Bravo 3 Art of Tactics

By Foehammer

## I. The Tactical Level of War

Through tactics, commanders use combat power to accomplish missions. The tactical-level commander employs combat power to accomplish assigned missions. The tactical level of war is the level of war at which battles and engagements are planned and executed to achieve military objectives assigned to tactical units or task forces. Activities at this level focus on the ordered arrangement and maneuver of combat elements in relation to each other and to the enemy to achieve combat objectives. It is important to understand tactics within the context of the levels of war. The strategic and operational level provide the context for tactical operations. Without this context, tactical operations are reduced to a series of disconnected and unfocused actions. Tactical operations always require judgment and adaptation to the unique circumstances of a specific situation. Techniques and procedures are established patterns that can be applied repeatedly with little or no judgment in a variety of circumstances. Tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) provide commanders and staff with a set of tools to use in developing the solution to a tactical problem.

### Individuals, crews, and small units

Individuals, crews, and small units act at the tactical level. At times, their actions may produce strategic or operational effects. However, this does not mean these elements are acting at the strategic or operational level. Actions are not strategic unless they contribute directly to achieving the strategic end state. Similarly, actions are considered operational only if they are directly related to operational movement or the sequencing of battles and engagements. The level at which an action occurs is determined by the perspective of the echelon in terms of planning, preparation, and execution.

### Battles, Engagements and Small-Unit Actions

Tactics is the employment and ordered arrangement of forces in relation to each other. Through tactics, commanders use combat power to accomplish missions. The tactical-level commander uses combat power in battles, engagements, and small-unit actions. A battle consists of a set of related engagements that lasts longer and involves larger forces than an engagement. Battles can affect the course of a campaign or major operation. An engagement is a tactical conflict, usually between opposing, lower echelons maneuver forces. Engagements are typically conducted at brigade level or below/ They are usually short, executed in terms of minutes, hours, or days(edited)

## II. The Science and Art of Tactics

The tactician (Commander or Small Group Leader(SGL)) must understand and master the science and the art of tactics, two distinctly different yet inseparable concepts. Commanders and leaders at all echelons and supporting commissioned, warrant, and noncommissioned staff officers must be tacticians to lead their soldiers in the conduct of full spectrum operations.

### A. The Science

The science of tactics encompasses the understanding of those military aspects of tactical capabilities, techniques, and procedures that can be measured and codified. The science of tactics includes the physical capabilities of friendly and enemy organizations and systems, such as determining how long it takes a division to move a certain distance. It also includes techniques and procedures used to accomplish specific tasks, such as the tactical terms and control graphics that comprise the language of tactics. While not easy, the science of tactics is fairly straightforward. Much of what is contained in this manual is the science of tactics , techniques and procedures for employing the various elements of the combined arms team to achieve greater effects. Mastery of the science of tactics is necessary for the tactician (Commander or SGL) to understand the physical and procedural constraints under which he must work. These constraints include the effects of terrain, time, space, and weather on friendly and enemy forces. However, because combat is an intensely human activity, the solutions to tactical problems cannot be reduced to a formula. This realization necessitates the study of the art of tactics.

### B. The Art

The art of tactics consists of three interrelated aspects: the creative and flexible array of means to accomplish assigned missions, decision making under conditions of uncertainty when faced with an intelligent enemy, and understanding the human dimension of the effects of combat on soldiers. An art, as opposed to a science, requires exercising intuitive faculties that cannot be learned solely by study. The tactician must temper his study and evolve his skill through a variety of relevant, practical experience the tactician gains from practice under a variety of circumstances, the greater his mastery of the art of tactics. Military professionals invoke the art of tactics to solve tactical problems within his commander's intent by choosing from interrelated options, including-

* Types of forms of operations, forms of maneuver, and tactical mission tasks
* Task organization of available forces, to include allocation scarce resources
* Arrangement and choice of control measures
* Risks the commander is willing to take