text: Chapter 4
  • Actions on enemy contact.
  • Linkup plan for both teams internally, and with other friendly forces.
  HEAVY TEAM AND PLATOON OPERATIONS
  4-108. Some METT-TC conditions may require a LRS team to have additional Soldiers attached or in
  support. A LRS team may require additional personnel to carry surveillance site construction materials
  and water. These additional Soldiers (three to six) are known as a "mule team." They accompany the
  team to the objective area, construct the subsurface surveillance site, and depart the objective area during
  limited visibility. The advantage to using these TTP is that the LRS team is rested when starting the
  surveillance mission.
  4-109. METT-TC conditions may also allow for the use of a LRSD employed as a tactical platoon. The
  LRSD establishes a patrol base, and then emplaces multiple surveillance sites. The LRSD acts both as
  the sustainment base and as a quick reaction force in case a surveillance site is compromised. This
  technique has been very successfully employed in desert environments when the objective area is far
  from any support base and multiple surveillance sites are needed. Sustainment and rotation of
  surveillance site personnel occurs during the hours of limited visibility.
  Section IV. COMBAT ASSESSMENT
  Combat assessment is the determination of the overall effectiveness of force employment during military
  operations. Combat assessment has three major components: battle damage assessment (BDA), munitions
  effects assessment, and reattack recommendation (JP 3-60 and FM 1-02). However, LRS teams only participate
  in the BDA component. LRS teams are critical sensors for all fire-support platforms. At times, they may be the
  only source of targeting information available for high-value targets (HVTs). Keys to a successful combat
  assessment operation are using standardized report formats and sending the best possible information and
  images of the damage observed for trained analysts to evaluate.
  DEFINITION AND PURPOSE
  4-110. BDA is the timely and accurate estimate of damage resulting from the application of military
  force, either lethal or nonlethal, against a predetermined objective. BDA can be applied to the
  employment of all types of weapon systems (air, ground, naval, and special forces weapons systems)
  throughout the range of military operations. BDA is primarily an intelligence responsibility with required
  inputs and coordination from the operators (FM 1-02). BDA, in its most basic form, answers four
  questions quickly and accurately:
  • Was the target hit?
  • What was the extent of physical and functional damage?
  • Were the commander's objectives achieved in full, in part, or not at all?
  • Should the target be reattacked?
  4-111. The LRS team can make a recommendation to reattack, but it is the targeting planners, not the
  LRS team, who decide whether the target should be reattacked.
  CONSIDERATIONS
  4-112. When assessing battle damage, the team should consider—
  CONDITION OF THE TARGET
  4-113. This includes the overall level of destruction or serviceability of the target and whether it was
  occupied or unoccupied, and whether the enemy was withdrawing or reinforcing.