Category Archives: The Rucksack

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Fight for Information (ABCT PLT Recon)

The Company Leader TDG 19-06

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You are a scout (recon) platoon leader in Apache Troop, 5-7 CAV, 1st ABCT, 3rd ID. You and your troop are conducting a zone reconnaissance in Donovian occupied territory of Atropia, from PL MIAMI (Whale Gap) north to PL BOSTON (the northern wall). Over the previous two weeks, your brigade has traded blows with elements of the 111th Brigade Tactical Group (BTG) in your fight to liberate Atropia. Your squadron has been critical in answering Brigade PIRs and informing the Brigade Commander’s decisions. But now isn’t the time to hit the breaks. As your infantry battalions shift their movement northward, it’s again time for you to cross LD in advance to provide space in time and fight for information.

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TLDR – RE: CAVLOG

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TLDR is a popular culture acronym standing for Too Long; Didn’t Read. Urban Dictionary says it is a “frequently used by […] people in Internet Forums [whose] urge to type exceeds their ability to read…” A few weeks ago we published an Excel tool to aid troop and squadron-level leaders in logistics planning. CAVLOG, posted to The Rucksack, received a lot of attention on Social Media page via The Company Leader, Doctrine Man, and Army Leader Exchange. We appreciated and were humbled by the volume of interest and engagement. Some of it was praise. Other comments provided constructive feedback. And then some commentary fell into the realm of clear “TLDR.” Below, we hope to clear-up a few things about CAVLOG.

A U.S. Army Task Force Brawler CH-47F Chinook flies while conducting a training exercise with a Guardian Angel team assigned to the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, March 26, 2018. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Gregory Brook)
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CAVLOG

An Excel Tool for Logistics Planning at the Troop and Squadron-level

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Whether tank companies in the assault or cavalry squadrons conducting zone reconnaissance, the Armor Branch fights on its fuel-tanks and ammo-racks. Increased consumption, large maneuver spaces, and long lines of communication to the Brigade Support Area, reduce the responsiveness and continuity of logistics operations compared with those of the other combat arms. In our Squadron, we identified accurate anticipation of requirements as a major stumbling block to our troops’ maneuver operations. Tactical operations, inconsistent reporting, and poor systems led to inaccurate forecasting of logistical needs. This created a back-up at the CTCP that then resulted in inadequate pushes of resupply from the FTCP. We needed consistency and accuracy – insert, CAVLOG.

Logistics may not be as sexy as maneuver, but ask the trooper on the screen-line or the Soldier in the trenches and he will tell you – it’s the stuff by which we live and die.
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Process….Not Program

Leader Development is a Process

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Leader development “programs” in our profession require a comprehensive approach to building competent and capable leaders in both tactics and character. Building character without competence is negligent; enabling competence without character is dangerous. Developing “leaders” who aren’t technically and tactically sound is self-defeating. Conversely, a program that focuses solely on the execution of war and neglects the development of the whole person and the effects of war on the human condition is lacking. For this reason, leader development should be viewed as a journey rather than a program. It is a process and not a “check-the-box.”

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Show Me Where You Are Ranger

A Guide to your Map Board

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About 10 years ago there was a joke video circulating with the song “Whatcha Gonna Do PL?”. It made light of the stress simulated at U.S. Army Ranger School, including the stress that comes from being tired, hungry, and worst of all – lost. We laugh at this now, but being lost is no laughing matter – especially when in combat. In the “light” community, where you are traveling walking distances in a single movement, folding up your map and putting it in your cargo pocket is a tenable option. But, what if you are moving operational distances from 30 to 60 kilometers in a single movement? A folded up map won’t cut it. Here is your guide to making a map board that will aid you in mounted movements (Stryker, Bradley, MATV, MAXPRO, HMMWV, Abrams, etc.).

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Your OPORD Briefing Board

New Product to The Rucksack

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Use Mission Orders – a tenant of Mission Command that we exercise almost daily. But, in garrison, we have become overly reliant on Microsoft Office to present our Operations Orders. The Maneuver Captains Career Course (MCCC) and the ARSOF CCC thrust you back into the analog world for developing and briefing your tactical orders. For those of us practiced in creating orders on Word or PowerPoint, this is a rude awakening. You pour over document protectors, overlays, 1:50000 maps, and map markers strewn across your desk as you try to remember how you ever did this without a keyboard and mouse. Having a system and a good briefing board will pay dividends not only in the schoolhouse, but also when you get back to the tactical force. Here is one way to make a great Briefing Board that remains applicable when you get to your unit.