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Fireteam

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the video game, seeFireTeam (video game).
AGeorgia National Guardfireteam armed withM4 carbinesduring amilitary exercise.
NATO Map Symbols[1]

A fireteam

An infantry fireteam

a military policedog team

an EngineerEOD team

Afireteamorfire teamis a smallmodernmilitarysubordinated elementofinfantrydesigned to optimize "NCOinitiative ","combined arms","bounding overwatch"and"fire and movement"tactical doctrinein combat.[2]Depending on mission requirements, a typical "standard" fireteam consists of four or fewer members: anautomatic rifleman,agrenadier,arifleman,and a designated fireteam leader. The role of each fireteam leader is to ensure that the fireteam operates as a cohesive unit. Two or three fireteams are organized into asectionorsquadin co-ordinated operations, which is led by asquad leader.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Historically, militaries with strong reliance and emphasis on decentralizedNCO-corp institutions and effective "bottom-up" fireteam organization command structures have had significantly better combat performance from their infantry units in comparison to militaries limited toofficer-reliant operations, traditionally larger units lacking NCO-leadership and "top-down" centralized-command structures. Fireteam organization addresses the realities of 21st-century warfare where combat is getting exponentially faster and more lethal as it identifies and removes anything which slows down the reaction time between first detection of an enemy and rounds impacted.[9][10]

U.S. Armydoctrine recognizes the fire team, or crew, as the smallest military organization[11][12]whileNATOdoctrine refers to this level of organization simply asteam.[13]Fireteams are the most basic organization upon which modern infantry units are built in theBritish Army,Royal Air Force Regiment,Royal Marines,United States Army,United States Marine Corps,United States Air Force Security Forces,Canadian Forces,andAustralian Army.

Concept

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Military organization
Typicalunits Typical numbers Typicalcommander
fireteam 2–4 lance corporal,
corporal
squad,
section		 5–14 corporal,
sergeant,
staff sergeant
platoon,
troop		 15–45 second lieutenant,
first lieutenant,
lieutenant
company,
battery,
squadron		 80–250 first lieutenant,
captain,
major
battalion,
cohort		 300–1000 major,
lieutenant colonel
regiment,
brigade,
legion		 1,000–5,500 colonel,
brigadier general
division 10,000–25,000 major general
corps 30,000–50,000 lieutenant general
field army 100,000–300,000 colonel general,
general
army group,
front		 2+ field armies field marshal,
general,
admiral
region,
theater		 4+ army groups marshal of the air force,
general of the army,
admiral of the fleet

The concept of the fireteam is based on the need for tactical flexibility in infantry operations. A fireteam is capable of autonomous operations as part of a larger unit. Successful fireteam employment relies on quality small unit training for soldiers, experience of fireteam members operating together, sufficient communications infrastructure, and a qualitynon-commissioned officercorps to provide tactical leadership for the team.

These requirements have led to successful use of the fireteam concept by more professional militaries. It is less useful for armies employing massed infantry formations, or with significant conscription.Conscriptionmakes fireteam development difficult, as team members are more effective as they build experience over time working together and building personal bonds.

In combat, while attacking or maneuvering, a fireteam generally spreads over a distance of 50 metres (160 ft), while in defensive positions the team can cover up to the range of its weapons or the limits of visibility, whichever is less. In open terrain, up to 500 metres (1,600 ft) can be covered by an effective team, although detection range limits effectiveness beyond 100 metres (330 ft) or so without special equipment. A team is effective so long as its primary weapon remains operational.

National variations

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Canada

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In theCanadian Army,"fireteam" refers to two soldiers paired for fire and movement. Two fireteams form an "assault group", which is analogous to most other militaries' understanding of a fireteam; two assault groups and a vehicle group of one driver and one gunner form a section of ten soldiers.[14]

China

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People's Liberation Armyforces traditionally used three-man "cells" (equivalent to fireteams) as the smallest military formation and such organization was widely employed throughout theSecond Sino-Japanese War,Chinese Civil War,Korean War,Sino-Indian War,Vietnam Waras well asSino-Vietnamese War.It is unofficially named the "three-three organization". (Chinese:Tam tam chế)[15]

In Chinese sources, this tactic is referred to as "three-three fireteams", after the composition of the attack: three men would form one fireteam, and three fireteams one squad. A Chinese platoon, consisting of 50 men, would form three ranks of such fireteams, which would be employed to attack "one point" from "two sides."[16]Each cell carries at least oneautomatic weapon(In the Korean War, it wassubmachine gunsorlight machine guns.In the early to mid-cold war, it wasassault riflesorsquad automatic weapons), while the rest carried abolt-action rifleor asemiautomatic rifleso that each "cell" could independently fire and maneuver.

An example of aPeople's Volunteer Armyfireteam in the late Korean War,[15]

French

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The French section (groupe de combat– "combat group" ) is divided into two teams. The "fire team" (équipe de feu) is based around the section-level automatic rifle or light machine gun. The "shock team" (équipe de choc), made up of riflemen armed with rifle grenades or disposable rocket launchers, is the reconnaissance and maneuver unit. The teams employbounding overwatch,with one element covering as the other moves. The team leaders have handheld radios so the elements can stay in contact with each other, as well as with the section leader's backpack radio set. The most common symbol of the modern French junior NCO (chef d'équipe) has been a radio hanging around their neck.

United Kingdom

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Royal Anglian Regimentsoldiers during a lull in operations in Afghanistan in 2014; their numbers and equipment correspond to a British fireteam of the period (Left to right: L110A2 LMG, L85A2 with L123A2 UGL, L85A2, L129A1).

Infantry units of theBritish Army,Royal MarinesandRAF Regimentintroduced the fireteam concept following the adoption of theSA80rifle and light support weapon. Aninfantry sectionof eight men contains two fireteams, Charlie and Delta, each comprising an NCO (corporal orlance corporal) and three privates.

  • Team leader:This NCO carries an L85 rifle with anL123underslung grenade launcher.Some units vary with one of the privates carrying the grenade launcher rather than the NCO.
  • Rifleman:Two privates carry L85 rifles.[17]Under earlier fireteam organization there also were two riflemen,[18]but the second of these was later substituted with a designated marksman, leaving the section with one rifleman per fireteam.[19]From 2019, the earlier organization was restored and the section commander was given discretion to re-role the section gunner as a third rifleman if needed.[17]
  • Gunner:One private per section carries anL7A2GPMG.Earlier section organizations had one private per fireteam carrying anL86light support weapon[18](intended to replace the L7A2) and then anL110light machine gun;[19]the L110A3 was removed from service in 2019, with the earlier L7A2 being reinstated as the section machine gun.[17]
  • Designated marksman:One private per section carries anL129A1sharpshooter rifle.Earlier fireteam organizations had one private per fireteam carrying either an L86A2 light support weapon[19]or an L129A1[20]depending on availability; the L86A2 was removed from service in 2019, with the L129A1 officially becoming the standard section DMR.[17]

The fireteam is generally used as a subdivision of the section for fire and maneuver rather than as a separate unit in its own right, although fireteams or fireteam-sized units are often used for reconnaissance tasks, special operations, and urban patrols (usually being to referred to as a "brick" in the latter scenario).[21]

United States

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Army

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TheU.S. Armyparticularly emphasizes the fireteam concept.[22][23][24] Per U.S. Army doctrine a typical fire team consists of four soldiers.[25][26][27][28]

  • Team Leader(TL): Usually either a sergeant or corporal (although occasionally a team is led by a specialist or private first class when the platoon has a shortage of junior NCOs). Provides tactical leadership for the team at all times; standard equipped with backpack GPS/radio set, and either anM16 rifleorM4 carbine.
  • Rifleman(R): Is 'the baseline standard for all infantrymen'. They are equipped with the M16 rifle or M4 carbine. The rifleman is usually assigned with the grenadier to help balance the firepower capabilities of the automatic rifleman.
  • Grenadierrifleman (GR): Provides limited high-angle fire over "dead zones".A grenadier is equipped with an M4 or M16 with anM203 grenade launcher(or the newerM320 grenade launcher) mounted to the weapon.
  • Automatic rifleman(AR): Providesoverwatchandsuppressive firethroughforce multiplication.The most casualty-producing person in a fireteam, in terms of firepower and maneuverability when compared to the standard nine-man rifle squad. An automatic rifleman is equipped with anM249 light machine gun.The automatic rifleman is usually assigned with the team leader to maximize directed fields of fire and to help balance the firepower capabilities of the grenadier.

In a stryker brigade combat team's (SBCT) infantry rifle companies, one man in each rifle squad fireteam is either the squad anti-armour specialist (RMAT) armed with anFGM-148 Javelin,or thesquad designated marksman(DM) who carries an M4 carbine andM14 rifle.In both cases, these two positions replace the basic rifleman of the standard rifle squad.[29]

Marine Corps

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US marines on patrol in Afghanistan, 2009; their numbers and equipment correspond to a United States Marine Corps fireteam (left to right: M4 carbine, M16A4 rifle with M203, M16A4 rifle, M249).

TheUnited States Marine Corpsdoctrine dictates that any active fireteam will include at least one 2-mangunnery-teamand summarizes its fireteam organization with the mnemonic "ready-team-fire-assist", the following being the arrangement of the fireteam when in a column:

  • Rifleman:acts as ascoutfor the fireteam; "ready".
  • Team leader:uses an M203 and works as the designated grenadier; "team".
  • Designated automatic rifleman: uses an M249 light machine gun orM27 IARand serves as second in command for the fireteam; "fire".
  • Assistant automatic rifleman: standard rifleman tasked with providing spotting support, range-finding, carries extraLMGammunition,and offers close-protection should the fireteam fall under attack; "assist".
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Navy construction force, "Seabee"construction battalions, utilize fireteams (as well as companies, platoons, and squads), similar in size to those employed by the USMC, in their organizational structure. Seabee units may be attached to Marine Corps units.

Other

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Many otherarmed forcessee the squad as the smallest military unit; some countries' armies have a pair consisting of two soldiers as the smallest military unit. In others a fireteam is composed of two pairs of soldiers (fire and maneuver team) forming a fireteam. Vietnamese communist forces, who received extensive advisory support from Chinese communists, also adopted a fireteam concept similar to that of Chinese, known as "tam tam chế",and such organization is still in use.[30]

History

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Fireteams have their origins in the early 20th century. From theNapoleonic WarsuntilWorld War I,military tactics involved central control of large numbers of soldiers in mass formation where small units were given little initiative.

Groups of four soldiers were mainly employed for guard duty, or as bodyguards for VIPs. In theRoman Armythey were referred to asquaternio(Greek τετράδιον).[31]

Skirmishersin the Napoleonic War would often work in teams of two, ranging ahead of the main group and providing covering fire for each other.

World War I

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During World War I,trench warfareresulted in astalemateon theWestern Front.In order to combat this stalemate, theGermansdeveloped a doctrinal innovation known asinfiltration tactics(based on the Russian tactics used in theBrusilov Offensive), in which a brief intensive artillery preparation would be followed by small, autonomous teams ofstormtroopers,who would covertly penetrate defensive lines. The Germans used their stormtroopers organized into squads at the lowest levels to provide a cohesive strike force in breaking through Allied lines. The British and Canadian troops on the Western Front started dividing platoons into sections after theBattle of the Sommein 1916. (This idea was later further developed inWorld War II). French Chasseur units in WWI were organized into fireteams, equipped with a light machine gun (Chauchat) team and grenades, to destroy German fire positions by fire (not assault) at up to 200 meters using rifle grenades. The light machine gun team would putsuppressive fireon the enemy position, while the grenadier team moved to a position where the enemy embrasure could be attacked with grenades. The Chasseur tactics were proven during the Petain Offensive of 1917. Survivors of these French Chasseur units taught these tactics to American infantry, who used them with effectiveness at St. Mihiel and the Argonne. It was typical of a fireteam in this era to consist of four infantrymen: two assaulters with carbines, one grenadier, and one sapper.

Interwar period

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In the inter-war years,United States Marine CorpsCaptainEvans F. CarlsonandMerritt A. Edsonare believed to have developed the fireteam concept during theUnited States occupation of Nicaragua(1912–1933). At that time the US Marinesquadconsisted of a Corporal and seven Marines all armed with a bolt-actionM1903 Springfield rifleand an automatic rifleman armed with aBrowning Automatic Rifle.The introduction of theThompson submachine gunandWinchester Model 1912shotgunwas popular with the Marines as a point-defense weapon for countering ambush byNicaraguanguerrillaswithin the thick vegetation that could provide cover for a quick overrun of a patrol. A team of four men armed with these weapons had proven more effective in terms of firepower and maneuverability than the standard nine-man rifle squad.

Carlson, who later went toChinain 1937 and observed Communist8th Route Armyunits of theNational Revolutionary Armyin action against theImperial Japanese Army,brought these ideas back to the US when the country enteredWorld War II.Under his command, the2nd Marine Raider battalionwere issued with the semi-automaticM1 Garandrifle and were organized in the standard 4-man fireteam (although it was called firegroup) concept, 3 firegroups to a squad with a squad leader. A firegroup was composed of anM1 Garand rifleman,aBAR gunnerand asubmachine gunner.After sustaining severe wounds, Carlson was replaced and his battalion later disbanded and reorganized under conventional Marine doctrine of ten-man squads. Later, Carlson's fireteam concept was re-adopted.

World War II

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WWII US Army rifle squads consisted of twelve soldiers[32]divided into three teams: The A "Able" (contemporaryspelling alphabet) team consisted of the squad leader and two scouts, the support B "Baker" team of the BAR gunner, assistant gunner, and ammunition bearer, and C "Charlie" team of the assistant squad leader, also serving as the anti-tank grenadier, and five riflemen, one of whom served as the alternate anti-tank grenadier).[33]In an assault the A team would provide overwatch and security or assist the C team in the assault, as the squad leader directed, while the B team provided suppressive fire. Suppressive fire from the BAR would be supplemented by fire from the rifles of his team as he reloaded, and could be further supplemented by platoon medium machine guns.

The US Army Rangers and Special Service Force adopted an early fireteam concept when on campaign in Italy and France. Each squad sub-unit of four or five men was heavily armed, composed of a two-man BAR automatic rifleman and assistant, a scout (marksman/grenadier) armed with an M1903 Springfield with a rifle grenade discharger, and a team leader armed with an M1 carbine or M1 Thompson submachine gun. Their later misuse as conventional infantry negated their special training and fighting skill and their use as "fire brigades" against larger enemy forces negated their advantages in aggressiveness and firepower.

Meanwhile, the communist Chinese established the three-man fireteam concept as the three-man cell when they organized a regular army, and its organization seemed to have been disseminated throughout all of Asia's communist forces, perhaps the most famous of which are the PAVN/NVA (People's Army of Vietnam/North Vietnamese Army) and theViet Cong.[citation needed]

Battle pair

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An example of fire and maneuver in actual combat. Here, during theBattle of Okinawa,a US marine on the left provides covering fire for the marine on the right to break cover and move to a different position.

Abattle pairis the smallest unit above the individual soldier, in the modern era chiefly employed byBalticmilitaries and special forces like the Special Air Service. It consists of two soldiers with one soldier acting as senior of the two fighters (decided amongst the two or by their superior). A fireteam in turn consists of at least two fire and maneuver teams, and a squad of two or more fireteams.

It may be known in the United States as afire and maneuver team.[citation needed]This concept has not been widely utilized. The United States and most Commonwealth armies mainly rely on the concept of fire teams forming a squad.

Estonia

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Such a team is known as aLahingpaaror battle pair.

Finland

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Until 2015 in theFinnish Defence Forces,threetaistelupari(combat pairs) formed a squad along with a squad leader. A three-man fireteam is now the smallest standard unit in Finnish infantry doctrine.

France

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The French Army has the concept of abinôme('pair'). In the regular forces it is the pairing of an experienced soldier with a recruit or replacement. The new soldier learns from the experienced soldier how to properly perform the everyday tasks and responsibilities of his assignment.

In the old colonial forces (like theFrench Foreign Legion) it was a means of imposing order. The pair were responsible for each other – if one member broke the rules or deserted, the other would be punished for not preventing it.

Sweden

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According to theSwedish Armed Forcesfield manual, aStridsparworking in unison is as effective as four soldiers of same quality acting individually.

See also

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References

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  1. ^APP-6C Joint Military Symbology(PDF).NATO. May 2011. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2015-09-21.
  2. ^"U.S. Army Infantry Squad Organization".AAManual.Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2017.Retrieved14 August2017.
  3. ^"Field Manual"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2014-11-20.Retrieved2015-01-12.
  4. ^"MOS 11B - Infantryman Duty Descriptions".www.armywriter.com.Retrieved14 August2017.
  5. ^"Job Description of a United States Army Infantry Team Leader".Retrieved14 August2017.
  6. ^"What Are the Duties of Infantry Team Leaders?".Retrieved14 August2017.
  7. ^http://www.usnavy.vt.edu/Marines/PLC_Junior/Fall_Semester/TACT3022_Offensive_Combat1&Combat_Signs_Student_Outline.pdfArchived2020-01-22 at theWayback Machine[bare URL PDF]
  8. ^"Sample Army Team Leader Duties, Responsibilities and Job Description - Citizen Soldier Resource Center".26 February 2014.Retrieved14 August2017.
  9. ^"How Ukraine's Roving Teams of Light Infantry Helped Win the Battle of Sumy: Lessons for the US Army".17 August 2022.
  10. ^https://static.rusi.org/403-SR-Russian-Tactics-web-final.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  11. ^ADP 3-90 Offense and Defense.Washington, DC: US Department of the Army. 31 August 2012. p. 7.
  12. ^FM 1-02.2 Military Symbols.Washington, DC: US Department of the Army. 10 November 2020. pp. 2–6.
  13. ^APP-6D NATO Joint Military Symbology.NATO Standardization Office. October 2017. pp. 3–67.
  14. ^Department of National Defence (Canada)(1996).B-GL-309-003/FT-001, The Infantry Section and Platoon in Battle.
  15. ^ab"Chinese Influences on Foreign Militaries".China Defence Forum.19 September 2007.Retrieved2019-10-17.
  16. ^Lâm bưu (1948). 《 nhất điểm lưỡng diện dữ ban tổ đích tam tam chế chiến thuật 》. Liêu cát đệ ngũ quân phân khu.
  17. ^abcd"Soldier Magazine September 2018".British Army.Retrieved8 September2018.
  18. ^abMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)(1999).Army Code No. 71641, Infantry Tactical Doctrine Volume 1, Pamphlet No. 3 Infantry Platoon Tactics.
  19. ^abcMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)(2009).Army Code No. 71882, Infantry Tactical Doctrine Volume 1, Pamphlet No. 3 Infantry Platoon Tactics.
  20. ^"Janes | Latest defence and security news".
  21. ^"The British Experience in Northern Ireland: A Model for Modern Peacemaking Operations?"(PDF).School of Advanced Military Studies.1993.Archived(PDF)from the original on December 26, 2019.Retrieved5 December2018.
  22. ^Room reaching and clearing techniques based on the "US Army Field Manual FM 3-06.11" from June 2011.
  23. ^https://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/attp3-06-11.pdfCombined Arms Operations in Urban Terrain (ATTP 3-06.11 (FM 3-06.11) June 2011
  24. ^OE TSC G&V (25 October 2011)."Individual Movement Techniques & Fire Team Formations".Archivedfrom the original on 2021-12-11.Retrieved14 August2017– via YouTube.
  25. ^U.S. Army Field ManualFM 3-21.8: The Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad,Figure 1-5: Infantry fire team and Figure 1-6: Infantry squad.http://www.globalsecurity.org/jhtml/jframe.html#http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/3-21-8/fm3-21-8.Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  26. ^OE TSC G&V (25 October 2011)."Introduction to Rifle Squad".Archivedfrom the original on 2021-12-11.Retrieved14 August2017– via YouTube.
  27. ^Headquarters, Department of the Army: ATTP 3-06.11 (FM 3-06.11) – Combined Arms Operations in Urban Terrain (June 2011)
  28. ^Headquarters, Department of the Army: FM 3-21.8 – The Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad (March 2007)
  29. ^U.S. Army Field ManualFM 3-21.11: SBCT Infantry Rifle Company,Figure 1-4. SBCT infantry rifle platoon organizationhttp://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/3-21-11/c01.htm#sectionii1_7.Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  30. ^"Vietnam People's Army Rifle Platoon (2019)".battleorder.org. Archived fromthe originalon 2023-03-31.Retrieved2021-11-20.
  31. ^c.f.Acts12:4 "When he had captured him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of four soldiers each [quattuor quaternionibus militum;τέσσαρσιν τετραδίοις στρατιωτῶν] to guard him "
  32. ^Army Lineage SeriesInfantry Part I: Regular Army,pp. 56 & 73http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-3-1/index.htmlArchived2020-10-01 at theWayback Machine.Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  33. ^War DepartmentThe Rifle Platoon and Squad in Offensive CombatPart 1, Section 1: Organization of the Rifle Platoon, March 15, 1943 (see FM 7-10, para. 133).http://www.hardscrabblefarm.com/ww2/offensive_combat.htmRetrieved 28 October 2016.
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