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

TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01Foster’s patrol took nearly an hour to traverse the edge of the jungle. They’d remainedunexposed, or so they thought. What they didn’t detect were perching sensors linked with fiberoptics to Ibn Ander’s security team. By the time the patrol took up hide positions in view of thevillage it was nearly dawn. Not knowing they’d been detected, Foster made sure the entire patrolgot completely camouflaged and settled in to wait and watch.David thought about his conversation with Foster. Did he mince words on the rules ofengagement? Foster’s mention of the SEALs bothered him. The whole special operations forcecommunity had hashed that event over thousands of times. “If they’d just killed the shepherdsthey’d have lived,” the hardcore guys argued. Lord, it was never so simple.As the sun rose and the fog started to burn off Foster’s patrol saw lots of activity around thetents. Women and children tending fires and other people moving about like they were on acamping trip. Why the noncombatants? Soon the answer came. Mortar’s popped in the midst ofthe small crowd! Foster could just barely make out the tubes. The whistle and thump cameabout 45 seconds later right on the wood line! Right where the patrol had set up! Foster heardshouts and a scream. His guys were getting pummeled. All he had to do was fire the surface-toairweapons to take out the mortarmen, but the women and kids? “Dammit! Pull back!” Heshouted, no longer concerned about noise. He couldn’t bring himself to order shooting back inspite of how he’d run it through his head over and over again.“Launch a pair of Wasps,” he whispered to the team leader. “We’ll get those bastardslater!” With tears of anger Foster grabbed his wounded communications specialist and meltedinto the jungle to the patrol rally point.This story has multiple messages pertinent to the moral and ethical aspect of the humandimension. Special operations forces such as this Ranger unit frequently confront conflictsbetween their drive to accomplish the mission and the actualities of the situation. So willconventional forces. This vignette illustrates the critical need for all Soldiers to learn when topull the trigger and when to relent, often in a crisis where, as Sergeant First Class Fosterdiscovered, a leader needs to decide between Soldiers’ safety, and the mission, or using lethalforce on innocent civilians. Certainly, training and discipline are premium qualities of eliteforces such as the Rangers, but as Foster remembered the tragic fate of Navy SEAL Team 10 inAfghanistan, even the most highly trained can face daunting dilemmas.Required CapabilitiesWith the extensive knowledge and experience of Army forces developed in operations sincethe OEF, new lessons learned and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) are emerging thatwill impact joint and Army doctrine concerning Soldier and leaders character development andthe moral component of the human dimension.79