TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01 - TRADOC - U.S. Army

TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01undergone a grueling four week rotation in the hottest time of the year. The OPFOR used someof the most unconventional and unpredictable means to stymie Joe’s battalion’s efforts to executea forcible entry operation. Fortunately, brigade chose Joe’s battalion to execute mountedvertical maneuver to insert the fighting companies in multiple landing areas where the enemywas not located.Flying in the huge Condors, the Army’s newest tilt rotor aircraft, had been an incredibleexperience for B Company. Each crew remained with their vehicle tied in digitally with the restof the company and battalion and able to change plans rapidly using the joint en route missionplanning and rehearsal system. In spite of the OPFOR’s clever use of cell phones, globalpositioning system jamming, and computer network attacks, Joe’s entire company made it in toObjective Area Aerie in just over two hours undetected and unopposed. Joe appreciated the rolethe unmanned aerial systems that scanned the proposed landing area played in their success. Hemarveled at the fact that there had not been a single voice transmission during the entireinsertion. As he oversaw his company unloading their rucks and duffles in the motorpool his cellrang. It was Lieutenant Colonel Rick Stacy, his battalion commander and the screen flashedsecure!“Joe, this is Secret, are you clear?”“Yes sir.”“Saddle your company up now, 8 days load. This is the real deal, REDCON 1. We’re wheelsup in 10 hours. I’ll fill you in on the details when you fire up your system. Alert the companyfirst, and then check in.”REDCON 1? Joe tingled. They were going into combat! Thank God they’d used pre-stockedequipment at the training center. They would need to draw their basic load and some otherprovisions, but everything else was already loaded.“Frank!” he shouted to First Lieutenant Hubbard, his XO. “REDCON 1! Wheels up in 10hours, make that 2300, 9 plus hours. Battle drill 15, Frank. Get the leaders on their systemsnow. Standard combat load. I know we just got back—communication blackout other thanLandWarNet 182B Company swung into instant action as Soldiers and NCOs received the word. Mama wason everyone’s minds, but this was the real deal. This whole division hadn’t been in combat since2009. Everyone knew there was something going on down in Sumatra—one of their designatedareas of interest. The whole training rotation was modeled on that operation. It looked like oldIbn Ander must have acted up. Maybe they’d get a chance to say goodbye to their families andgirlfriends before they flew.No longer the butter bar, newly promoted First Lieutenant Brian Wilson thought he was aseasoned platoon leader, but he’d eaten enough humble pie in his short year as a secondlieutenant to know he had lots to learn. Tignor’s alert gave him an involuntary thrill, a sense of178