FUNDAMENTAL OF DEFENSE

Reference FMs 7-10, 101-5-1

A. PURPOSE OF THE DEFENSE

• Defeat an Enemy Attack• Buy/Gain Time• Hold/Retain a Piece of Key Terrain• Concentrate Force Elsewhere• Erode Enemy Resources• Retain Tactical Objectives/Gain Sufficient

Strength to Attack

B. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DEFENSE

• Preparation• Security• Disruption• Mass and Concentration• Flexibility

PREPARATION

• Detailed Planning• Reconnaissance• Positioning Forces in Depth• Improving the Terrain• Wargaming• Organizing and Rehearsing

SECURITY

• ACTIVE MEASURES– Observation Posts and Patrols– Stand-to

• PASSIVE MEASURES– Camouflage– Movement Control– Light/Radio Discipline

• COUNTER RECON– Deception/Destruction of En Recon

DISRUPTION

• DEFENDERS DISRUPT– Tempo– Synchronization

• HOW?– Defeating or misleading en recon– Separating enemy resources– Isolating enemy units– Breaking up his formation– Interrupting en FS, CSS and C3

MASS AND CONCENTRATION

• MASS EFFECTS AT DECISIVE POINT– Economize and take risks in some areas– Synchronize fires at decisive place and time– Retain and reconstitute reserve

• TO REDUCE RISKS, COMMANDERS– Employ security forces– Emplace obstacles– Cover gaps/unprotected areas with FA fires,

CAS and IEW

FLEXIBILITY

• FLEXIBILITY STEMS FROM– Detailed planning– Organizing in depth– Maintaining a decisive reserve

• IMPORTANT!!!!!!– Reserve must be used at a critical time and

place!!!!!!

C. DEFENSIVE PATTERNS• MOBILE- The mobile defense is a type of

defensive operation that concentrates on the destruction or defeat of the enemy through a decisive attack or by a striking force– Oriented on the destruction of the enemy– Force must have mobility equal or greater than

enemy– Small forces are deployed forward use maneuver

supported by fires and obstacles– Has a large reserve that will conduct decisive

CATK

• AREA- The area defense is a type of defensive operation that concentrates on denying enemy forces access to designated terrain for a specific time rather than destroying the enemy outright– Conducted to deny enemy access to

designated terrain for specified time– Forces occupy defensive positions in static

framework– Has small reserve to conduct CATK on enemy

penetrating between defensive positions

D. DEFENSIVE TECHNIQUES

• Perimeter Defense• Defense in Sector• Defense from a Battle Position• Defense From a Strongpoint• Defense on a Reserve Slope• Linear Defense• Non-Linear Defense

PERIMETER DEFENSE

• A defense without an exposed flank, consisting of forces deployed along the perimeter of the defended area

DEFENSE IN SECTOR

• A technique that requires a defending unit to prevent enemy forces form passing beyond the rear boundary of the sector while retaining flank security and ensuring integrity of effort within the parent unit’s scheme of maneuver, initial positions generally are established as far forward as possible, but a commander may use any technique to accomplish the mission. The higher commander will normally assign a no-penetration criteria.

DEFENSE FROM A BATTLE POSITON

• A technique that places a unit in a Battle Position (BP) to concentrate its fires, to limit its maneuver, or to place it in an advantageous position to counterattack. The BP is a general location on the ground. The commander may position security forces forward of and about the BP. He can also locate combat support and combat service support elements outside the BP. The commander can maneuver his forces freely within the BP and seize the initiative to maneuver outside of the BP to attack enemy forces provided that it does not interfere with the commander’s concept

Defense from mutually supporting platoon battle positions.

Multiple engagement areas

DEFENSE FROM A STRONGPOINT

• A form of defend a battle position that requires more engineering work and may be required to be held at all costs. It denies key terrain to the enemy and forces his movement in a different direction

Company strongpoint

DEFENSE ON A REVERSE SLOPE

• An alternative to defending on the forward slope of a hill or a ridge is to defend on a reverse slope. In such a defense, the company is deployed on terrain that is masked by the crest of a hill from enemy direct fire and ground observation. Although some units and weapons may be positioned on the forward slope, the crest or the counterslope (a forward slope of a hill to the rear of a reverse slope), most of them are on the reverse slope. The key to this defense is control of the crest by fire

Company defense on a reverse slope

LINEAR DEFENSE• This technique allows interlocking and

overlapping observation and fields of fire across the company’s front. The bulk of the company’s combat power is well forward. Sufficient resources must be available to provide adequate combat power across the sector to detect and stop an attack. The company relies on fighting from well-prepared mutually supporting positions. It uses a high volume of direct and indirect fires to stop the attacker. The reserve is usually small, perhaps a squad.

Linear Defense

NON-LINEAR DEFENSE• The nonlinear defense is the most decentralized

and dynamic defense conducted by an infantry company. It is frequently used when operating against an enemy force that has equal or greater firepower and mobility capabilities. This type of defense is almost exclusively enemy oriented and is not well suited for retaining terrain. This defense depends on surprise, offensive action, and the initiative of small unit leaders to be successful. It is a very fluid defense with little static positioning involved.

Non-linear Defense

E. DEFENSIVE FRAMEWORK

• DEEP OPERATIONS• RECON AND SECURITY OPERATIONS• CLOSE OPERATIONS• RESERVE OPERATIONS• DEEP OPERATIONS

DEEP OPERATIONS

• In the form of FA, CAS, IEW and Spl Ops• Disrupts enemy movement in depth• Destroy high pay-off tgs vital to attacker• Interrupt or deny vital enemy optng

systems such as C2, log and AD• Performed by Bde and higher units

RECON AND SCTY OPERATIONS

• Consists of rear or flank security and recon tasks• Recon units may

– Observe and report– Engage with indirect fire– Engage with direct fire on a limited scale

• Security units may– Support preparation of defense– Early in the attack, to disrupt enemy attack/identify his

main effort– In the MBA, to support the Comdr’s concept for

conducting defense

CLOSE OPERATIONS

• Actual defensive operation within the MBA• Activities of ME and SE in the def areas to slow,

canalize and defeat enemy’s major units• Main effort is designated, effects and combat

power is synchronized to support it, then shifts if to concentrate and mass effects against other threats.

• Scty elements and reserve supports the ME

RESERVE OPERATIONS• Reserve conducts opn throughout the defense

and may require continual regeneration• It gives Comdr means to seize the initiative and

preserve flexibility• Reserve operates best when employed to

reinforce and expedite victory rather than prevent defeat

• Most common tasks are as follows:– Block penetration– Secure flanks and rear– Support fwd pltn by fire– Counterattack

REAR OPERATIONS

• Rear opns protects the force and sustain combat operations

• Prevents disruption of C2, fire spt, log spt and movement of reserves

• Destroying enemy deep battle forces achieve this goal

F. DEFENSIVE PLANNING

• SEQUENCE OF THE CONDUCT OF DEFENSIVE OPERATIONS– Prepare for Combat– Move to Defensive Position– Establish Defensive Position– Locate the Enemy– Action on Enemy Contact– Fight the Defense– Consolidate and Reorganize

POSITIONING CONSIDERATIONS

• PRIMARY- A place for a weapon, a unit or an individual to fight that provides the best means to accomplish the assigned mission

• ALTERNATE - The position given to a weapon, unit or individual to be occupied when the primary position becomes untenable or unsuitable for carrying out its task. The alternate position is located so that the individual can continue to fulfill his original task.

• SUPPLEMENTARY-That location which provides the best sectors of fire and defensive terrain along an avenue of approach other than the primary avenue the enemy is expected to attack along, for example, a flank avenue of approach.

G. DEFENSIVE TASKS• SCREEN-RECON, SECURITY, SCREENING UNITS• GUARD- RECON AND SECURITY UNITS• COVER- COVERING FORCE USUALLY DIV SIZE• INTERDICT- FA, CAS• DELAY- SE, COVERING FORCE• DESTROY- ME, SE• NEUTRALIZE- ME, SE• ATTRITE- SE, COVERING FORCE• BLOCK- ME, SE• RETAIN- ME

RECAPITULATION

• PURPOSE• CHARACTERISTICS• DEFENSIVE PATTERNS• DEFENSIVE TECHNIQUES• DEFENSIVE FRAMEWORKS• DEFENSIVE PLANNING• DEFENSIVE TASKS