Warrior Leadership Course
Index:
* Fire Team Formations
* Squad Formations
* Squad Movement Techniques
* Fundamentals of a Leader
* Call for Fire
* Medevac
* Evaluate a Casualty
* The Five S’s
* OCOKA
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Fire Team Formations
The Fire Team Wedge
The fire team wedge is the basic and most widely used fire team formation. Use the fire team wedge when terrain and visibility allow your team leaders and fire team members to see each other. The fire team wedge affords the best observation and fields of fire and, therefore, keeps the fire team more secure during movement.
There are two variants of the wedge, a Strong right and a Strong left. Strong right wedge or just strong right, signifies that the SAW gunner’s, or Machine gunner’s, position is on the right side on the Teamleader. Same goes for the strong left wedge, the Saw/Machine gunner would be on the left.
The Fireteam File
You use the fire team file when terrain or visibility makes it difficult for the team to spread out, such as when traveling through dense vegetation, during night movement, moving through heavy fog, or moving in an urban environment. The fire team file is easier to control than the fire team wedge because you are walking in a slightly dispersed line. It is less flexible, however, because it takes longer to deploy your fire teams from this formation. The fire team file offers less security than the fire team wedge when you consider your Soldiers’ dispersion. The file also limits the team’s ability to return fire in all directions because the firepower in the file is restricted to the flanks. The file can provide more security in certain situations, however, such as when the goal is to infiltrate a narrow route or passage undetected, or when negotiating a minefield.
Comparison of the Wedge and File
Squad Formations
Your squads normally use the squad column as their...