This is Part 6 of an 8 Part Series. The full and unredacted article with all enclosures is available on Milsuite at https://www.milsuite.mil/book/groups/abct-training

Gap Crossing (Battalion STX); setting the stage for CALFEX

After completing platoon LFX, the battalion redeploys to their motor pools and conducts an abbreviated recovery. After a few days, the battalion prepares to deploy to the Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise (CALFEX). This brief recovery period allows all battalions to refit personnel, clean equipment, and conduct unscheduled maintenance. The battalion motor pool serves as the Division Support Activity (DSA), and the battalion receives an OPORD tasking them to deploy to a Tactical Assembly Area (TAA) to defend Atropia from invading Donovian forces. This deployment operation serves as a battalion STX lane, providing the battalion an opportunity to exercise tactical control of multiple companies, assign tasks and purposes to different C2 nodes, and integrate attachments. This battalion STX also prepares the battalion to conduct Reception, Staging, Onward movement, and Integration (RSOI) in a theater of war.

Figure 16 Concept of the operation for a BN STX requiring RSOI and movement from the Division Support Area (DSA) to a Tactical Assembly Area (TAA) with a Gap Crossing; This provides battalion and company leadership an opportunity to maneuver their units prior to CALFEX.

The Brigade OPORD lays out the situation for the battalion: Hostilities between Atropia and Donovia continue to escalate. Two weeks ago, Donovian conventional forces invaded Atropia and Donovian Special Purpose Forces (SPF) and began a campaign of direct action against critical infrastructure. The SPF have armed disenfranchised ethnic Bilasuvars across Atropia and reinforced the irregular forces known as the Bilasuvar Freedom Brigade (BFB). Atropian forces remain decisively engaged with the numerically superior Donovian Operational Strategic Command – South (OSC-South) 60 miles north of the DSA. Upon the Donovian invasion, U.S. forces began flowing into theater, drawing Army Prepositioned Stock (APS) equipment and building combat power.

The threats that operate in the 1CD security area are Donovian Division Tactical Group (DTG) reconnaissance equipped with BRDMs, AT weapon systems, and mortars. SPF, BFB, and DTG reconnaissance work together to disrupt U.S. and Atropian forces as they move toward the front, and they have damaged the only bridge capable of trafficking tanks, BFVs, and M88s across Cowhouse Creek. This damage degraded the bridge’s load capacity and now it can only support wheeled vehicles lighter than HMMT fuelers. While engineers continue repairs on the Cowhouse Creek bridge, Donovian forces continue to attack southward.

The 74^th Military Ribbon Bridge Company (MRBC) and the 1^st Cavalry Division Aviation Brigade have assets to enable the brigade to conduct a wet gap crossing and resume the movement of combat forces north to establish a defense at key terrain near Jack Mountain and Clabber Creek. The purpose of this defense is to allow 1CD and other Allies to build additional combat power in theater, thwarting the Donovian political goal of a rapid, swift victory. DTG recon, BFB, and SPF overwatch several of the limited options for crossing sites, as well as the damaged Cowhouse Creek bridge.

Figure 17: Enemy SITEMP for the gap crossing and battalion STX

Figure 18: A more detailed scheme of maneuver for the execution of the rafting and bridging operation to support the battalion STX.

The BSB, with a fleet of wheeled vehicles light enough to cross the Cowhouse Creek Bridge, prepare to establish the FLE, ATHP, and a 17 point Refuel on the Move (ROM) site. These enabling capabilities extend the operational reach of the brigade and enable battalions to continue movement to the TAA after successfully completing the gap crossing. The Brigade TAC will deploy to synchronize the movement of forces and de-conflict activities between the 74^th MRBC, the 1CD Combat Aviation Brigade, and the battalions. The battalion receives TACON of its habitually aligned cavalry troop and Engineer Reconnaissance Teams (ERTs) for the operation. The battalion plans to employ those forces for reconnaissance and security at the engineer staging site, rafting sites, and bridging site. For two days at the DSA, the battalion plans the operation, publishes an order, conducts rehearsals, conducts PCIs and PCCs, and prepares for onward movement from the DSA.

Before daylight, the BSB pushes serials along Route Green and Route Amber to establish the FLE. The habitually aligned cavalry troop departs and pushes scout sections to establish nearside security while ERTs assess the rafting and bridging sites. Deception 155mm fires and suppressive 155mm fires from the field artillery battalion enable the cavalry troop as it maneuvers into position. The troop pushes two dismounted scout teams across the rafting site in Zodiacs to establish initial far side security. The Combat Aviation Brigade sling loads rafts to the rafting site. With the rafts, the MRBC loads a scout section in BFVs shuttles them across the rafting site. Once across the rafting site, the scout section moves to the far side of the bridging site. They push dismounted scouts teams into the nearby hills to establish two OPs, listening and scanning for BFB, SPF, or DTG recon.

With farside security established, the MRBC begins construction of the ribbon bridge. After 2 hours of work, the bridge is complete and the entire cavalry troop has crossed Cowhouse Creek at the rafting site. The cavalry troop continues their reconnaissance further forward and establishes a screen and security area three kilometers north of the bridgehead. At the bridging site, the MRBC takes mortar contact, indicating that SPF or BFB observe their activities. The battalion’s attached Q50 radar identifies the point of origin of the mortars, allowing them to fire their own mortars back and neutralize the threat before it disrupted the bridging operation.

The battalion carefully pushes its companies forward; disorganization during movement along the narrow trails and in the marshalling areas would delay onward movement of the battalion for several hours. Through close coordination with the Brigade TAC and the MRBC, the battalion pushes companies across at a rate of one company every 45 minutes; within 5 hours the battalion successfully crosses Cowhouse Creek with all elements. The task force scouts conduct the initial reconnaissance handoff with the cavalry troop, and continue a route reconnaissance to the TAA. After passing through the cavalry troop’s screen, the companies make contact from a DTG reconnaissance BRDM.

The battalion establishes its CTCP beyond the cavalry troop’s screen to pull in units as they clear the crossing site. The battalion commander moves with the TAC to push his companies forward, maintaining communications with his company commanders over FM and JCR. During the movement, the CTCP tracks the status of maintenance and recovery operations, and the battalion TAC tracks the movement of units as they close at the TAA. At the ROM site, each company tops off on fuel provided by the BSB, allowing them to close on the TAA ready to attack. At the TAA, the battalion Main CP rapidly establishes upper TI and pulls down the latest reports from the brigade.

Figure 19: CALFEX, Company STX, and BN STX Area of Operations at Fort Hood

While the OPORD describes the battalion as the lead element of a broader brigade operation, each battalion conducts a gap crossing as their own iteration of a battalion STX lane. During the gap crossing, the battalion gets an opportunity to command and control their formation and exercise multiple tactical systems and develop a RETRANS plan to support communications over extended distances. When the cavalry squadron executes the gap crossing, they do so with all assigned troops as a squadron STX lane. Nevertheless, each of the cavalry troops participates in the gap crossing a second time, with each troop working in concert with their habitually aligned battalion. This repetition builds familiarity between the cavalry troop commander, the CAB commander, and the CAB scout platoon leader. While 155mm planning and fires are part of the training event, the field artillery battalion does not support the training due to ongoing AT XV, platoon LFX support, and CALFEX support.

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The full paper and files below are available at https://www.milsuite.mil/book/groups/abct-training

• Embedded Charts (includes full page slides of each figure in this paper)
• IRONHORSE Playbook
• 1CD Brigade Training Model Information Paper.docx
• DA Big 12
• Crew Gunnery Administrative OPORD (IRONHORSE Smoothbore)

5A) Crew Gunnery Administrative OPORD Brief (IRONHORSE Smoothbore)

• Platoon LFX and CALFEX Administrative OPORD (IRONHORSE Fury)
• Wet Gap Crossing Tactical OPORD (IRONHORSE Fury Phase 0)
• CALFEX Tactical OPORD (IRONHORSE Fury Phase I – IV)
• CALFEX OC Packet Example
• FCX Tactical OPORD (IRONHORSE Fury 2.0)
• Brigade FTX Administrative OPORD