Badger

SOP (Radio) - The SITREP (Situation Report)

In special forces operations, often the plan never goes according to plan. Besides a structured training regime for young warriors which teaches them to "adapt, improvise, persevere and overcome" in order to handle these unforeseen events, the fire TL (Team Leader) is constantly assessing the current situation in real time, so he can adjust tactics to the fluidness of the engagement when this happens.

Individual members of the fire team can help the TL maintain tactical SA (situational awareness) by efficient use of SITREPS. All military units are trained to use a standard NATO form of radio procedure for SITREPS. The reason for standardizing the format of the SITREP is to minimize extraneous radio traffic by creating a clear and concise common approach. Therefore, everyone listening on the radio net understands exactly the nature and scope of the enemy threat, as well as the general status of their fire team's condition. In our virtual Ghost Recon world we don’t use actual military radios, but with TeamSpeak, virtually the same methodology can be utilized.

SITREPS are either requested by the TL to clarify a specific team member's status, or they may be sent unprompted by any team member based upon changing events in his own geographic area of operations. Often a SITREP is sent as a follow-up to a standard SOP (Radio) - The Contact Report, where the sender has previously engaged (or is observing) the enemy. The purpose would be to update the entire fire team as to the results of the engagement, or any significant change in the status of enemy movement being observed. The SITREP is also a mechanism whereby individual fire team members make recommendations to the TL to alter mission objectives, the tactics being used, or suggest changes in routings that may be taken to achieve objectives. Finally, SITREPS serve as a method for individual fire team members to report any critical administrative needs or shortfalls such as being low on primary ammunition, or a perhaps shortages of specific kind of secondary weaponry (i.e.: AT/Charges) that may be needed in order to accomplish mission goals.

The form of the SITREP may be remembered by using the term EFAR:

Enemy Forces (What is their status? What are they doing?)
Friendly Forces (What is your status? What are you doing? Do you have a visual on any other friendly call-signs from other units?)
Administrative Needs (Do you require anything i.e. medical, ammo, other?)
Recommendations (Do you have any tactical suggestions for the TL's consideration?)

Let's demonstrate the use of the SITREP as a follow-up to a Contact Report using Badger reporting to |42nd| Eternal who is the Fire Team Leader.

Example with Fire Team under status condition "RED":

Unknown voice over TeamSpeak says: "Leader, this is Badger, CONTACT, Grid Reference A9, lightly armed enemy infantry in patrol strength, moving north east through woods, threat imminent, am observing."

|42nd| Eternal says over TeamSpeak: "Badger, this is Leader, ENGAGE, team disperse, go GREEN"

Badger responds by hitting a pre-defined hotkey he's programmed. This results in |42nd| Eternal seeing on his chat screen the words "Badger: cc", which gives him direct confirmation that Badger has received and understood his transmission.

.... LONG PAUSE IN ACTION AND RADIO TRAFFIC ....

Badger says over TeamSpeak: ""Leader, this is Badger, SITREP, Enemy neutralized, call-sign Karma is down, need CHARGES to complete objective, recommend maintaining defensive posture at this location until additional call-sign with requirements arrives"

Note: Use of EFAR format sequence (clear and concise)

|42nd| Eternal says over TeamSpeak: "Badger, this is Leader, understood, hold position until call-sign Turtle arrives, then continue with mission"

Badger responds by hitting a pre-defined hotkey he's programmed. This results in |42nd| Eternal seeing on his chat screen the words "Badger: cc", which gives him direct confirmation that Badger has received and understood his transmission.

|42nd| Eternal says over TeamSpeak: "Turtle, this is Leader, take your CHARGES and move to Grid Reference A9 to support Badger, team provide cover, Turtle move NOW"

42nd| Turtle responds by hitting a pre-defined hotkey he's programmed. This results in |42nd| Eternal seeing on his chat screen the words "|42nd| Turtle: cc", which gives him direct confirmation that |42nd| Turtle has received and understood his transmission.

Note: refer to SOP (Radio) - Phonetic Alphabet for details on pronouncing grid references over radio net.
Note: refer to SOP (Radio) - "cc" for details on use of radio acknowledgments.
Note: refer to SOP (Tactics) - Fire Discipline for details on use of GREEN/YELLOW/RED RoE.

Note: SITREPS can be abused and over used. They're most useful in a situation where various fire teams are geographically separated performing individual mission tasks. If the entire nine man fire team is geographically on the same ground and everyone sees the same threat, often it's redundant to send either Contact Reports or SITREPS, except if you believe that other team members can't see the actual threat, or have possibly lost SA (situational awareness) as to what's happening around them. Therefore, information such enemy activity and intentions, who (friendlies) you can see or not see, suggestions for adapting the current mission plan, or sending administrative requirements such as low ammo might prove useful. The key is to use one's own best judgment. It should be noted that if there was a higher command structure above the nine man GR team we play in this game, then even if the team were all together, the Team Leader would send periodic SITREPS to that higher authority regardless.

After a bit of practice using this technique, it becomes almost second nature and makes it much easier to communicate enemy threats, providing the team leader better command and control capability, plus improving the overall SA (situational awareness) of the entire fire team. We would encourage all players on any TacticalGamer Ghost Recon public server, to utilize this standard NATO SOP methodology for sending SITREPS as much as possible.

__________________
Regards,
|42nd| Badger
badger@tacticalgamer.com
"My Strength is My Team"
"Duty, Honor, Courage"