Combat Tactical Challenge

This Challenge is only open to Defence personnel.
How the Combat Tactical Challenge works:

The Centre for Army Lessons (CAL) conducts Combat Tactical Challenges on our Discussion Forum. A Combat Tactical Challenge is a combat scenario where the reader is provided with a combat situation that requires them to utilise certain resources to achieve a tactical outcome. Not all considerations for the situation can be provided in this forum, so the reader is given scope to make assumptions when developing a solution.

All you have to do is read the scenario provided below and come up with your own solution. Once you have a submission to make, email it to CAL.submit@defence.gov.au. Please include your rank and name, whether you wish to remain anonymous or not, a contact phone number and your solution. CAL will then transfer your entry onto the Combat Tactical Challenge Discussion Forum - without your name if you wish to remain anonymous.

The best couple of entries will receive a military history book.

CAL will not judge any response. We all have different knowledge and skills given our varying corps and trades, so it is only natural that some responses will be more detailed than others. Providing a submission for the Combat Tactical Challenge through this forum allows you the opportunity to remain anonymous should you wish this to be the case.

If you have any other queries, email CAL.submit@defence.gov.au or phone 03 5735 7102.

This challenge is based on an issue that soldiers are facing on deployment. Please provide your thoughts on a solution so that they may be considered in the development of future TTP. Email your thoughts to CAL.submit@defence.gov.au , or phone 03 5735 7102.

A new Combat Tactical Challenge is now going to be provided five times a year (around Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug and Oct).

Problem

You are call sign T11 operating as part of A Company (Coy) Battle Group (BG) BOAR.

You are a four vehicle tank troop with the following attachments:

A mechanised (mech) engineer search team
An Explosive Detector Dogs team
A mech infantry section mounted in M113AS4
A medium battery is general support to the BG and the BG mortars are located on the main axis in support of the BG main body.

Due to the defensive aid suite fitted to the BG's vehicles you will normally be operating without voice communications, therefore, you are not able to speak directly with A Coy or BG Headquarters (HQ). You do have digital battle tracking (FBCB2 ) with your Squadron HQ, however they are operating separately to you as part of the BG main body.

As a result of your lack of communications with BG HQ and your physical dislocation from the main body, the CO has allocated you a rover terminal linked to the Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in support of the BG. The rover terminal is located in your infantry vehicle.

2 up task. BG BOAR is to secure the Brigade form up point (FUP) Objective (OBJ) STAGHOUND.

1 up task. A Company is to secure OBJ MATILDA (5 km east of OBJ STAGHOUND) in order to provide flank security for the Brigade FUP.

T11 Troop Group tasks. T11 is to clear ROUTE CENTURION to provide flank security to the BG advance along ROUTE FERRET (parallel and 3 km to the west of ROUTE CENTURION).

Scheme of manoeuvre is that you will clear ROUTE CENTURION of up to platoon (+) strength enemy (en) and clear all vulnerable points (VP 1-6) as identified by your search advisor. A Coy will then close up the 1500 m that they are trailing your callsign and move forward to secure OBJ MATILDA.

Your clearance south goes well and you have only met light en resistance. You commence the deliberate search of the final VP and you receive word that a possible improvised explosive device (IED) has been located at VP 6. Your search advisor informs you that the only safe option will be to blow the IED in place in order to open the route for the remainder of A Coy. He assesses it will take approximately 30 min to blow the IED.

Always thinking ahead you have already dispatched a tank pair to locate alternate crossing points. Your Troop SGT messages you on FBCB2 and says “Boss I have found an alternate crossing point approximately 1 km to your east. Tracked vehicles will get through okay but I don't think the crossing will sustain much more than a troop through it. It looks like it will deteriorate pretty quickly.”

You know now that it is essential that you clear VP 6 so that the remainder of A Coy can get access to OBJ MATILDA with you.

The Infantry Section Commander comes to your tank telephone and informs you that on the rover terminal he can see three T80s and three BTR 80s approaching OBJ MATILDA from the south (en advance # 1 on map). He assesses that at their current speed they will be on OBJ MATILDA in approximately 5 min. You assess that if you can get to OBJ MATILDA before the en you have sufficient combat power to deny the en access to the OBJ. If the en reaches OBJ MATILDA first however you do not believe that you have the combat power to secure the OBJ. You also note that all the remaining BG tanks are in the main body and will not be in a position to support A Coy. You assess that it will take you approximately 4 min to move to OBJ MATILDA at best speed using the crossing your Troop SGT has secured.

Given the IED threat you decide to leave you defensive aid suite turned on and you realise it will take too long to send a message via FBCB2 to the Tank Squadron HQ for advice.

You need to decide what action to take.

What do you do?

If you decided to move immediately to secure OBJ MATILDA, via your Troop SGT's location, the following occurs: 500 m short of the OBJ one of your tank callsign receives direct fire from an unknown location. That vehicle is no longer able to employ its main armament. Concurrently you observe a dust trail separate from the one advancing on OBJ MATILDA. The second dust trail is advancing from the en avenue of approach and it is travelling towards VP 6 (en advance # 2 on map). The unknown vehicles look like they will reach VP 6 within 5 min. You assess that you have time to react callsigns separately to each dust trails but your terrain assessment highlights there is not a suitable attack-by-fire to apply fire onto both contacts simultaneously. What action do you take?

Are there any other solutions outside those suggested?

It is not the intent of the Combat Tactical Challenge to provide all the specific information necessary for a ‘DS solution'. As such, write down any assumptions you may have made and then come up with a solution.

You can either email your submission or any queries to CAL.submit@defence.gov.au or phone 03 5735 7102 for a link to the challenge that is easy to fill out, or join in the discussions at the CAL website and then select the forum "Combat Tactical Challenge Quiz'.