Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | F | FA Journal

4th Fires Brigade in Iraq: setting the conditions for safe operations.

Article Excerpt
The 4th Fires Brigade is halfway through its rotation in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) V, and we are pausing to identify areas where we have set the conditions for safety and where we can improve.

Our organization consists of three battalions and eight company-sized units for a total of 3,000-plus Soldiers and 700 pieces of equipment that are either organic to the brigade or under our operational control (OPCON). Within that framework, these units have hundreds of different missions, ranging from our organic target acquisition battery's (TAB's) mobile training team (MTT) mission to provide technical and tactical expertise on the employment of the Army's new lightweight countermortar radar (LCMR) to the headquarters and headquarters battery's (HHB's) mission to conduct convoys for the brigade commander's movement throughout Baghdad.

In the monthly review of our safety program, we have identified some key building blocks that have enabled us to conduct varied operations throughout our battlespace safely. During these operations, we've experienced minimal accidents and injuries to our Soldiers and equipment while still maintaining our focus on warfighting and accomplishing the mission.

Not all our success comes from actions typically thought of as "risk mitigation," although risk mitigation certainly is part of our routine planning process. The following elements have proven significant in keeping our Soldiers safe and successful.

Brigade Safety Officer. Our safety officer is a key member of the commander's safety program and is responsible for ensuring that safety is observed throughout the brigade. He consolidates all safety guidelines and standing operating procedures (SOPs) that are significant to every scenario and event Soldiers may encounter daily.

For example, we continuously train our Soldiers on convoy operations and evaluate their...

View this article FREE - Now for a Limited Time, try Goliath Business News
Free for 3 Days!