MVT Forum: Planning Exercise #2: Observation Post / Reconnaissance Patrol
Observation Post / Reconnaissance Patrol: Objective Titan
The purpose of this planning exercise is for you to conduct patrol planning for an Observation Post (OP)/recce patrol against an enemy location. You can either complete this exercise privately or post your solution on the forum. The information contained below should consist of enough of an ‘aide memoire’ for you to complete this exercise.
If you are going to conduct surveillance/reconnaissance you have to develop your skills and train for it. It is a detailed process of planning and preparation in order to allow you to gather the required information without compromise.
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The following scenario takes place after a societal collapse, due to a cyber attack on the power grid, and during the ensuing civil war:
SCENARIO:
Following the failed assault on Washington D.C. by Southern Federation Forces, the Shenandoah Freefor Resistance Company has evacuated the city, splitting down into squad sized elements, escaping and evading west into the mountains of Appalachia. You and other elements from your Resistance Company, have found yourself in the Romney area, Hampshire County, WV.
You the squad leader of an 8 man squad of Freefor Rangers, detached from the Shenandoah Freefor Resistance Company following your exfil from D.C. You escaped from D.C. with another squad sized element of 12 fighters. On reaching Romney both squads were taken in by members of the local Resistance movement, allowed to rest and recuperate in separate safe houses. The commander of the Romney Citizens Defense Force had asked if you will volunteer to conduct operations against an enemy group in the hills to the west of the town. Agreeing to this, your squad have established a small squad patrol base in the hills at location 39°19’24.07″N 78°50’55.09″W. You intent is to conduct further operations from the patrol base in order to find, fix and strike enemy forces in the area of operations. The other squad, whose squad leader has seniority to you, is operating independently in a separate area of operations to your south, with the same intent.
Local intelligence from the Romney Region Freefor intelligence network has indicated that enemy elements have been infiltrating the surrounding area. The enemy consists of small groups up to squad size (~8 -12), sometimes platoon size (~20),who are conducting terror and reprisal operations against small rural communities and isolated farmsteads. It is believed that these group are made up primarily of members of the criminal gang NT14, which pre-collapse was endemic in the Northern Virginia area. The NT14 is a violent organized crime gang, whose members often have prior military experience and/or a violent gang background. Intel indicates that these gangs are sponsored by the Regime as irregular forces, conducting terror and cleansing operations. Their incursions into rural areas are conducted as softening operations, followed by occupation by ‘blue shirt’ Regime internal security forces, known as Homeland Intervention Tactical Teams (HITT). There is believed to be at least one enemy group, of approximately 14 – 18 members, operating in the Romney area.
The Romney area suffered an approximately 50% die off rate after the collapse. In general terms the area was a mix of hard working manual laborers and farmers, and the rest being lazy welfare recipients. Employment was low in Hampshire County and pre-collapse much business was conducted by barter and exchange or services. The effect of the collapse was to cause the welfare recipients to become desperate, and attempt to prey on others. This resulted in large part in the die off of the welfare recipients. The remaining folks in the county are hard working people in touch with the land, many isolated in their farms and homes in the woods and hills around Romney. Romney itself has become a Resistance hub for the local Citizens Defense Force, and also hosts farmers markets and social meets. This situation has been disturbed by the recent infiltration of NT14 elements, bringing extreme violence and homestead raids and burning with them. The NT14 group is not currently strong enough to make inroads into the town itself, instead preying on isolated homesteads in the surrounding countryside in an attempt to destabilize the area.
This morning, you collected this WARNO from a dead drop in proximity to your patrol base, left there by an agent of the local Resistance network. The WARNO is written by the leader of Charlie Squad, who is your commander. You will take a fire team of 4 men with you on this mission, leaving the rest of the squad to secure the Patrol Base.
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Find the rest of the task, and complete it in private or post your solution, on the MVT Forum: Forums Tactics & Leadership Tactical Planning Exercises