•Maintain noise and light discipline.
•Patrol aggressively to prevent enemy surveillance and to gather information about the enemy.
•Use smoke to screen movement.
•Enforce proper radio operating procedures: authentication, encoding, limiting transmission time, using low power, and tying down antennas.
•Use radio operators trained in antijam, interference, and deception procedures.
•Overwatch friendly barriers and obstacles.
•Maintain contact with adjacent units.
FRATRICIDE PREVENTION (IFF)
The underlying principle of fratricide prevention is simple: Leaders who know where their soldiers are, and where they want them to fire, can keep those soldiers alive to kill the enemy. At the same time, leaders must avoid becoming tentative out of fear of fratricide; rather, they must strive to eliminate the risk through tough, realistic combined arms training in which each soldier and unit achieves the set standard.
Causes
Leaders must identify any factors that may affect their units and then strive to eliminate or correct them. These can include:
•Failure in the direct-fire control plan, especially in designation of target engagement areas.
•Land navigation failures.
•Combat identification failures.
•Inadequate maneuver control measures.
•Reporting and communications failures.
•Weapons errors.
•Battlefield hazards such as unexploded ordnance and unmarked or unrecorded minefields.
•Reliance on instruments and failure to balance technology and basic soldier skills.
Prevention
There are five key principles to fratricide reduction and prevention:
•Identify and assess potential risks.
•Maintain situational understanding.
•Ensure positive target identification.
•Maintain effective fire control.
•Establish a command climate that emphasizes prevention.
FINAL COMBAT INSPECTIONS
Inspections allow leaders to check the unit’s operational readiness. The key goal is to ensure that soldiers, equipment, weapons, and vehicles are fully prepared to execute the upcoming mission. Inspections also contribute to improved unit confidence. Below is a checklist of items to inspect:
FINAL COMBAT INSPECTION CHECKLIST
GO
NO GO
SHOOT
Rifle
__________
__________
Pistol
__________
__________
Crew-served weapons and mounts
__________
__________
Lights
__________
__________
Sights
__________
__________
Night vision goggles (NVG)
__________
__________
Lasers
__________
__________
Ammo/grenades
__________
__________
Maintenance/cleaning
__________
__________
Demo/breaching
__________
__________
MOVE
All SOP/IAD movement techniques
__________
__________
SOP for moving wounded
__________
__________
SOP for moving enemy prisoners of war (EPWs)
__________
__________
Vehicle driver training (day/night)
__________
__________
Vehicle battle drills
__________
__________
Firing weapons from vehicles
__________
__________
Helicopter training (load and offload rehearsals)
__________
__________
Convoy/drivers training
__________
__________
Another mode of infiltration/exfiltration
__________
__________
Batteries, water, fuel, etc.
__________
__________
SOP for all weapons and equipment
__________
__________
GPS/compass
__________
__________
Vehicle weights
__________
__________
COMMUNICATE
Radios checked and working
__________
__________
Batteries fully charged
__________
__________
Crypto up to date
__________
__________
Frequency and hop sets accurate and working
__________
__________
All personnel trained in the use of all communication equipment
__________
__________
ABCs of communication, antennas, batteries, and crypto verified
__________
__________
Maintenance performed and firmware up to date
__________
__________
Communication plan complete (cheat sheets available)
__________
__________
Primary alternate contingency emergency (PACE) understood
__________
__________
Electric and nonelectric communication SOP rehearsed
__________
__________
MEDICATE
Individual first aid kits (IFAK)
__________
__________
Contents/packing list
__________
__________
SOP location on body
__________
__________
Extra tourniquets
__________
__________
Vehicle medical kits inspected and in SOP location
__________
__________
Medic bags contents inspected in accordance with (IAW) SOP
__________
__________
Water filtration/purification/location verified
__________
__________
All extraction equipment in vehicles and soldiers trained in use
__________
__________
Combat lifesavers (CLS) and equipment up to date
__________
__________
Medical persons training and credentials up to date
__________
__________
PERSONAL
Confirm physicals, allergies, blood type, and ID tags on all soldiers
__________
__________
Confirm shots and immunizations
__________
__________
Verify personal medications (bee sting kit, malaria pills, antibiotics, etc.)
__________
__________
Personal info on all soldiers is secure (team leader)
__________
__________
Inspect deployment equipment (SOP and serviceable)
__________
__________
Ensure that all soldiers are mission ready and capable