Publication: FA Journal
Publication Date: 01-SEP-06
Delivery: Immediate Online Access
Author: Winton, Douglas W. ; Antonietti, Patrick M.
Article Excerpt
1st Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 3rd Infantry Division, deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) III in the Multinational Division-North Central (MND-NC). The BCT initially was attached to the 42nd Infantry Division, an Army National Guard (ARNG) division headquartered in New York, and, later, to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). It conducted stability operations while transitioning responsibility for counterinsurgency (COIN) operations to Iraqi security forces and provincial and local governments throughout the Salah al Din Province. The province is north of Baghdad and covers most of what is known as the "Sunni Triangle."
The brigade's area of operations (AO) extended more than 150 miles along the corps' Main Supply Route (MSR) Tampa (also known as Highway 1) and the Tigris River and included the population centers of Bayji, Tikrit, Samarra and Balad. The brigade's 10 battalions (seven maneuver, one fires, one brigade troops and one forward support) conducted operations throughout the 17,250 square miles of the AO from 13 forward operating bases (FOBs) and two patrol bases in Samarra.
In addition to providing security for these FOBs, 1st BCT was responsible for security around Logistic Support Area (LSA) Anaconda (also known as Balad Air Base), a base for more than 20,000 Coalition Forces in the southern part of the brigade AO, 20 kilometers east of Balad.
The 1st BCT established a permanent tactical command post (TAC) at LSA Anaconda to provide command and control throughout the brigade AO and manage the unique requirements of security around LSA Anaconda.
This article describes the roles and functions of the 1st BCT TAC at LSA Anaconda and how it contributed to LSA security and offers suggestions for improving future joint base defense operations.
1st BCT TAC. The TAC's purpose was to help the brigade commander command and control his expansive AO and task organization. The 1st BCT TAC performed this support role across all battlefield operating systems (BOS) except combat service support. The TAC facilitated the execution of the brigade's stability operations across all lines of operation (LOOs).
It augmented the brigade tactical operations center (TOC) in Tikrit with analysis of the southern AO and coordinated with the units on LSA Anaconda that operated in the brigade's AO. The southern AO included Task Forces (TFs) 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry (5-7 Cav), 1-128 IN and 1-442 IN.
Three TAC functions were critical to maintaining the security of LSA Anaconda: synchronizing and integrating intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets; running the LSA Anaconda counterstrike headquarters; and providing terminal attack control for close air support (CAS). The brigade manned this non-doctrinal permanent TAC with Soldiers from headquarters and headquarters company (HHC) and headquarters and headquarters battery (HHB), 1-41 FA, under the supervision of the brigade deputy commander.
1-41 FA's mission was to provide fires throughout the brigade AO, requiring that four firing platoons be positioned on four FOBs in direct support (DS) to the maneuver battalions based at the FOBs. The static, dispersed and decentralized nature of the battalion's DS...
NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.
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