Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad - Sakai

Offensive Purposes
Fundamentals of Tactics
1-200. How a unit conducts its offensive operations is determined by the mission’s purpose and overall
intent. There are four general purposes for the offense: throw the enemy off balance; overwhelm the
enemy’s capabilities; disrupt the enemy’s defense; and ensure their defeat or destruction. In practice, each
of these purposes has orientation on both the enemy force and the terrain. The labels merely describe the
dominant characteristic of the operation.
Enemy-Oriented
1-201. Leaders employ enemy-oriented attacks to destroy enemy formations and their capabilities.
Destruction results in an enemy unit (Soldiers and their equipment) that is no longer able to fight. Not
everything has to be destroyed for the force-oriented attack offense to be successful. It is usually enough to
focus on an enemy capability or unit cohesion. These attacks are best employed against an enemy
vulnerability. Once destruction occurs, a window of opportunity opens. It is up to the leader to take
advantage of an unbalanced enemy through local and general exploitations and pursuit.
Terrain-Oriented
1-202. Leaders employ terrain-oriented attacks to seize control of terrain or facilities. Units conducting
terrain-oriented attacks have less freedom of action to take advantage of a window of opportunity. The
unit’s first priority is the terrain or facility. Exploiting an enemy vulnerability can occur only when the
security of the terrain or facility is no longer in question.
Tactical Enabling and Infantry Platoon Actions
1-203. Although friendly forces always remain enemy focused, there are many actions friendly forces
conduct that are offensive in nature and are designed to shape or sustain other operations. Leaders employ
tactical enabling operations to support the overall purpose of an operation.
Types of Offensive Operations
1-204. Types of offensive operations are described by the context surrounding an operation (terrain or
force oriented). At the platoon and squad level, these offensive operations are basically planned, prepared
for, and executed the same. The four types of offensive operations include:
(1) Movement to Contact – undertaken to gain or regain contact with the enemy (force-oriented).
(2) Attack – undertaken to achieve a decisive outcome (terrain-oriented or force-oriented).
(3) Exploitation – undertaken to take advantage of a successful attack (force-oriented).
(4) Pursuit – undertaken to destroy an escaping enemy (force-oriented).
1-205. This order of offensive operations is deliberate because they are listed in order of their normal
occurrence. Generally, leaders conduct a movement to contact to find the enemy. When the leader has
enough information about the enemy to be successful, he conducts an attack. Following a successful attack,
the leader takes advantage of the enemy’s disorganization and exploits the attack’s success. After
exploiting his success, the leader executes a pursuit to catch or cut off a fleeing enemy to complete its
destruction. Although Infantry platoons and squads participate in exploit and pursuit operations, they do not
plan them.
DEFENSIVE OPERATIONS
1-206. Defensive operations defeat an enemy attack, buy time, economize forces, or develop conditions
favorable for offensive operations. Defensive operations alone normally cannot achieve a decision. Their
overarching purpose is to create conditions for a counteroffensive that allows Army forces to regain the
initiative (FM 1-02). Defensive operations do not exist in a vacuum—they exist side by side with offense,
tactical enabling operations, and Infantry platoon actions. Leaders analyze the mission two levels up to
determine how their unit’s mission nests within the overall concept.
28 March 2007 FM 3-21.8 1-39