FM 100-5 Operations - Survival Ebooks Military Manuals Survival ...

WWW.SURVIVALEBOOKS.COMFM 100-5momentum of the operation. Focusing combat powerrapidly requires agility in organizations and leaders.Commanders also must balance the need to focus combatpower rapidly with the need to keep other optionsopen and to maintain pressure to which the enemy mustreact. Sometimes a meeting engagement occurs bychance wherever the opposing forces meet. This isnot a preferred operation or one that intelligence assetsshould allow to happen. Rather, com-mandersseek to surprise the enemy whenever possible.Sometimes in a race to an objective or occupationof key terrain, forces make contact while on the move.Moreover, meeting engagements can occur even wheneach opponent is aware of the other, but both decideto attack without delay.Once commanders establish contact, they implementthe option that provides them the most advantage.Hasty attacks usually follow movement-to-contactoperations, but other options are possible. Amongthese are fixing the enemy force while the bulk of attackingforces bypass it or transitioning to a deliberateattack. When Army forces run into a larger enemy, orif the terrain is such that it offers an advantage, commandersmay elect to conduct a hasty defense and forcethe enemy to fight in the open. Commanders exploitevery opportunity. Whatever the choice¡attack ordefend¡at the point of collision of combat forces, commandersmust be able to generate and sustain overwhelmingcombat power.ATTACKThe purpose of the attack is to defeat, destroy, orneutralize the enemy. The same fundamentals applyto each type of attack. The differences between typesof attacks lie in the amount of planning, coordination,and preparation before execution—in other words, howthoroughly commanders can apply the fundamentals.Force-oriented objectives allow greater freedom ofaction than terrain-oriented objectives and are thereforethe preferred option. The attack usually followsa movement to contact (see Figures 7-1 and 7-2) but isalso appropriate after defensive operations, exploitations,and pursuits. Deciding when to begin and endan attack is a tactical or operational judgment basedupon its contribution to the commander’s objectives.Whether hasty or deliberate, successful attack dependson the skillful massing of effects against theenemy force. The objective is to shatter the enemy’swill, disrupt his synchronization, and destroy his units’cohesion and the willingness of his soldiers to fight.Successful attacks leave defending units incapable offurther resistance.Once commanders decide to attack, any unnecessarydelays or preparatory movements before executionof the plan may allow the defender additional timeto react, which makes this defeat more difficult. Commanders,staffs, and units are prepared to react quickly.Adjustments during the execution of the attack are tobe expected. Skillful commanders provide the meansand methods to work these adjustments rapidly in orderto sustain the momentum of the attack. Theircourse of action is influenced by the purpose of theattack. Commander’s intent drives the selection ofavailable attack options—hasty attack, deliberate attack,spoiling attack, counterattack, raid, feint, demonstration,or any combination thereof.Hasty AttackThe hasty attack is the most likely result of themeeting engagement. Commanders launch the hastyattack with the forces at hand and with minimum preparationto destroy the enemy before he is able either toconcentrate or to establish a defense. The attacker mayalso employ such an attack to seize a fleeting opportunityor to regain the initiative quickly after a successfuldefense. In the defense, hasty counterattacks mayrecapture lost positions before the enemy has time toconsolidate his success. Commanders can often recoverlost ground and a shattered defense by counterattackingrapidly before the enemy is able to consolidate hisgains. At higher echelons, commanders anticipate andemploy hasty attacks in their contingency plans. Largeformations attack from the march, using hasty attacksby subordinate units or covering forces.Regardless of its purpose or echelon, a hasty attackenhances agility at the risk of losing synchronization.To minimize this risk, units conducting hastyattacks should use standard formations and well-understoodand -rehearsed plans supported by sound intelligence-preparation-of-thebattlefield. Supportingarms and services react quickly using prearranged procedures.The more closely combat and supporting unitswork together before the attack, the easier and moresuccessful such coordination will be. Hasty attacksplace a premium on habitual relationships among supportedand supporting units at every level. A properIPB also enables commanders to anticipate hasty attackcontingencies, allowing some planning to makethese attacks less improvised.7-5