MCWP 3-16.1 Artillery Operations.pdf - Marine Corps Community ...

Artillery Operations _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 7-3
The MEF force artillery liaison team provides—
● Personnel to the MEF commander to augment
FFCC, future plans, and future operations.
● Liaison to G-sections, as required.
● Guidance to the MEF commander/FFCC on capabilities
and limitations of force artillery.
Force Artillery Intelligence Section
The intelligence section of the force artillery will
play an important role in fusing the targeting data
produced by the TPC with the intelligence information/reports
generated by MEF intelligence
assets. The primary tool for processing intelligence
data is the intelligence analysis system,
under the supervision of the MEF G-2.
The force artillery intelligence section will
coordinate closely with the MEF G-2 to ensure
the best possible exchange of intelligence and
targeting information. This includes coordinating
with the CBR officer and the TPC to plan and
control the best use of organic and attached radar
assets. Target information gathered from the TPC
is provided to the SCAR to update the MEF intelligence
picture. The force artillery intelligence
section may provide personnel as required to the
MEF liaison team to facilitate information flow.
Target Acquisition
The force artillery has organic AN/TPQ-46A
radars and may have attached artillery target acquisition
systems (AN/TPQ-46A or United States
Army AN/TPQ-37). Force artillery will position
its organic/attached weapons-locating radars and
artillery observation teams to best support the
target acquisition requirements of the MEF.
Depending on the situation, the CBR officer and
all TPC assets will either be located with the MEF
force artillery liaison team at the MEF or at the
force artillery COC. Force artillery will coordinate
the employment of all radars in the MEF zone to
include the establishment of radar zones and
queuing schedules. Once coordination is
completed, the force artillery CBR officer will
publish the MEF radar employment plan.
Counterfire
MEF counterfire functions are controlled and
coordinated in the MEF FFCC. Primarily artillery,
air, and EW units, supported by an
integrated intelligence system, conduct the
counterfire fight. The preferred method for
counterfire is a proactive approach involving
sound IPB and a thorough collection plan to
locate threat fire support assets prior to firing.
Reactive counterfire emphasizes speed during the
initial engagement through the employment of
dedicated sensor-to-shooter channels and preauthorized
engagement criteria. Full integration
of the FDC, the TPC, and the intelligence
sections within the intelligence operations center
(IOC) is crucial to the timely planning and execution
of the counterfire mission. The initial
engagement is intended to suppress the hostile
fire support system long enough for a more
decisive engagement to be developed and
executed. A counterfire liaison officer may be
established within the MEF FFCC to coordinate
the engagement of counterfire targets.
Threat fire support assets located by force artillery
will be reported to the SCAR. Targets that
meet the criteria for immediate attack as set
forth in the reactive attack guidance matrix will
be engaged by force artillery, passed to the
GCE to attack, passed through the quick fire
channel to the ACE TACC or to the MEF FFCC
for disposition. See MCWP 3-16.
Force artillery will establish a liaison element
within the MEF FFCC to facilitate information
flow. That liaison element may include personnel