Your Pro Citizen Newsletter 75: Take a load off; CM-7 Recon Handbook Release this Thursday!

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The big picture when it comes to packing your ruck.

Determining your or a team members’ load is a critical leader task. The items carried in the field or on a mission are always METT-TC dependent. They must be closely managed and inspected to make sure your dudes aren’t carrying too much or bringing unnecessary items. Light, agile, and able to move quickly are the name of the game. The primary consideration is not how much a man can carry, but how much can he carry without impairing his combat effectiveness. Small unit leaders cannot be prepared for all contingencies, but they must learn to prepare for the most likely based on available information gathered during your IPB process and mission planning (TLPs). Tiring your team out by requiring excessive loads is counterproductive and equates to fatigue, injuries, and potential combat losses that can be attributed to slow movement. We have written about this several times; heavy loads are unrealistic and a detriment.

Common Language

Getting tripped up by terms and definitions can confuse peers and subordinates and cloud the message you are trying to convey to your group or team. At one point or another we are all guilty of it, most often it is done out of ignorance or sometimes intellectual expediency (aka making things up). One of the set of terms we in the community will comingle or misuse has to do with describing the type and amount of “stuff” a fighter carries. I wanted to take some time and review (for myself more than anything) the associated terms with load carriage and general sustainment planning and some of the best practices for managing them. The logistics nerds in the Army get crazy with these terms - and become emotionally involved when there is a departure from the language. There is some middle ground between just making up our own terms and a draconian adherence to a complex sustainment vocabulary enforced by the 40 inch waist logisticators among us. To that end here are a few general terms you may hear and use:

Basic Load

A basic load is the standard quantity of ammunition issued to a soldier for training and garrison purposes. We don’t really use this term (or if we do it is applied non doctrinally). A basic load for us might be the amount of ammo we squirrel away per weapon system (eg a standard practice of having 1,000 rounds of ball ammo per long gun in your ammo stocks).

Combat Load

A combat load is determined by the mission leader and consists of only what is necessary to fight and survive immediate combat operations. An example of a piece or component of a combat load would be the standard 7ea 30 rounds magazines of 5.56. We might say that is a standard combat load of individual weapon ammunition. To expand the concept farther the doctrinal components of combat loads are Fighting loads, Approach march loads, and Emergency approach march loads (ref FM 3-21.8 The Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad and Citizen Manual 2 Reconnaissance).

Fighting Load

A fighting load is the essential items needed to fight. These items include long gun, ammo, NVG, first aid, etc. Items can be added or removed based on METT-TC and other factors. Excessive combat loads must be configured so the excess can be redistributed or shed (leaving only the fighting load) before or upon contact with the enemy. We don’t IMT with a full ruck and we don’t probe around a recon objective with the big green tick on our back. Remember our 24 hour rule we use in The Pro Citizen Project; always carry 24 hours worth of capability to include basic shelter and sustainment on your main rig (whatever you use be it LBE, DZ rig, plate carrier or chest rig). All of this must be viewed through the lens of remaining light and fast, every pound must be compared against the capability it brings vs the incremental degradation of your foot speed…especially under fire.

Approach March Load

An approach march load contains operational essential equipment needed for extended operations, in addition to the fighting load. These items can be dropped in an assault position, ORP, or other rally point, before or upon contact with the enemy. Fighters must carry enough equipment and munitions to fight and exist until a planned resupply can take place. And for an irregular force that may be never. No Blackhawks, no FOBs, no trucks bringing your snivel gear forward at night, no Green Bean coffee shacks…you will have what you carry other than the off chance you have a mission cache that can be emplaced (see the CM-7 Minuteman Recon Handbook section on caches). Remember the approach load is in your main ruck that can and will be separated from you on occasion. The other rule of thumb is each time you remove your ruck for any reason count on never seeing it again - so plan accordingly.

Emergency Approach Load

Circumstances could require carrying excess loads (greater than 45 percent of body weight) such as approach marches through terrain impassable to vehicles or where ground and air transportation resources are not available. (FM 21.18). Ok for us this is always the case. Probably. With limited or non existent sustainment infrastructure you are your own supply train. The emergency approach load is a term that really does not apply in our circumstances; the load carried is what it is. The key is keeping them as light as possible by planning shorter missions and using resources in the local area. Flipping the script we want to make sure the enemy is forced into carrying heavy sustainment loads during their operations; excessive loads will tire a foe quickly and the incidence of injuries will skyrocket. Movement / march speeds will be slowed tremendously, and they become easy prey for a fast, lethal force. Chasing down an invading soldier who has busted ankles because he was carrying 80lbs of chinese MREs and AK ammo is the side we want to be on.

Unit Combat Load

A unit’s combat load varies by mission and includes the supplies physically carried into the fight. The leader may direct minimum requirements or be specific for composition of the combat load. Often, the unit SOP or the patrol leader specifies most items. The unit basic load includes supplies kept by the unit for use in combat. The quantity of most unit basic load supply items depends on how many days in combat the unit might have to sustain itself without resupply. If you have a group supply sergeant or sustainment officer they need to get into the weeds on this and figure out how you will fight the sustainment fight. This is not solely focused on kinetic operations (the extremely low percentage events) this should include things like group preparation for supporting community and regional crisis response.

Sustainment Load

Doctrinally a sustainment load consists of the equipment required by the company commander for sustained operations. This equipment usually is stored by the company supply section in the field trains and brought forward when needed. A sustainment load can include rucksacks, squad duffel bags, and sleeping bags. In combat, protective items for specific threats may be stored in preconfigured unit loads. For an irregular force this will be the preps and storage your team/unit has set aside and planned. It gets kinda’ funky monkey when we try to apply regular force sustainment models to our purposes so adjust, adapt, or dismiss these concepts as you require.

Load Planning

The fighter’s load is a main concern of the leader. How much is carried, how far, and in what configuration are important mission considerations. Leaders must balance the risk to their subordinates from the enemy against the risk to mission accomplishment due to excess loads, exhaustion, and injury. Leaders must ensure that their dudes travel as light as possible. You must be willing to accept calculated risks to reduce the fighter’s load by basing load limits on well thought out METT-TC analysis.

SOPs

You should have a detailed SOP (Standing operating Procedure) for what you carry. This is not set in stone, SOPs for combat and approach loads are a starting point and must be adjusted by leaders as the situation develops (METT-TC). An SOP should lay out packing lists, role specific requirements (eg your RTO will have a greater battery requirement than a rifleman and should be accounted for in his packing list). You will also need to couple PCI checklists with these SOPs to ensure they are synched up. Leaders must check critical items as well as ensuring your team is not carrying too much. There is a great diagram in the FR-2 that shows the relationship between inspections and precombat checks across time. Have those ruck and gear layouts during weekend prep days and always check your team members before you go out on training. It will teach your team what they need and don’t really need to take to the field as well as ensuring you don’t leave a critical piece of equipment behind. You want to prevent two Scouts looking at each other on OP saying “I thought you had the LRF and spotting scope?”

Summary. This is just a quick overview / review of terms and concepts, as always apply to your circumstances and adjust to fit your needs. Don’t get sucked into the standard practice of having a heavy ruck and taking too much with you. For kinetic events an irregular force will not have the systems to conduct resupply so there is a complex balancing act that you must partake in. Carry too much and you will be combat ineffective; carry too little and you will be combat ineffective. There is no “clean” solution, only one that is good enough.

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The new CM-7 will release this week! If you have the CM-2 Recon manual and the FR-2 Recon Leader’s Guide this manual will round out that set on the recon subject to give you everything you need. We have the first pallets of completed manuals ready for you! We are also releasing the lower cost book bound version of the FR-2 Recon Leader’s Guide alongside the CM-7. Same info, just in a standard book paper and binding copy at a lower cost for ya. Thursday morning at 0900 Eastern they both go live!