Publication: FA Journal
Publication Date: 01-JUL-06
Delivery: Immediate Online Access
Author: Merkel, Steven M. ; Clement, John G.
Article Excerpt
The 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery (1-9 FA) Battlekings, the fires battalion in the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 3rd Infantry Division, returned to Iraq once again, but this time for a very different mission as a maneuver battalion. The Battlekings with their deadly M109A6 Paladin howitzers had proved instrumental in the 2nd BCT's drive to Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) I in 2003, but the character of "the fight" had changed during the intervening years. 1-9 FA's mission as a maneuver task force (TF) for OIF III involved building the confidence of the Iraqi people to help eradicate insurgents in our area of responsibility (AOR) and working closely with multiple assets to conduct operations out of Forward Operating Base (FOB) Loyalty in Baghdad.
Although our infantry battalion counterparts in the 2nd BCT made our lean post-transformation fires battalion look like a dwarf, the Battlekings' duties and responsibilities remained on par with theirs. In addition to conducting full-spectrum operations in 163 square kilometers of southeast Baghdad, the battalion was tasked with camp force protection, security escort for a quick-reaction explosive ordnance detachment and main supply route (MSR) security. The Battlekings also had to be prepared to provide indirect fires via a platoon that remained "Hot" 24/7, but fires were not necessary during the deployment.
With the delivery of fires secondary to our maneuver mission, our operations required an efficient realignment that maximized resources without unduly increasing operational risks. During course-of-action (COA) development, the battalion staff (primarily comprised of combat veteran fire supporters) saw a unique opportunity for our lean fires battalion to demonstrate the advantages of effects-based operations (EBO). EBO uses valuable resources efficiently by maximizing both lethal and nonlethal capabilities against an enemy modeled as a system. Quite literally, our plan was to mitigate the manpower challenges we faced by working smarter and more efficiently.
Doing More with Less. Months before the deployment, it was clear that the battalion required some reorganization and additional training to shape itself for the broad range of missions it would undertake in Iraq. We quickly learned that personnel changes were a zero-sum game with most FA Soldiers coming into the division being assigned to the new fires battalion in the recently formed 4th BCT. Improving our "teeth-to-tail" ratio required a hard look at support requirements.
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Eagle Team. With the battalion's being stationed at a FOB, the requirements for both survey and communication sections were reduced. We formed a platoon of two patrol sections with these personnel and augmented them with Soldiers from the personnel and logistic staff sections. The headquarters and headquarters battery (HHB) executive officer (XO) became its platoon leader. The new organization, which was one of the great success stories during our deployment, was given the name "Eagle Team."
Eagle Team was dual-tasked as the camp's quick-reaction force (QRF) and the command group's security detail. Due to aggressive training and competent, confident Soldiers, Eagle Team proved itself in a variety of combat situations. Eagle Team's training started at home station, continued through the mission readiness exercise (MRE) at the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, Louisiana, and culminated during reception, staging, onward movement and integration (RSOI) in Kuwait.
Forward Support Company (FSC) as an Infantry Company. Based on a need...
NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.
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