Significance of Defense!!

1. FUNDAMENTAL OF
DEFENSE
Reference FMs 7-10, 101-5-1

2. A. PURPOSE OF THE DEFENSE
• Defeat an Enemy Attack
• Buy/Gain Time
• Hold/Retain a Piece of Key Terrain
• Concentrate Force Elsewhere
• Erode Enemy Resources
• Retain Tactical Objectives/Gain Sufficient
Strength to Attack

3. B. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
DEFENSE
• Preparation
• Security
• Disruption
• Mass and Concentration
• Flexibility

4. PREPARATION
• Detailed Planning
• Reconnaissance
• Positioning Forces in Depth
• Improving the Terrain
• Wargaming
• Organizing and Rehearsing

5. SECURITY
• ACTIVE MEASURES
– Observation Posts and Patrols
– Stand-to
• PASSIVE MEASURES
– Camouflage
– Movement Control
– Light/Radio Discipline
• COUNTER RECON
– Deception/Destruction of En Recon

6. DISRUPTION
• DEFENDERS DISRUPT
– Tempo
– Synchronization
• HOW?
– Defeating or misleading en recon
– Separating enemy resources
– Isolating enemy units
– Breaking up his formation
– Interrupting en FS, CSS and C3

7. MASS AND CONCENTRATION
• MASS EFFECTS AT DECISIVE POINT
– Economize and take risks in some areas
– Synchronize fires at decisive place and time
– Retain and reconstitute reserve
• TO REDUCE RISKS, COMMANDERS
– Employ security forces
– Emplace obstacles
– Cover gaps/unprotected areas with FA fires,
CAS and IEW

8. FLEXIBILITY
• FLEXIBILITY STEMS FROM
– Detailed planning
– Organizing in depth
– Maintaining a decisive reserve
• IMPORTANT!!!!!!
– Reserve must be used at a critical time and
place!!!!!!

9. C. DEFENSIVE PATTERNS
• MOBILE- The mobile defense is a type of
defensive operation that concentrates on the
destruction or defeat of the enemy through a
decisive attack or by a striking force
– Oriented on the destruction of the enemy
– Force must have mobility equal or greater than
enemy
– Small forces are deployed forward use maneuver
supported by fires and obstacles
– Has a large reserve that will conduct decisive
CATK

11. • AREA- The area defense is a type of
defensive operation that concentrates on
denying enemy forces access to
designated terrain for a specific time
rather than destroying the enemy outright
– Conducted to deny enemy access to
designated terrain for specified time
– Forces occupy defensive positions in static
framework
– Has small reserve to conduct CATK on enemy
penetrating between defensive positions

13. D. DEFENSIVE TECHNIQUES
• Perimeter Defense
• Defense in Sector
• Defense from a Battle Position
• Defense From a Strongpoint
• Defense on a Reserve Slope
• Linear Defense
• Non-Linear Defense

14. PERIMETER DEFENSE
• A defense without an exposed flank,
consisting of forces deployed along the
perimeter of the defended area

16. DEFENSE IN SECTOR
• A technique that requires a defending unit to
prevent enemy forces form passing beyond the
rear boundary of the sector while retaining flank
security and ensuring integrity of effort within the
parent unit’s scheme of maneuver, initial
positions generally are established as far
forward as possible, but a commander may use
any technique to accomplish the mission. The
higher commander will normally assign a no-
penetration criteria.

18. DEFENSE FROM A BATTLE
POSITON
• A technique that places a unit in a Battle Position
(BP) to concentrate its fires, to limit its maneuver,
or to place it in an advantageous position to
counterattack. The BP is a general location on the
ground. The commander may position security
forces forward of and about the BP. He can also
locate combat support and combat service
support elements outside the BP. The commander
can maneuver his forces freely within the BP and
seize the initiative to maneuver outside of the BP
to attack enemy forces provided that it does not
interfere with the commander’s concept

20. Defense from mutually
supporting platoon battle
positions.
Multiple engagement areas

21. DEFENSE FROM A
STRONGPOINT
• A form of defend a battle position that
requires more engineering work and may
be required to be held at all costs. It
denies key terrain to the enemy and forces
his movement in a different direction

22. Company strongpoint

23. DEFENSE ON A REVERSE
SLOPE
• An alternative to defending on the forward slope
of a hill or a ridge is to defend on a reverse
slope. In such a defense, the company is
deployed on terrain that is masked by the crest
of a hill from enemy direct fire and ground
observation. Although some units and weapons
may be positioned on the forward slope, the
crest or the counterslope (a forward slope of a
hill to the rear of a reverse slope), most of them
are on the reverse slope. The key to this
defense is control of the crest by fire

24. Company defense on a reverse slope

25. LINEAR DEFENSE
• This technique allows interlocking and
overlapping observation and fields of fire across
the company’s front. The bulk of the company’s
combat power is well forward. Sufficient
resources must be available to provide adequate
combat power across the sector to detect and
stop an attack. The company relies on fighting
from well-prepared mutually supporting
positions. It uses a high volume of direct and
indirect fires to stop the attacker. The reserve is
usually small, perhaps a squad.

26. Linear Defense

27. NON-LINEAR DEFENSE
• The nonlinear defense is the most decentralized
and dynamic defense conducted by an infantry
company. It is frequently used when operating
against an enemy force that has equal or greater
firepower and mobility capabilities. This type of
defense is almost exclusively enemy oriented
and is not well suited for retaining terrain. This
defense depends on surprise, offensive action,
and the initiative of small unit leaders to be
successful. It is a very fluid defense with little
static positioning involved.

28. Non-linear Defense

29. E. DEFENSIVE FRAMEWORK
• DEEP OPERATIONS
• RECON AND SECURITY OPERATIONS
• CLOSE OPERATIONS
• RESERVE OPERATIONS
• DEEP OPERATIONS

30. DEEP OPERATIONS
• In the form of FA, CAS, IEW and Spl Ops
• Disrupts enemy movement in depth
• Destroy high pay-off tgs vital to attacker
• Interrupt or deny vital enemy optng
systems such as C2, log and AD
• Performed by Bde and higher units

31. RECON AND SCTY OPERATIONS
• Consists of rear or flank security and recon tasks
• Recon units may
– Observe and report
– Engage with indirect fire
– Engage with direct fire on a limited scale
• Security units may
– Support preparation of defense
– Early in the attack, to disrupt enemy attack/identify his
main effort
– In the MBA, to support the Comdr’s concept for
conducting defense

32. CLOSE OPERATIONS
• Actual defensive operation within the MBA
• Activities of ME and SE in the def areas to slow,
canalize and defeat enemy’s major units
• Main effort is designated, effects and combat
power is synchronized to support it, then shifts if
to concentrate and mass effects against other
threats.
• Scty elements and reserve supports the ME

33. RESERVE OPERATIONS
• Reserve conducts opn throughout the defense
and may require continual regeneration
• It gives Comdr means to seize the initiative and
preserve flexibility
• Reserve operates best when employed to
reinforce and expedite victory rather than
prevent defeat
• Most common tasks are as follows:
– Block penetration
– Secure flanks and rear
– Support fwd pltn by fire
– Counterattack

34. REAR OPERATIONS
• Rear opns protects the force and sustain
combat operations
• Prevents disruption of C2, fire spt, log spt
and movement of reserves
• Destroying enemy deep battle forces
achieve this goal

36. F. DEFENSIVE PLANNING
• SEQUENCE OF THE CONDUCT OF
DEFENSIVE OPERATIONS
– Prepare for Combat
– Move to Defensive Position
– Establish Defensive Position
– Locate the Enemy
– Action on Enemy Contact
– Fight the Defense
– Consolidate and Reorganize

37. POSITIONING CONSIDERATIONS
• PRIMARY- A place for a weapon, a unit or an
individual to fight that provides the best means
to accomplish the assigned mission
• ALTERNATE - The position given to a weapon,
unit or individual to be occupied when the
primary position becomes untenable or
unsuitable for carrying out its task. The alternate
position is located so that the individual can
continue to fulfill his original task.

38. • SUPPLEMENTARY-That location which
provides the best sectors of fire and
defensive terrain along an avenue of
approach other than the primary avenue
the enemy is expected to attack along, for
example, a flank avenue of approach.

39. G. DEFENSIVE TASKS
• SCREEN-RECON, SECURITY, SCREENING UNITS
• GUARD- RECON AND SECURITY UNITS
• COVER- COVERING FORCE USUALLY DIV SIZE
• INTERDICT- FA, CAS
• DELAY- SE, COVERING FORCE
• DESTROY- ME, SE
• NEUTRALIZE- ME, SE
• ATTRITE- SE, COVERING FORCE
• BLOCK- ME, SE
• RETAIN- ME

40. RECAPITULATION
• PURPOSE
• CHARACTERISTICS
• DEFENSIVE PATTERNS
• DEFENSIVE TECHNIQUES
• DEFENSIVE FRAMEWORKS
• DEFENSIVE PLANNING
• DEFENSIVE TASKS