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

F-2 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ MCWP 3-16.1
● Suppress. Preventing threat personnel, weapons
or equipment from engaging friendly forces
usually associated with a specified amount of
time.
● Harass. Confusing, disorganizing or degrading
threat forces.
● Deceive. Deceiving the threat as to the true
intent of friendly units.
● Interdict. Preventing the threat from using an
area, route or point.
Security Levels
Based on the threat at the firing position, one of
the three following security levels will be used:
● Security Level I—negligible threat to friendly
forces.
● Security Level II—squad-size threat units or
smaller threatening raid site.
● Security Level III—threat units larger than a
squad-size threatening raid site.
Raid Force Elements
Based on the situation, the RFC determines the
final force composition. Composition depends on
helicopter availability and the helicopter embarkation
plan.
The CE and support elements are the advance
party. During security level II and III operations,
the security element precedes the advance party
into the firing position.
The command element provides C2 for the raid
force and maintains communications with the
MEU or ground element.
The support element provides fire direction, lays
the howitzers, lays wire (if required), and provides
helicopter transport support of howitzers.
The assault element provides gun crews, howitzers,
and ammunition.
The security element provides local security for
the raid force, including sweeping the raid
position and establishing perimeter defense.
The observer element observes fires on the target
and reports BDA to the controlling FDC. This
element can include FO teams, reconnaissance
teams, aircraft, etc. Not all fires are required to be
observed. The type of observer, if employed, is
situationally-dependent.
Mission Planning Steps
To execute a raid successfully, planning must be
detailed. However, there will be occasions when
the time available between the warning order and
L-hour will be compressed. Planning will be
considerably shorter. Rehearsals are vital tools
whenever METT-T permits. Many considerations
must be addressed. These include, but are
not limited to, the following:
● Target. The nature of the target will dictate the
number of weapons, amount of ammunition,
type of observer, etc.
● Number of Weapons. The optimum number
of howitzers for a raid is four. This number
may vary depending on the nature of the target
and helicopter support available.
● Ammunition. Based on the nature of the
target, required ammunition will be determined
via munitions effects tables or attack guidance
criteria.
● Aircraft. The M198 can be transported externally
by the CH-53E or Army assets. A fourgun
raid requires four CH-53Es to lift the guns,
ammunition, and gun crews. Ideally, there are
also two CH-46s for the advance party. Additional
aircraft may include attack helicopter
escorts for ingress and egress protection and to
assist the security element as it deploys into the
LZ. A UH-1N may be necessary to serve in a
C3 capacity as well.
● XM 777. The XM 777 will provide commanders
with more flexibility due to its light weight
and P3I. The XM 777 will be transportable by
the CH-53E, CH-53D, and V-22.