Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim
Tactical Tuesday is the podcast where we discuss in detail the application of a broad spectrum of actual military (and in some cases law enforcement) tactics to Military Simulation (MILSIM) operations. Our goal is to assist players in formulating more efficient tactics, techniques and procedures that will make them more effective on the MILSIM battlefield.
Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim
Tactical Tuesday Bonus Episode Four - U.S. Army Doctrine: Deep Diving into Operations on the MILSIM Battlefield
In this bonus episode of Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim, we discuss Army Doctrine including TTPS and the interplay between Tactics, Operations and Strategy as they pertain to the MILSIM battlefield. Specifically, we discuss:
- Creation, Formation and Utilization of TTPs (1:25)
- Tactics (4:34)
- Techniques (5:38)
- Procedures (7:24)
- US Army Doctrine (10:01)
- Strategic Level of War (13:26)
- Operational Level of War (13:55)
- Tactical Level of War (14:38)
- Interplay of Strategic, Operational an Tactical Level of War (15:33)
- and more.
A new episode of Tactical Tuesdays is uploaded on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.
SHOW LINKS/RESOURCES
To learn more about Craig White click HERE.
To find “From Alpha to Omega, A Milsim Tactical Primer and Training Manual” : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FZ57B23/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
To find “From Insertion to Extraction: Advanced MILSIM CQB Tactics, Techniques and Procedures” : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07THX1CFT/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModernMilsim
If you have a topic you would like to see in an episode of Tactical Tuesdays, please suggest it in the comments of the post containing the posted episode. We do read them.
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YouTube Instructional Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUXI_GBdPeDuIoq_KJeCgWg
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If you like what you hear on this episode, please subscribe and provide us with a review and a rating. You can subscribe to Tactical Tuesday on ITunes, Stitcher, Spotify and YouTube. You can also find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ModernMilsim. If you like this episode, you can find others Here.
You can also find “From Alpha to Omega, A Milsim Tactical Primer and Training Manual” and “From Insertion to Extraction: Advanced MILSIM CQB Tactics, Techniques and Procedures” at Amazon.com.
TACTICAL TUESDAY WITH MODERN MILSIM – BONUS EPISODE 4 TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to another episode of Tactical Tuesday with Modern MILSIM. Through this podcast, we will bring you real world tactics, techniques and procedures that will enable you to succeed on the MILSIM battlefield. It's time to make ready.
Hello and welcome to Bonus Episode four of Tactical Tuesday with Modern MILSIM. I am your host, Craig White. As always, thank you for being here. Now, today we're going to do something a little different than discuss just tactics. Instead, we're going to move our focus to discussing not only tactics but also operations and strategy and how they work together on the MILSIM battlefield. Over the last few weeks, I've gotten several private messages on Facebook asking about the difference between tactics, techniques and procedures as well as the interplay between tactics, operations and strategy. How do they work together and their effect on the Milsom battlefield? In the hope that I can shed some light on the subject. Here comes the knowledge transfer dump.
So let's get to it.
So first, let's talk about tactics, techniques and procedures or TTPs for short. Tactics, techniques and procedures Or TTPs, as a whole, are generally accepted practices used to conduct military operations. When I say generally accepted, that means the described TTPs are applicable to most operations most of the time and are generally accepted as effective. TTPs are used to gain advantage over the enemy through psychology, position and/or timing. Each TTP must be vetted for effectiveness in force-on-force testing according to the following principles.
The first principle is psychology. Does the TTP adversely affect the enemy's ability to attack or counterattack, including surprise, fear, etc.? For example, does the TTP assist the individual player, tactical team or unit to create or maintain initiative? Does the TTP render the enemy less effective because of shock from the violence of action brought against him? Does the TTP render the enemy less effective because he is pinned or because of shock for the violence of action brought against him? Does the TTP diminish the enemy's situational awareness, etc., etc.?
The next principle is position. Does the TTP tend to place team members in a more advantageous position in relation to the enemy, including better cover, better firing, position, flanking and things of that nature? Does the TTP create a better defensive position that will result in the loss of morale when the enemy takes heavy casualties? Does the TTP provide a gross tactical overmatch by your own forces against the enemy, things of that nature?
And then finally, the last principle is timing. Does the TTP effect an advantage in time in over the enemy, including the ability to put effective, aimed fire on the enemy while denying or delaying the enemy from doing the same to us? Think of an ambush or flanking the enemy.
Each TTP needs to incorporate as many of these principles as possible while maintaining simplicity of action to maximize its effectiveness.
Now, the most important thing is to remember that the mission drives the development of TTPs. TTPs must be developed with an eye to accomplishing a particular mission. If the TTP takes into account factors that do not accomplish the mission for what they are designed, dispose of them. Similarly, research and use of TTPs in the field have shown that TTPs that are compliant with human behavior are typically more effective than those that are not. This is especially true in CQB environments where the human instincts such as reacting away from a sudden threat will have an impact on each TTP.
And a lot of people get TTPs confused with standard operating procedures or SOPs. SOPs are actually a subset of the procedures part of tactics, techniques and procedures. We'll get to that subject later in this episode.
So let's talk about tactics first. The Army defines tactics as the employment and ordered arrangement of forces in relation to each other. To me, this is not a very helpful definition. I like this one instead. Tactics are defined as the practical means of employing small units in combat to achieve battlefield objectives. Tactics are typically comprised of techniques and procedures layered together to achieve a particular result. An example of a tactic is the manner in which a squad assaults and seizes an objective or building. This is sometimes referred to as small unit tactics or SUT for short.
Tactics are also sometimes defined as the art of selecting the right combination of techniques to decisively prevail in a particular time, place or situation. By necessity, tactics are entirely outward focused. Every situation and every enemy is different. As such, your tactics will have to be re-evaluated or changed constantly.
So that brings us to techniques. Techniques are the general and detailed methods used by troops or their commanders to perform their mission and function. It is the overall manner in which troops and their commanders perform a specific task. An example of a technique is the manner in which an entry team member performs the function of point man during room clearing operations or how to diminish sectors or pie a corner. Unlike procedures, techniques are more fluid in their application. Techniques are also sometimes defined as non-prescriptive way or methods to perform missions, functions or tasks. They are the primary means of conveying lessons learned to troops so that they can more easily employ them in the battlefield.
Techniques are typically inward focused and are conducted by formula. However, they do interact with the enemy. As a result, they must be updated or change frequently. During their particular techniques. Lifetime, you will generally employ it in the same way. However, the lifetime is short. And why is that? It's because the enemy gets a vote. Eventually, the enemy is going to find countermeasures to the technique that you are currently using. That is why top tier direct action units such as Devgru and Special Operations Detachment Delta maintain operational security over their TTPs. They want to slow down the enemy's ability to counter them. If you keep conducting an ambush the same way the enemy is going to eventually figure out a countermeasure. When that happens, you have to change your technique. As such, you not only need to be good at executing your techniques, you also have to be good at creating new effective ones.
So now that brings us to procedures. Procedures are the standard, step by step instructions used by troops or their commanders to perform or complete a task. They normally consist of a series of steps arranged in a set order. The second step always follows the first step and so on. Procedures are done every time by checklist or formula. They are primarily inward focused on the unit using them and change infrequently. Regardless of the circumstances, they are performed the same way.
An example of a procedure would be the checklist by which a squad leader calls in artillery fire or the nine line that a leader calls in close air support or CAS. For CQB, another example of a procedure is the mental checklist used to evaluate the relative safety of using a particular entry point into a target room. You check off each step in order to reach a particular result. Another example of a procedure are pre-combat checks and inspections. The soldier and or his leader go through a checklist to make sure the soldier has only the gear essential for the mission tasked to that unit.
Now, standard operating procedures or SOPs are a subset of procedures. As the name suggests, SOPs are procedures that are standard and common across one or more units. For example, think about army battle drills. They are essentially procedures that are used in essentially the same way across the full spectrum of a force echelon…especially when it comes to a squad, platoon or company SOPs.
For example, a unit is tasked with clearing a particular building. That is its objective. The means of clearing that building are the unit's tactics. Dynamic, deliberate wingman and limited penetration room entry are the techniques for clearing the room. The team will decide which technique is suited for clearing a particular room based on what they expect to face within it. Procedures are the mental checklist that the team leader utilizes to analyze which room entry technique should work best for clearing the target room in question.
So now that we have discussed the meaning of tactics, techniques and procedures, let's talk about the differences between strategy, operations and tactics. Quite frankly, there are a number of different definitions for each one of these topics. In addition, there is a difference between these three items from a planning and execution standpoint versus defining them from a level of war perspective.
When we talk about levels of war you have to consider them in the context of doctrine. So let's talk about that first. As a military term, army doctrine is defined as the fundamental principles by which military forces or elements guide their actions in support of national objectives. Keep in mind that doctrine is more than just principles. It is a body of thought of how military forces intend to operate as part of a joint force and how the army intends to fight. It establishes a common frame of reference including the intellectual tools that leaders utilize to solve military related problems. It is intended to focus on how leaders should think and not what to think. It is a means of fostering critical thought as the leader approaches a problem.
According to one iteration of Field Manual three-zero, army doctrine consists of three things. One is fundamental principles, two, tactics, techniques and procedures and then finally, three, terms and symbols. First and foremost, doctrine provides the fundamental principles. These principles reflect the views about what works in war. Based on past experience, they are principles that have been learned through battles and in wars that have been successful under many conditions, such as principles of fire and maneuver, decentralized command or combined arms. Doctrine acts as a starting point for addressing new problems.
Principles are not supposed to be checklists or a constraining set of rules. They are intended to foster the initiative needed for soldiers to be creative and adaptive problem solvers. That way, they have a basis for creating and incorporating new ideas and designs to overcome problems they are faced with. The second component of doctrine are its TTPs - tactics, techniques and procedures. TTPs incorporate the military forces’ evolving knowledge and experience. They support and implement the force’s fundamental principles and link them to carrying out objectives.
Finally, we have terms and symbols. Terms and symbols are used as a common language for military professionals to communicate with each other. They are intended to quickly and accurately transfer information from one person to another. It is a language that is universally understood throughout a military force. Under doctrine, words are defined as a term of art used universally throughout the force. Think of terms such as pursuit, support by fire, retrograde and the like. As to symbols, think of the NATO's symbology used to visually describe different units.
Essentially fundamental principles are the guides for implementing national policy and strategic objectives. TTPs are the tools on the battlefield that enable the force to achieve those strategic objectives and the terms and symbols are the means by which leaders can describe their intent as to conducting operations to achieve those objectives.
So now let's briefly discuss the levels of war. The three levels of war often blend or blur into each other, primarily because commanders and their staff conduct planning that involves analyzing the situation, estimating friendly and enemy capabilities and limitations, and determining courses of action.
Now, at the strategic level, it typically focuses on defining and supporting national policy and relates directly to winning the war or conflict as a whole. Think grand national strategy. It is concerned with the art and science of employing national power. In addition to non-army assets, the strategic level of war often involves employment of corps or armies as well as other military forces such as the Air Force, Navy and Marines.
Now, the operational level is concerned with employing military forces in a large theater of war or a theater of operations to obtain an advantage over the enemy and as a result, obtain strategic goals through design, organization and conducting campaigns and operations. The operational level typically involves multiple battles as part of a longer campaign. It typically involves units that are divisions or higher echelon units. These operations take place over the course of weeks or months. In MILSIM, the operational level is handled abstractly by event organizers by setting the objectives that need to be seized or completed in order to achieve victory at the event.
And then we have the tactical level. The tactical level is where MILSIM Ops live and breathe. Typically, the various operations that are conducted at the operational level of war, such as campaigns, are made up of maneuvers, engagements and battles. As such, the tactical level of war involves using available combat power through decisions and actions, to create advantages for friendly forces by contact with or in proximity to the enemy. Usually, war at the tactical level is conducted by battalions and lower echelon units. Now, with respect, brigades, they tend to straddle the line of being employed at the tactical or operational level of war.
Put another way, the tactical level war is concerned with the planning and conducting of a battle. It is characterized by the application of concentrated force and offensive action to complete its objectives, Military objectives and combat. Sound familiar?
When you think about the three levels of war, look at it this way. At the strategic level, planning involves the determination of strategic objectives such as cities, airports, seaports and things of that nature. At the operational level, commanders plan a series of battles or a campaign to achieve the objectives set at the strategic level. This often corresponds to the area of operations for a battle. For MILSIM purposes, this is represented by the confines of where the event is being conducted, otherwise known as the AO.
And then finally, at the tactical level, commanders and their troops must determine the most effective way to seize or complete smaller objectives in the area of operations or AO to achieve the overall objectives determined at the operational level.
As you drill down to the levels of war, actions of units employed in them tend to be more focused on the micro versus the macro. As you drill down, terrain analysis and intelligence preparation of the battlefield become much more detailed as the scale of operation has become smaller. At the tactical level of war, TTPs and operational planning become the name of the game.
Also, don't confuse operations with the operational level of war. Operational planning and execution occur at all levels of war. Operational planning is what ties small units and their tactics together to achieve their objectives. Instead of poking the enemy with the ends of your fingers, you're slamming them with a closed fist. That is what combined arms gets you. It puts the enemy in a dilemma because to defend against one threat makes it vulnerable to another one. But that's a topic for a different episode.
I hope you enjoyed this bonus episode of Tactical Tuesday with Modern MILSIM. In our next regular episode of this podcast, we will discuss tactics, techniques and procedures for clearing both straight and commercial stairways.
If you have any topics you like to see covered in future episodes of Tactical Tuesday, please let us know by posting it on the Modern MILSIM Facebook page. If it's not one of the topics that we already plan to cover, we will likely add it to our ever-growing topic list. If you like this podcast, please subscribe to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts as well as on many other podcast directories.
As always, thank you for your support and I'll see you at our next episode. See you then.
To our listeners out there, thank you for tuning in and I look forward to providing you with new episodes every two weeks. If you like what you're hearing on this podcast, please subscribe and provide us with a review. We want to know what you like and how we can improve. You can also contact us on our Facebook page at Facebook.com/ModernMilsim with any suggestions you may have.
In our next episode of Tactical Tuesday, we will discuss the tactics, techniques and procedures for clearing straight and commercial stairways. If you want to know more about application of real world tactics, techniques and procedures to MILSIM, check out From Alpha to Omega: A MILSIM Tactical Primer and Training Manual as well as From Insertion to Extraction: Advanced MILSIM CQB Tactics, Techniques and Procedures. Both books are available at amazon.com. As always, thank you for your support. I'll see you at our next installment of Tactical Tuesday.
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