Training Aids · Camp Neptune

Interactive walkthrough

Conditions

The squad is moving in formation and receives effective fire from an enemy force it can plausibly handle, roughly squad sized or smaller. Cover exists within a short bound of the formation and the squad still has the ammunition to fight. The drill starts on contact, without an order, and runs until the squad leader announces a decision.

Standard

Every soldier returns fire and reaches cover within the first few seconds, and the volume of incoming fire drops off measurably as the base of fire builds. A rough contact report goes out inside about fifteen seconds, with a SALUTE following once the picture is clear. The drill ends when the squad leader announces assault, bypass, or break contact before the squad has spent half its ammunition, and names the drill the squad is now running so nobody is still guessing.

Execution

1Contact

Return fire in the direction of the incoming rounds immediately, before you have a target.
Shout the contact call with a direction so the rest of the squad orients on it.
Get off the line of march. A squad strung along a road or trail feeds an entire enemy burst.
Take the nearest cover that still lets you shoot, not the nearest bush.
Rear and flank security keep facing outboard and do not join the front fight.

2Fire Superiority

Build volume first and precision second. A wall of fire in three seconds beats aimed shots in ten.
Put the automatic rifle on the widest or most dangerous enemy position and let it set the rhythm.
Throttle back to a sustained rate once the incoming fire slackens, so the base of fire can hold for minutes.
Stagger reloads across the line so a silent gap never opens.
Use smoke to blind the enemy position, or to screen the route whichever element moves next is going to use.

3Locate and Report

Fix the enemy by direction, distance, and description before anyone maneuvers.
Find the flanks of the enemy position. Seeing one muzzle flash is not knowing where the position ends.
Look for a second position or a supporting gun before treating the first one as the whole enemy.
Send a short contact report at once, rough and fast.
Follow with a SALUTE once the detail is real. Use the format on the SALUTE Report card.

4Leader's Decision

Answer three questions out loud: is there a usable flank, is there enough ammunition, and does the mission want this fight.
Assault when fire superiority is held, a covered route onto a flank exists, and the enemy is within the squad's weight.
Bypass when the enemy is fixed, the objective lies elsewhere, and the squad can break clean without being followed.
Break contact when the enemy is larger, no flank can be found, or the ammunition will not carry an assault. Run the Break Contact card.
Announce the decision on the squad net in one sentence, so nobody is still guessing what happens next.
Decide inside the first minute or two. A firefight that no one ends becomes an ammunition contest the squad loses.

Who does what

Squad Leader: Owns the decision, not a rifle position. Moves where the objective and both teams are visible, keeps the contact report and SALUTE moving, and announces assault, bypass, or break contact out loud.
Team Leader in Contact: Gets his team on line and engaging, builds and holds suppression on the enemy position, controls the rate of fire, and tells the squad leader whether he can hold it. That answer is half the decision.
Team Leader not in Contact: Holds his team off the firing line and oriented out, and finds the covered route onto the flank so the squad leader is choosing between real options rather than guesses.
Automatic Rifleman: Anchors the base of fire on the most dangerous enemy position and sets the tempo of suppression. Announces every reload, because the enemy hears the gun stop.
Combat Lifesaver: Treats behind cover, never in the open, and feeds casualty counts to the squad leader while the fight is still running. Casualties are an input to the decision, not paperwork after it.
Trail or Rear Security: Faces away from the contact for the whole drill and reports any movement to the rear or flanks. Most squad wipes come from the direction nobody was watching.

On the net

CONTACT FRONT, TWO HUNDRED METERS

First soldier to take or observe fireThe instant rounds come in. Substitute the real direction and range, and keep it to one breath.

GUN UP, SUPPRESSING THE TREE LINE

Automatic riflemanAs the weapon goes into action, so the squad leader knows the base of fire is actually established.

SUPERIORITY GAINED, ASSAULTING LEFT

Squad leaderThe decision point. Say it once the incoming fire has slackened and a flank has been picked. Swap in BYPASSING or BREAKING CONTACT for the other two branches.

Key points

Speed and volume in the first ten seconds decides the fight. The side that gets a wall of fire up first takes the initiative and usually keeps it.
Cover first, concealment second. Foliage stops nothing, and in game a berm, a low wall, or a vehicle hull is worth more than any amount of brush.
Suppression is a state held over time, not a burst. If the enemy is still returning accurate fire, suppression has lapsed and nothing that comes after this drill is safe to start.
Positive identification before firing at movement. In a maneuver drill more losses come from the base of fire than from the enemy.
Report early and correct later. A rough contact report now beats a perfect one in two minutes.
The decision is the drill. Getting into a firefight is reflex; choosing how to leave it is the only part that needs a leader.

Common mistakes

Everyone goes prone and the shooting stops. Silence after the first burst hands the initiative straight back to the enemy.
The squad piles into one piece of cover. One grenade, one burst, or one vehicle then takes out half the element.
The squad leader lies down in the firing line and becomes another rifleman. No decision gets made and the firefight drags on until the ammunition is gone.
The decision is made but never said out loud, so half the squad is still fighting this drill while the other half has started the next one.
The leader decides on the flank he wants rather than the one that exists. If nobody has actually found a covered route onto it, that is not a vulnerable flank, it is open ground with a name.

The React to Contact Lane at Camp Neptune is the parent lane for the whole battle drill set. Run it here until the decision point is fast and audible, then branch onto the Break Contact and Squad Assault lanes, which both pick up exactly where this drill's decision leaves off.

Train it: React to Contact Lane link to this card

Interactive walkthrough

Conditions

The squad is already in contact and the leader has decided the fight is not worth taking: the enemy is larger, better positioned, or the squad is out of position for the mission. Fire superiority does not have to be won first, but the squad must be able to produce enough fire to cover one element moving. A rally point must already be known, either the last one briefed or one the leader calls on the spot.

Standard

Every bound is covered by fire from the other element, and no element moves while nothing is shooting. The squad is out of direct fire contact and behind terrain that breaks line of sight, on a heading different from the one used to leave the objective. All personnel are accounted for at the rally point with an ACE report by team before the squad moves again.

Execution

1Decision

Return fire and take cover first. Nobody moves off a position that is not being covered.
Decide fast. A break contact called late becomes a fighting withdrawal with casualties.
Pick the withdrawal route off terrain, not off the map heading. Look for the nearest ground that breaks line of sight.
Announce the drill by name so nobody mistakes it for a shift or an assault.

2Designate

Name the base of fire element and the bounding element out loud, by team, not by pointing.
Give the clock direction and the distance in one call, for example seven o'clock, three hundred meters.
Remember the clock is oriented on the enemy: 12 o'clock is the direction of contact, not north and not the direction you are facing.
Have both team leaders read the direction and distance back before anything moves.
Name the rally point and, if it is not obvious, the terrain feature it sits on.

3Bound

Start the base of fire before the bounding element stands up, not at the same time.
Bound short. Three to five seconds up, then down behind cover, and never the same straight line twice. Short bounds also keep stamina in reserve for the ground after the contact.
Call SET the instant the bounding element is down, oriented, and firing.
Alternate roles on each bound so the element that just moved becomes the one covering.
Stagger reloads inside each team so the volume of fire never drops to zero.
Keep at least the width of a room between people. A grenade or a burst that catches two of you ends the drill.

4Mask and Turn

Throw smoke to sit between the squad and the enemy, not on top of the people who are moving.
Throw it early. Smoke takes several seconds to build, and a screen that blooms after you move covers nothing.
Move behind the screen, then change direction as soon as terrain hides the turn.
Break line of sight with ground first and smoke second. A ridge, a wall, or a reverse slope beats a cloud that drifts.
Assume anything that saw the squad leave will follow it. Beat the pursuit with terrain and a turn, not with speed.
Stop firing once masked. Muzzle flash and tracer through thin smoke rebuilds the track you just broke.

5Rally Point

Occupy the rally point with security out, not as a huddle around the leader.
Get a headcount by team before anything else is discussed.
Take an ACE report by team: ammunition, casualties, equipment.
Redistribute magazines and treat casualties before the squad moves again.
Move off the rally point on a fresh heading once accountability is complete.

Who does what

Squad Leader: Makes the call to disengage, designates which element covers and which moves, and gives the clock direction and distance. Owns the rally point and the headcount.
Base of Fire Team Leader: Puts fire on the enemy position before the other team moves and keeps it there until the SET call comes back. Controls rate of fire so the team is not dry two bounds in.
Bounding Team Leader: Moves his team on order, gets them down and oriented on the new position, and calls SET. Confirms he has all of his people at every bound, not just at the rally point.
Automatic Rifleman: Provides the weight of fire that makes the bound possible. Moves last within his team and is the first weapon back into action on the new position.
Grenadier: Places the smoke screen where it masks the movement route, on call, and reports the side it is going out on. Also the shooter most likely to buy time with a launched round on a pursuing element.
Trail Man: Watches the direction the squad came from and the flanks nobody else is covering. Calls LAST MAN so no team leader leaves a person on a position.

On the net

BREAK CONTACT, SEVEN O'CLOCK, THREE HUNDRED METERS

Squad LeaderThe moment the decision is made. Repeat it until both team leaders read the direction and distance back.

ALPHA SUPPRESSING, BRAVO MOVE

Squad LeaderTo start the first bound, only after the base of fire is actually firing.

SET

The team leader of the element that just boundedThe instant his team is down behind cover, oriented on the enemy, and shooting. This is the release for the other element to move.

SMOKE OUT, LEFT

Grenadier or whoever throws itAs the grenade leaves the hand, with the side called so nobody bounds into their own screen.

LAST MAN

Trail manAs he leaves the position, confirming nobody is still forward of the element.

ACE, BY TEAM

Squad LeaderAt the rally point, once the headcount is complete and security is out.

Key points

Suppression is what buys the movement. An element moving while nothing is shooting is not bounding, it is running.
The clock direction is oriented on the enemy, so 12 o'clock is always the contact. Half a squad going the wrong way starts with somebody assuming north.
Smoke is for masking movement, never for signalling. A colored cloud tells everyone on the field exactly where the squad is.
The direction change is the part that actually breaks contact. AI and players alike push toward an element they watched leave and keep firing at movement long after the shot is gone, so masking without turning just means the pursuit picks the squad up again on the same line.
Short bounds keep people alive and keep stamina in reserve. Smoke drifts and thins at the edges, so treat a screen as a few seconds of cover rather than a wall, and use the radio for the break contact call because direct voice does not carry over sustained fire.
A squad can also break contact with a single fire element: one team holds and suppresses while the whole rest of the squad moves to the next covered position, then covers the holding team out. Use this when the squad is small, when only one covered route exists, or when a single support weapon can hold the enemy down long enough for one long move.

Common mistakes

Breaking contact straight back down the trail the squad came in on. That route is known, it is likely covered, and it walks the squad back through anything that was bypassed.
Everyone standing up at once. The fire stops, the enemy stands up too, and the squad takes its casualties in the open at the first bound.
Nobody calls the clock direction and distance, so one team bounds toward a covered draw and the other bounds into the open, and the squad splits.
Popping smoke on top of the moving element instead of between the element and the enemy, then bounding through it into the enemy line of sight on the far side.
Smoke thrown too late. It is still building when the bound goes, so the movement happens in the open and the screen only marks where the squad was.
No headcount at the rally point. The squad moves off, and the person who went down on the second bound is not missed until the next terrain feature.

Run this on the React to Contact Lane at Camp Neptune as the disengage branch of contact: same start, same trigger, but the leader calls break contact instead of assault. Post an observer behind the enemy position to report whether the squad actually disappeared or just moved away in a straight line.

Train it: React to Contact Lane link to this card

Interactive walkthrough

Conditions

Fire superiority is already won, the enemy position is located and identified, and the squad leader has decided to assault rather than bypass or break contact. A usable support by fire position and a covered approach to one flank both exist and have been pointed out. Every member of the squad knows the objective, the direction of the assault, and the limit of advance before anyone steps off.

Standard

The objective is cleared end to end, the squad holds ground beyond it at the limit of advance with security oriented on the likely counterattack avenue, and a full ACE report is up within about three minutes of the last shot. Fires are shifted on a call and lifted on a call, never on a guess or a timer. No friendly is hit by friendly fire at any point in the shift or the lift.

Execution

1Set the Conditions

Confirm fire superiority is actually held before committing anyone to move.
Name the support element and the assault element, and point out the support position, the approach route, and the flank being attacked.
Set the limit of advance on a feature everyone can see, such as a wall, a treeline, or a road.
Agree the shift signal and the lift signal now, back the radio call with a visual signal such as an agreed color of smoke, and have both team leaders read them back.
Move the support element in by a covered route, lay every weapon on the objective, and assign each one a sector so nothing is left uncovered.
Report SUPPORT BY FIRE SET only when every weapon can see and hit its sector, then open with volume and settle to a rate that can be sustained for the whole assault.

2Assault Approach

Move the assault element only after the support element has reported set.
Use covered and concealed routes and dead ground, and stay off the direct line between the support position and the objective.
Stay inside the assigned lane on the assigned flank and never cut across the front of the guns.
Keep the team spread enough that one burst or one grenade cannot take two people.
Report progress at the agreed points so the support element always knows roughly where you are.
Close as far as the terrain allows before calling anything, because every meter gained shortens the exposed rush.

3Shift Fires

Track the assault element continuously from the support position and hold fire on anything you cannot positively identify.
Call SHIFT FIRE when the assault element reaches the shift point at the near flank of the objective.
Understand that shifting is not lifting, the support element moves its fire, it does not stop it.
Shift fire off the portion of the objective the assault will enter and onto the far side, the depth, and the enemy's likely withdrawal route.
Acknowledge the shift on the radio net rather than on local voice, which will not carry back from the objective, so the assault leader knows the call was acted on.
Treat silence as fire still landing where it was, and hold the assault until you hear the acknowledgement.

4Lift Fires

Call LIFT FIRE when the assault element is about to enter the objective or begins to mask the support weapons.
Stop firing on the objective entirely on that call, with no last burst and no finishing the belt.
Acknowledge the lift out loud so the assault element enters on a confirmation rather than an assumption.
Keep every weapon up and scanning after the lift, watching the flanks, the depth, and any enemy leaving the position.
Do not resume fire on or near the objective for any reason without a new order from the squad leader.

5Assault Through

Assault through the objective, not onto it, and do not stop on the position.
Clear positions in pairs, one covering while the other clears, and never clear a room or a bunker alone.
Stay in your lane and hold the direction of the assault constant so the support element can predict where you are.
Keep talking across the assault line so both ends know the assault is still level.
Continue past the far edge of the objective to the limit of advance and stop there.

6Consolidate and Reorganize

Set security on the far side first, oriented on the likely counterattack avenue, before anything else happens.
Call for the ACE report by team, covering ammunition, casualties, and equipment.
Redistribute ammunition and belts across the squad and feed the automatic weapons first.
Treat casualties, move them to a covered point, mark it, and pass the location up.
Search and secure any prisoners and collect maps, radios, and documents before the position is left behind.
Move the support element forward or reposition it only on the squad leader's call and only once security is set.

Who does what

Squad Leader: Decides to assault, sets the limit of advance, and fixes the shift and lift signals before anyone moves. Positions where both elements can be seen or heard, normally with the assault element, and owns the timing of the whole drill.
Support by Fire Team Leader: Reports set, controls the rate of fire, and enforces sectors so the objective is covered without waste. Stops the guns on the lift call and confirms it out loud so the assault element hears that the fire is off.
Assault Team Leader: Leads the approach on the assigned flank and keeps the team inside its lane. Calls the shift and the lift as the team closes, because the assault element is the only one that can see how close it actually is.
Automatic Rifleman: Delivers the bulk of the suppression from the support position, laid on an assigned sector at a rate that can be sustained. Ceases fire the instant the lift is called and does not resume without a new order.
Grenadier: Suppresses covered positions the direct fire weapons cannot reach and breaks up any counterattack forming in depth. Marks the objective or the shift point with smoke when a visual signal is being used.
Team Medic: Follows the assault element one bound back and does not stop to treat inside the objective while it is being cleared. Treats after security is set and feeds the casualty count into the ACE report.

On the net

SUPPORT BY FIRE, SET

Support by fire team leaderEvery weapon in the support position is laid on its sector and able to engage. The assault does not step off before this.

SHIFT FIRE, SHIFT FIRE

Assault team leader, or the squad leader if he is with the support elementThe assault element reaches the shift point at the near flank of the objective.

SHIFTING, FAR SIDE

Support by fire team leaderImmediately on hearing the shift call, so the assault knows fire is still landing but has moved off its portion.

LIFT FIRE, LIFT FIRE

Assault team leaderThe assault element is about to enter the objective or starts to mask the support weapons.

FIRE IS LIFTED, GUNS UP

Support by fire team leaderAll weapons have come off the objective. The assault element waits for this before entering.

LOA SET, GIVE ME AN ACE

Squad leaderThe assault has cleared through and reached the limit of advance with security oriented out.

Key points

Shifting is not lifting. A shift moves the fire and keeps the enemy suppressed, a lift stops it, and calling one when you mean the other is how friendlies get hit.
A call is not enough on its own. Fire is only shifted or lifted once the support element has said back that it has done it.
The assault element owns the timing of the fires, because it is the only element that can judge how close it really is.
Speed after the lift is protection. The gap between the guns stopping and the assault arriving is the enemy's only chance to recover.
Assaulting through rather than onto the objective keeps the momentum and puts the squad on ground the enemy now has to attack across.
The limit of advance is set before the assault starts so that nobody has to make that judgement at the moment they are least able to.

Common mistakes

Nobody calls the shift, so the support element keeps firing into the objective while friendlies are already inside it. This is the most common serious failure on a server.
The shift is called but never acknowledged, the assault goes in assuming the guns have stopped, and it walks into friendly fire.
Shift is treated as lift, the support element stops firing far too early, and the enemy has a full minute to recover before the assault arrives.
The assault element drifts out of its lane, crosses the front of the support position, and puts itself in the beaten zone.
The assault goes in before the support element has reported set, so the objective was never suppressed and the assault is shot off it.
The squad stops on the objective to loot instead of pushing to the limit of advance, then starts the ACE report before security is set on the far side.

Squad Assault lanes 1, 2 and 3 at Camp Neptune are laid out for this drill, each with a marked support by fire position, a covered flanking route, and a limit of advance on the far side. Run the lane once at walking pace with every signal called out loud, then run it again at full speed.

Train it: Squad Assault 1 link to this card

Interactive walkthrough

Conditions

The element takes sudden, heavy, close fire from a prepared position inside hand grenade range, commonly taught as roughly 35 meters or less. Part of the element is standing in ground the enemy chose, ranged and covered in advance, and that ground cannot be fought from or withdrawn through. The drill starts the instant a soldier in the kill zone calls NEAR, not when a leader gets on the radio.

Standard

Every soldier in the kill zone is returning fire and moving toward the near side within about three seconds of the first round, with no order given. Soldiers outside the kill zone stay out of it, suppress, and shift their fire off the assault lane without ever stopping. The ambush position is seized and cleared to its depth, the element consolidates beyond the far side with sectors assigned, and an ACE report is up inside two minutes.

Execution

1Near or Far

Judge the range from inside the kill zone, where the enemy fire actually is.
Call NEAR if the enemy is within hand grenade range, roughly 35 meters or less, or close enough that the ground to them is a short sprint.
Call FAR if crossing to them would be a long run under fire, and run React to Ambush (Far) instead: base of fire, flank, assault from the flank.
Make the call in about one second, out loud, and do not debate it on the radio.
Give the call to whoever is in the kill zone. Nobody outside it overrides that call.
Default to the near ambush drill when in doubt and pinned inside grenade range, because going to ground there is the one option that is always wrong.

2Immediate Action

Return fire in the direction of contact before looking for cover.
Shout the direction and the word NEAR so the whole element runs the same drill.
Do not go prone in the kill zone and do not try to withdraw back through it.
Turn the kill zone element to face the near side of the ambush and start moving.
Spread out laterally as you turn so one burst or one grenade cannot take a pair.

3Base of Fire

Keep every soldier who is not in the kill zone out of it.
Open fire on the ambush position immediately from where you already stand.
Fire into the depth and the far end of the enemy line, never across the ground the assault has to cross.
Aim for volume in the first five seconds and accuracy after that.
Watch the assault element start to move and get ready to shift, not to stop.

4Assault Through

Assault straight through the near side without waiting for an order.
Move in pairs, one firing while the other moves, in short rushes.
Announce ASSAULTING THROUGH so the base of fire knows the shift is coming.
Throw hand grenades only from inside the assaulting element, only forward, and only while the lead man is still clear of the burst.
Call FRAG OUT every single time, and never throw once a friendly is closer to the target than you are.
Stop throwing entirely once the assault is on the position and fight it out with rifles, because a grenade at that point takes your own people.

5Shift, Lift, Clear

Shift fire off the part of the objective being assaulted and keep suppressing the rest of it.
Keep firing through the shift. Shifting moves your fire, it does not stop it.
Lift fire only when the assault is on the position or the assault fully masks the base of fire, and treat lifting as the last thing you do, not the first.
Acknowledge the shift and the lift out loud so the assault knows it was heard.
Clear the position by fire and movement in pairs, never alone.
Clear the depth positions behind the firing line before anyone calls it clear.

6Consolidate Beyond

Push a short distance past the far side of the position and consolidate there, not on the position itself, which the enemy has ranged.
Assign sectors of fire covering the enemy withdrawal and reinforcement routes.
Bring the base of fire element forward on a route the assault element is told about first.
Recover casualties from the kill zone only after the position is clear, under cover of the consolidated position.
Redistribute ammunition and take an ACE report from each team.
Search the position and report to higher, then move off before the enemy reacts to the loss of the ambush.

Who does what

Squad Leader: If caught in the kill zone, assaults through with everyone else and leads from inside it. If outside, controls the base of fire, owns the shift and the lift, and never tries to halt an assault that is already moving.
Team Leader in the Kill Zone: Sets the direction of the assault onto the near side and starts moving first. Calls ASSAULTING THROUGH, then calls the shift and later the lift.
Automatic Rifleman (support): Puts the heaviest fire on the enemy line from outside the kill zone and keeps it there. Shifts on call and does not lift until told, because an early lift hands the enemy their weapons back.
Grenadier: At near ambush range a launched grenade may not have travelled far enough to arm and is dangerous to the assault. Fights with the rifle and hand grenades, and saves the launcher for depth targets and the withdrawal route.
Riflemen in the assault: Moves in pairs with two to three meters of spacing, fires while moving, and clears positions in pairs. Does not stop in the open on the objective.
Medic: Stays out of the kill zone. Treats at the consolidation point beyond the objective and moves forward only when the position is called clear.

On the net

CONTACT LEFT, NEAR AMBUSH, NEAR AMBUSH

First soldier in the kill zone to identify the enemy.Within the first second of taking close fire, said twice so it carries over the shooting.

ASSAULTING THROUGH

Team leader or senior soldier in the kill zone.As the kill zone element turns and starts moving on the near side, so the base of fire knows friendlies are about to enter its fire lane.

FRAG OUT

The thrower, and only from inside the assaulting element.Every time a grenade leaves the hand, with no exceptions.

SHIFT FIRE RIGHT, SHIFT RIGHT

Assault element leader. The base of fire answers SHIFTING, STILL FIRING.As the assault closes and the supporting fire starts to endanger it. Give the direction in the shooter's left and right, or name the terrain to shift onto.

LIFT FIRE, LIFT FIRE

Assault element leader.Only once the assault is on the position or fully masks the base of fire.

POSITION CLEAR, CONSOLIDATING, ACE UP

Squad leader.After the depth positions are cleared and the element is set beyond the far side.

Key points

The kill zone is ground the enemy measured, ranged and rehearsed. Every second spent in it is the enemy's plan working.
Forward is the shortest way out. The near side is closer than the cover behind you and closer than the ground you walked in on.
The drill is a decision each soldier makes alone. Waiting for an order is the thing that kills people in a near ambush, so no order is coming.
Shift fire, do not lift it. Lifting early gives the ambush their heads and their weapons back at the exact moment the assault is most exposed.
Only the people who were actually in the kill zone assault. If everyone assaults, nothing suppresses and the assault crosses open ground unsupported.
Consolidate beyond the objective, never on it. The ambush site is the one piece of ground the enemy has already zeroed.

Common mistakes

Going prone in the kill zone because prone feels safe in the game. It is a pre-ranged position and it is where casualties come from.
The whole element assaults, including soldiers who were never in the kill zone, so the base of fire disappears at the moment it is needed most.
Nobody announces the assault or the shift, so the supporting gun keeps firing across the assault lane, or the shift gets called in the assault's left and right instead of the shooter's and walks the fire straight onto them. Name the terrain to shift onto when there is any doubt.
The base of fire lifts the instant the assault stands up, so the enemy gets a free thirty seconds to shoot the assault in.
Someone in the support element throws a grenade, or a grenade goes out late into a position friendlies are already entering.
A medic runs into the kill zone for a downed man before the position is cleared, and turns one casualty into two.

The React to Ambush lane at Camp Neptune runs both drills off the same road, so walk the near side at a walking pace once before running the lane and see how little ground it actually is. Run it a second time with the kill zone element told nothing, to prove the drill works without an order.

Train it: React to Ambush link to this card

Interactive walkthrough

Conditions

The element is moving and takes sudden heavy fire from a concealed enemy position beyond assaulting distance, roughly beyond hand grenade range, or across ground that cannot be crossed without being cut down first. Part or all of the element is in the kill zone. The leader has to make the near or far judgement in about one second, because the drill that follows is completely different for each.

Standard

Every soldier in the kill zone is returning fire and behind the nearest cover within three seconds of initiation. The base of fire gains and holds fire superiority before any element moves, the assault goes in from a flank that never crosses friendly fires, and fires are shifted and then lifted on call. The position is cleared, the element consolidates on the far side with security out, and an ACE report reaches the leader within two minutes of cease fire.

Execution

1Initiation and the Call

Return fire immediately toward the source of fire, before the exact position has been identified.
Take the nearest covered position. Cover beats a better firing angle in the first three seconds.
Call the contact with direction, distance and description so the whole element orients on the same piece of ground.
Judge near or far. If the enemy is inside hand grenade range and there is no way to move without being cut down, stop, that is a different drill, run React to Ambush (Near) and assault through.
Say the call out loud. Silence here is how one person launches an unsupported assault across open ground.

2Break the Kill Zone

If you are in the kill zone, move by the shortest route to the nearest cover out of the beaten zone and keep firing from it.
Spread laterally as you go. Do not stack on the one good rock, wall or vehicle.
If you are outside the kill zone, do not run into it to help. Take cover where you are and start putting aimed rounds on the enemy position.
Report by team once you are behind cover, so the leader knows who is fixed and who is free to maneuver.

3Fire Superiority or Break Contact

Build the base of fire on the element with the best angle and the most ammunition, normally the element outside the kill zone.
Give the automatic weapons the widest arc of the enemy position and let riflemen work muzzle flashes, windows and gaps.
Fire hard enough to visibly reduce incoming fire, then settle to a sustained rate the gun line can hold for several minutes.
Declare fire superiority only when incoming fire has measurably dropped, not when your own side is simply making noise.
Hold every element in place until that declaration is made.
If fire superiority does not come, if the enemy is clearly larger than your element, or if casualties are mounting, break contact instead. That call belongs to the senior leader on the ground and taking it early is a decision, not a failure.

4Maneuver

Pick the flank with concealment, dead ground and the shortest exposed crossing, not the flank that looks tidy on the map.
Move the assault element wide before moving it forward, so the gun line never has to check fire.
Never maneuver across your own base of fire. If the only covered route crosses it, reposition the base of fire first or take the other flank.
Screen an open crossing with smoke placed between the assault element and the enemy, not on the enemy.
Report progress to the base of fire by terrain feature, so the gun line can see where you are without asking.

5Assault, Shift and Lift

Call the shift when the assault element reaches the agreed shift trigger, and have the base of fire walk fires to the far side of the position.
Call the lift when the assault element is at the near edge, and wait for the base of fire to acknowledge before entering.
Assault along the long axis of the position so it is rolled up in sequence rather than crossing every enemy weapon at once.
Clear by pairs. Nobody clears a hole, bunker, trench or room alone.
Search the position for casualties, weapons, radios and documents before anyone steps off it.

6Consolidate and Reorganize

Move onto the far side of the position and set security on the enemy approach and withdrawal routes.
Take an ACE report, ammunition, casualties and equipment, from every team leader.
Redistribute ammunition to the automatic weapons first, then to the assault element.
Treat and account for casualties, then send a contact report to higher with grid, enemy strength and current status.
Reset the order of movement and either continue the mission or move to the rally point.

Who does what

Squad Leader: Makes the near or far call within about a second and says it out loud. Positions the base of fire, authorises the maneuver only after fire superiority, and owns the decision to break contact.
Base of Fire Team Leader: Builds the gun line, assigns arcs, and calls SET when rounds are actually on target. Controls the rate of fire and acknowledges every shift and lift call before it takes effect.
Assault Element Leader: Picks the covered route to the flank and confirms it does not cross friendly fires. Calls the shift and the lift, then controls the clearance by pairs.
Automatic Rifleman: Provides the weight of suppression on the widest part of the enemy position. Announces reloads out loud so the other gun covers the gap rather than both going dry together.
Medic: Stays with the base of fire and treats in cover, never in the kill zone under fire. Feeds the casualty count straight into the ACE report.
Radio Operator: Sends the initial contact report while the leader is fighting the drill. Keeps higher updated on the maneuver and passes the consolidated report after cease fire.

On the net

CONTACT LEFT, TWO HUNDRED METERS, TREELINE ON THE RIDGE

First soldier to identify the source of fireImmediately on initiation, before moving and before anything else is said.

FAR AMBUSH, SUPPRESS, NOBODY ASSAULTS

Squad LeaderWithin about one second of contact, once the enemy is judged to be beyond assaulting distance.

SET, ROUNDS ON TARGET

Base of Fire Team LeaderThe gun line is in position and its fire is landing on the enemy position, not near it.

FIRE SUPERIORITY, ASSAULT MOVING RIGHT

Squad LeaderIncoming fire has visibly dropped and the assault element is cleared to start moving.

SHIFT FIRE RIGHT, WE ARE CROSSING

Assault Element LeaderThe assault element reaches the shift trigger, answered by FIRES SHIFTED from the gun line.

LIFT FIRE, ASSAULT GOING IN

Assault Element LeaderThe assault element is at the near edge, answered by FIRES LIFTED, YOU ARE CLEAR before entry.

Key points

Far ambush is a suppression problem, not a courage problem. Crossing 200 meters of open ground into a prepared position without suppression kills the element.
The kill zone is a place, not a fight. Getting out of it is the first move, and the shortest route to cover beats the better firing position every time.
Fire superiority is something you can observe. Incoming fire drops. Until it drops, movement is just casualties in a different location.
Never maneuver across your own base of fire. The gun line should never have to check fire because a friendly walked into its beaten zone.
Shift and lift are two calls with two triggers. Skipping the shift puts friendly rounds into the assault, skipping the lift leaves the assault stalled at the edge of the position.
Engagement distances in Arma Reforger run longer than most people expect, commonly 150 to 400 meters in open terrain, so far ambush is the case you will actually meet even though the near ambush drill gets practised more.

Common mistakes

Defaulting to the near ambush drill because that is the one everybody has rehearsed. Assaulting through at 200 meters wipes the element.
Soldiers outside the kill zone sprinting into it to reach their team, which only adds bodies to the beaten zone and removes the maneuver element.
Bunching behind the one good piece of cover, so a single burst, grenade or vehicle round takes three people at once.
Launching the assault before fire superiority exists, because the volume of friendly fire sounded convincing over comms.
Nobody calling the shift or the lift, so the gun line either keeps firing into the assault or goes completely silent the moment the assault stands up.
Rolling off the cleared position with no security, no ACE report and no ammunition redistribution, then meeting the enemy support element with three magazines across the squad.

Run the React to Ambush lane at Camp Neptune with the initiation point moved between iterations, once inside grenade range and once past 150 meters, so the near or far call has to be made under fire instead of recalled from the previous run. Run the lane in both directions of travel as well, because the covered flank changes with it.

Train it: React to Ambush link to this card

Interactive walkthrough

Conditions

A team has reached a breach point on a structure and the next room must be entered and cleared. Security is set on the approach, the entry point is identified as center fed or corner fed, and the rules of engagement for that objective are already known. The team leader calls the drill when the stack is set and every man has signalled ready.

Standard

Every man is through the door and off the entry path within about two seconds of the lead man crossing the threshold, no one halts in the doorway, and every corner and piece of dead space is physically checked by a named man. The room is called clear only after each sector owner has cleared to his own corner, positive identification has been made on every person in the room, and the count of casualties, no shoots, and exits is reported up. Muzzles never cross a friendly during the flow.

Execution

1Stack and Ready

Stack tight on the breach point wall, off the door swing, out of the fatal funnel.
Set the order of entry and state the entry point as center fed or corner fed so each man knows whether he hooks or crosses.
Carry muzzles in the direction of your future sector, never at the back of the man in front.
Pass the ready squeeze from the rear man forward, and hold until the lead man has it.
Keep the last man facing back down the hallway, security does not collapse into the stack.

2Prep the Room

Apply the rules of engagement for the objective, decide frag, flash, or dry entry, and say which out loud.
Call the throw before it leaves the hand so nobody enters into the blast.
Bank a flash off a wall or floor rather than skipping it into a far corner you have not seen.
Wait for the function of the device, then flow immediately, a prepped room goes stale in seconds.
Go dry when no shoots are known or suspected, and accept that the entry has to be faster to compensate.

3Breach and Flow

Breach, then clear the doorway, the door is a place you pass through and never a place you shoot from.
Send the lead man on the path of least resistance, hooking into the near corner on a center fed door and crossing to the far corner on a corner fed door.
Peel each following man opposite the man in front of him so the flow alternates and sectors split cleanly.
Get off the entry path within two steps, standing on the threshold line blocks everyone behind you.
Engage only what is in your own sector as you move, do not stop moving to shoot a target another man owns.

4Dominate

Drive to your point of domination and hold it, the corners are the points, not the middle of the room.
With four men take all four corners, with three men take three and give the odd man the deepest sector, with two men take the two near corners and pie the rest of the room from there.
Clear your sector all the way to your own corner, not to the point where it stops being interesting.
Dominate the whole room first, then refine, a half cleared room with everyone dug in is worse than a fast rough entry.
Keep your muzzle inside your sector limits so a friendly moving through never crosses your barrel.

5Clear Dead Space and Confirm

Physically check dead space, behind the door itself, under and behind furniture, closets, stairwells, and any corner your entry angle hid.
Positively identify every person in the room before firing, expect no shoots and expect them to move.
Call your own corner clear first, then let the senior man call the room, one man does not get to call clear for everybody.
Sound off casualties, no shoots, and any unopened door or exit before anyone relaxes.
Re-cover any sector whose owner is down or reloading, say who is picking it up.

6Consolidate and Transition

Mark the room per the unit standard so follow on elements know it has been cleared and by whom.
Redistribute ammunition, treat casualties, and reset the order of entry if a man is down or out of the fight.
Report room clear and the room count up to the element leader.
Identify the next entry point, restack, and hold until the ready signal comes forward again.
Do not push into the next room off momentum alone, an unstacked entry is how teams lose two men at once.

Who does what

Team Leader: Decides the prep, sets the order of entry, and calls the room clear after each sector owner has reported. Usually flows in the middle of the stack so he can see the whole room develop rather than fighting for a corner.
Number One: Takes the path of least resistance to his point of domination and does not deviate for a target outside his sector. His only failure mode that matters is stopping short of his corner.
Number Two: Goes opposite Number One, immediately, and clears the other half of the near wall. He is the man who most often gets shot standing in the door waiting to see what Number One does.
Number Three and Four: Fill the remaining corners, take the deep half of the room, and clear the dead space that the first two men ran past. On a short stack the last man in also owns the door they came through.
Breacher: Opens the entry point and clears himself out of the funnel rather than following the tool in. He rejoins the stack at the rear once the door is open unless the plan puts him in the flow.
Rear Security: Faces back down the hall or the way the team came and does not turn to watch the entry. He holds until the room is called and the team physically calls him in.

On the net

SET

Rear man, then passed forward to Number OneEvery man is stacked, muzzle safe, and ready to move.

FLASH OUT

The man throwingThe device is leaving his hand, said before the throw, not after.

GO

Team leader or Number OneThe prep has functioned and the flow starts, one word only, nothing else gets said until men are in.

COMING OUT, COMING IN

Any man crossing an occupied door or moving between roomsBefore crossing a threshold a friendly is covering, the single most useful anti friendly fire call in the building.

NO SHOOT, LEFT CORNER

The man who sees itA non combatant is identified, called with the location so nobody else re acquires him as a threat.

ROOM CLEAR, TWO DOWN, ONE NO SHOOT, DOOR RIGHT

Team leaderAll corners reported, dead space checked, sent up before the team moves to the next entry.

Key points

The doorway is the fatal funnel and it is the one place in the building where the enemy already has a firing solution. You pass through it, you never fight from it.
Speed in the flow is not about running, it is about nobody pausing to make a decision they should have made on the stack.
Points of domination are corners because a corner lets one man see and cover the most floor with the least exposure. Scale the number of points to the number of men, do not leave a man floating in the middle.
Muzzle discipline is a sector problem, not an etiquette problem. If your muzzle stays inside your assigned sector, you physically cannot shoot the man flowing past you.
Clear gets called too early far more often than too late, and it is almost always dead space that was looked at from an angle rather than walked to.
In Arma Reforger the doorway funnel and friendly fire during the flow kill more of the team than defenders do, and hesitation in the door is punished harder than an imperfect entry.

Common mistakes

Number Two waits in the doorway to see where Number One went, and eats the burst that was aimed at the door.
Everyone engages the first target they see, three men shoot into one corner and the opposite half of the room is never covered at all.
A man calls clear for the whole room from the middle of it, because his angle looked empty, and the team walks past a defender behind the door.
The prep is thrown but the team waits too long after it functions, and the room is back on its feet before the lead man crosses.
Someone shoots through the flow at a target another man owns and hits a friendly, or wounds a no shoot that was already identified.
The team pushes the next door on momentum with no stack and no ready signal, and loses two men in the second room after clearing the first cleanly.

Run this on the Camp Neptune shoothouses, SH1 through SH8, in both paper target and AI defender modes, and use the Entry Training Area to drill the flow before you put defenders in the building. The per run replay map on the scorecard is the honest answer to whether sectors were covered, the fog of war view lights only what each man was actually watching, so uncovered corners, overlapping muzzles, and the man who stalled in the door all show up plainly after the fact.

Train it: Shoothouses link to this card

Interactive walkthrough

Conditions

The element is moving dismounted and the lead man identifies terrain where it can be seen, engaged, or cut off: a road, a trail, a stream, a bridge, a treeline gap, or an open field. Movement is not yet compromised and there is enough concealment on the near side to hold the element. The leader has to decide which kind of danger area it is before he decides anything else, because the method is different for each.

Standard

The element crosses at a covered, narrow point with security set on both sides, having first observed the far side long enough to trust it, and reassembles in formation on the far side with a full accountability check. Nobody is exposed in the open without someone watching the flanks for him, and no two people are in the open close enough to be killed by one burst. If contact occurs while the element is split, both halves know within seconds which side they belong to and where the linkup point is.

Execution

1Halt and Classify

Halt the element short of the danger area, inside concealment, before anyone is silhouetted at the edge.
Signal the halt back down the file rather than calling it, and get everyone into cover facing out.
Classify it: linear (road, trail, stream, wall line), open (field, clearing, cut), or small enough to simply bypass.
Move forward yourself with the point man and look before any part of the element commits.
State the plan: crossing point, order of movement, far side rally point, and what happens on contact.

2Set Security

Post near side security left and right of the crossing point, oriented up and down the danger area, not across it.
Give near side security a hold order: they stay set until the last man is across, then cross under cover of the far side.
Position automatic weapons where they can cover the longest sightline along the road or the widest part of the field.
Keep the main body back off the edge, out of view, and not stacked in a single line.
Assign rear security to watch the direction of travel behind the element for the whole crossing.

3Recon the Far Side

Observe the far side for a set count, not a glance, and watch for movement, tracks, cut brush, and disturbed ground.
Push a small team across first to clear the far side, then hold it as far side security.
Have far side security push far enough beyond the edge to see past the immediate treeline, not just to the first cover.
Orient far side security outward on the likely approaches and along the danger area in both directions.
Wait for the far side to signal clear before committing anyone else.

4Cross a Linear Danger Area

Cross at the narrowest point with the best concealment on both ends, even if it costs a detour of 100 meters.
Cross in small bounds, in bounds of two to four, never as a single clump.
Move straight across at speed, weapons oriented outward left and right, not forward at the man ahead.
Hold anyone still on the near side if a vehicle or dismount appears, and let the far side element go firm.
Cross rear security last, after near side security, and confirm the last man is over.
Reestablish the formation past the far side edge, take accountability, then continue on the azimuth.

5Open Areas: Bypass, Detour, or Cross

Bypass a small open area first: contour along the concealed edge, keep the general direction, and pick the azimuth back up on the far corner.
Use the detour bypass method when the route has to stay precise: turn 90 degrees, pace off a known distance, turn back on the original azimuth, then reverse the turns to box back onto the route.
Choose contouring when terrain and concealment favor it and the exact pace count matters less than staying unseen.
Cross a large open area that cannot be bypassed by bounding overwatch, one element set and observing while the other moves.
Keep bounds short enough that the moving element never leaves the overwatch element's supporting range.
Cross open ground on the covered line, along a fold, a ditch, or a hedge, rather than the shortest straight line.

6Broken Crossing

Call the split immediately so both halves know they are separate elements and who leads each.
Fix the far side element in place to return fire and hold what it has taken, rather than running back across.
Have the near side element suppress from concealment along the danger area, not by stepping into it.
Never cross into a fight in progress to reunite, and never reverse a man already committed to the open.
Move to the far side rally point if the far side element is pushed, or the near side rally point if the near element is, and consolidate there.
Take accountability by name at the rally point before doing anything else.

Who does what

Element Leader: Classifies the danger area, picks the crossing point and the rally points, and moves forward to look at the far side before any part of the element is exposed. Controls the order of crossing and is the only one who releases each bound.
Point Man: Identifies the danger area early enough that the element can halt in concealment, and signals rather than shouts. Moves forward with the leader for the initial look.
Near Side Security: Sets left and right of the crossing point oriented along the danger area, and calls approaching traffic or dismounts before they are in view of the crossing. Holds until the last man is over, then crosses covered by the far side.
Far Side Security Team: Crosses first, clears past the immediate edge, and goes firm oriented outward on the likely approaches. Signals clear only after it can actually see beyond the near treeline, and becomes the base of fire if the crossing is broken.
Automatic Rifleman or Gunner: Sets where the longest sightline along the road or across the open area can be covered, and stays set while others move. Does not cross in the middle of the order of movement.
Rear Security: Watches the back trail for the entire crossing and crosses last, confirming that nothing and nobody is left on the near side. Reports the last man across so the leader can release the formation.

On the net

DANGER AREA, HALT

Point manOn first identifying the road, stream, or open area, before the element is at the edge.

LINEAR, ROAD, FIFTY METERS FRONT

Point man to the leaderImmediately after the halt, so the leader knows which method applies before he moves up.

NEAR SIDE SET, LEFT AND RIGHT

Near side securityOnce both flank positions are in place and oriented along the danger area.

FAR SIDE CLEAR, SEND THE NEXT BOUND

Far side security team leaderAfter clearing past the far edge and going firm, never on the strength of a look alone.

HOLD, VEHICLE RIGHT

Any security elementThe instant traffic, a dismount, or movement appears while anyone is exposed or about to move.

BROKEN CROSSING, THREE ACROSS, RALLY FAR SIDE

Element leaderContact occurs with the element split, to fix the count and the rally point in one call.

Key points

The method depends on the type. A road gets the near side and far side security crossing drill. A small clearing gets bypassed. A large open field gets bounding overwatch. Applying the road drill to a 400 meter field puts the whole element in the open with nobody in a position to help.
The leader looks first because he is the one who has to choose the crossing point, and because one man at the edge is a smaller mistake than an element at the edge.
Recon of the far side is a period of observation, not a glance. Committing on a glance is how an element walks into a position that was watching the same crossing point.
Narrow, concealed, and slightly inconvenient beats wide, open, and close. A crossing point 100 meters off the azimuth costs a minute and can save the element.
In Arma Reforger, spotting distances are long and an exposed figure on open ground reads clearly at ranges where nothing is visible in return, so open ground punishes speed more than it rewards it.
Vehicles appear on roads with almost no warning at game speeds. Security oriented along the road is the only thing that turns that into a hold call instead of a contact report.

Common mistakes

Crossing the road as a clump because it feels faster. One burst or one vehicle takes the whole element, and this is the single most common failure on a server.
Treating every danger area as a road crossing, so a large open field gets crossed with a two man far side team and no overwatch.
Far side security stopping at the first cover instead of pushing past the edge, so the clear call covers 10 meters of a treeline and nothing behind it.
Near side security facing across the danger area, watching the crossing instead of watching the approaches that actually threaten it.
Rear security crossing early or drifting in with the main body, leaving the back trail unwatched during the most exposed moment.
On contact mid crossing, people running back the way they came or running forward into the fight, which strips both halves of a base of fire and puts men in the open twice.

The Land Navigation course and the Ranger Walk at Camp Neptune both involve cross country movement, so road, trail, and stream crossings come up naturally on those routes. Treat each one as a rehearsal rather than an interruption and the drill will already be automatic when it matters.

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Shout "INCOMING" and hit the ground / take hard cover.
On the leader's command, move out of the impact area.
Move in the designated direction, usually perpendicular to the gun-target line, in bounds.
Reconsolidate at the rally point.
ACE report, treat casualties, report the shelling up.

Key points

Do not sit in cover inside a beaten zone, get out of the area.
Disperse: one round should never get two people.
Note the direction of incoming for the shelling report.

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Run 5 and 25 checks: 5 metres before you dismount, 25 metres before you move.
On a suspected device, stop the element and do not approach.
Confirm from the maximum standoff you can get.
Clear the area, push everyone well back.
Cordon the site and deny access.
Check for secondary devices, including on your cordon positions.
Control the scene and call for EOD.

Key points

Always assume a secondary device.
Never touch, never move, never photograph up close.
Your cordon position is a likely secondary location, clear it.

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Line 1 - Location of the pickup site (grid).
Line 2 - Callsign and frequency at the pickup site.
Line 3 - Patients by precedence: A urgent, B urgent surgical, C priority, D routine, E convenience.
Line 4 - Special equipment: A none, B hoist, C extraction equipment, D ventilator.
Line 5 - Patients by type: L litter, A ambulatory.
Line 6 - Security at the pickup site: N none, P possible, E enemy in area, X escort required.
Line 7 - Method of marking: A panels, B pyrotechnic, C smoke, D none, E other.
Line 8 - Patient nationality and status.
Line 9 - NBC contamination, or terrain description in peacetime.

Key points

Lines 1 to 5 are needed to launch the bird, 6 to 9 can follow.
Do not throw marking smoke until the aircraft asks for it.
Have the grid confirmed by a second person before you send.

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Observer identification and warning order (type of mission).
Target location: grid, polar, or shift from a known point.
Target description: what it is, size, activity, degree of protection.
Method of engagement, and method of fire and control.
Read back what the guns send you.
Adjust along the observer-target line, then call fire for effect.

Key points

Corrections are along the OT line, not your compass heading.
Bracket the target, then split the bracket.
Never adjust onto your own position; know where your people are.

The Camp Neptune mortar range scores exactly this: qualification bands and a trainer mode with per-round deviation.

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Size - how many.
Activity - what they are doing.
Location - grid or reference.
Unit or uniform - who they appear to be.
Time - when you observed it.
Equipment - what they are carrying or driving.

Key points

Report what you observed, not what you concluded.
Send it early; refine it after.

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Ammunition - what you have left, redistribute as needed.
Casualties - who is hit, how bad, who is missing.
Equipment - what is lost, broken, or unserviceable.
Team leaders report to the squad leader, squad leaders up the chain.

Key points

Run it after every contact, not just the bad ones.
Redistribute ammo before you move, not after the next contact.

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Freeze - raised closed fist.
Take a knee / get down - open palm pushed down.
Rally on me - hand circled overhead.
Enemy sighted - weapon or thumb pointed toward the enemy, then the count.
Danger area - flat hand drawn across the throat.
Leaders forward - fist to the shoulder, then point forward.
Column / wedge / line - arm shapes per unit SOP.

Key points

Signals get passed down the file, acknowledge before you act.
If you did not see it clearly, ask; do not guess.

Confirm the exact set against your unit SOP before an operation.

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