a large contingent of logistics personnel and what appears to be bulk fuelers.
As you ponder this development and assemble your key leaders, Team Two sends in a burst transmission to the CoC.
Team two reports a huge transport aircraft just landed at the AF. These hulking airframes are exceedingly rare in the AO, they are typically kept hidden to prevent their loss to US forces. The transport has taxied and unloaded rocket artillery, a group of soldiers, and what appears to be some kind of radar. A second massive transport is in final approach to the airfield, and at least six more of the giant planes are in the pattern, potentially more above the cloud cover!
It seems like SCRAPPLE FIELD may not be such a backwater after all. As you prepare to contact RLT HQ, you realize that the entire TF is about to go into EMCON, and the chances of anyone hearing your report will be zero to none until four hours before the attack is supposed to commence!
As you kick yourself for not asking the regimental comm-o harder questions during the RLT ROC walk, the Ops-O walks up to you, fingering his Rite-in-the-Rain wearily. He sees the look on your face and rapidly downs a bottle of “five-hour energy”. The XO puts a fresh dip in. It’s going to be a long night.
What are your orders, Blade 6?
Brief your rough cut COA with an emphasis on the enemy situation, your CONOPS, and your tasks to subordinates.
