AAR A/1-7 CO FTX | Operation Final Stretch | 25OCT26 | 1930z - 2130z

[Dread.M]

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
ALPHA COMPANY 1-7
7th Cavalry Regiment
COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT​

A/1-7 CO FTX | Operation Final Stretch
Date: 25OCT26
Time (Zulu): 19:30-22:00
Server: Training Server 1
GM:
Major Dread.M
Major Rodahl.S
First Sergeant Summerfield.P


Attendance:
First Lieutenant Carr.W
First Lieutenant Mobius.T
Master Sergeant Mazinski.H
Staff Sergeant McAllen.J
Sergeant Giordano.C
Sergeant Bolte.D
Sergeant Grey.T
Sergeant Howe.T
Sergeant Reddick.A
Warrant Officer 1 Bloggins.R
Corporal Chisum.J
Corporal Spice.M
Corporal Woodford.F
Corporal Harrel.R
Corporal Fougere.J
Corporal Yota.G
Corporal Weather.J
Corporal Winters.R
Corporal Russell.JG
Corporal Rozhkov.P
Corporal McGahan.L
Corporal McKinley.K
Corporal Vara.J
Specialist Juenemann.D
Specialist Facklam.E
Specialist Burns.J
Specialist Riley.K
Specialist Moore.P
Specialist DeCann.A
Specialist Sawyer.H
Private First Class Blackburn.DZ
Private First Class Gonzalez.J
Private StClair.Z
Private Hubbeling.Q
Private Frohreich.J
Private Flame.M
Private Walls.L
Private Vega.B



If you were in attendance and your name doesn't appear on this list please contact your CoC.

 

[Weather.J]

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
ALPHA COMPANY 1-7
7th Cavalry Regiment
COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT​

Element Callsign: Prionner-7 / Helios-2
Element Leader:
Corporal Weather.J
7th Cavalry Personnel Within Element:
Staff Sergeant McAllen.J
Corporal Winters.R
Corporal Rozhkov.P

Pros:

• Casualty Count: X6 Red, X3 Yellow, X4 Black
• Good buddy aid done by all squads

Cons:

• Step off could have been quicker.
• Platoon Movement felt slow and clunky when crossing ODAs and LDAs.
• The platoon felt super congested throughout the Op, spacing wasn't really happening which caused a lot of OpFor GL fire to be effective today.
• Poor turnout from the medic section as this FTX happens during our SP time.

 

[Spice.M]

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
ALPHA COMPANY 1-7
7th Cavalry Regiment
COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT
​

Element Callsign: Flight Element (Raider-1, Raider-2, and Buffalo-1)
Element Leader: Corporal Spice, Marvin
7th Cavalry Personnel Within Element:
Warrant Officer 1 Bloggins, Roy - Raider - 2 PIC
Corporal Spice, Marvin - Raider - 1 PIC
Specialist DeCann, Aidan
Specialist Sawyer, Huley - Buffalo - 1 PIC
Private Hubbeling, Quintin
Private Walls, Lee


Pros:

• Good Operation
• Fun Operation with Squad Members
• Crews worked well together
• Good Coms for A2A and decent coms G2A

Cons:

• Coms could be more stream lined in places
• Better Type 3 Controls
• Allowance for Emergency Engagement Protocols
• Allow PIC's more lateral movement to designate targets and choose engagement
• Change from Primary Element to a support element caused growing pains and caused issues with us being able to shoot priority targets.

Admin Notes;

When building the Operational plan, I had built a stand off distance that should be called continued Type 3 Control to protect Troops on the ground. I was allowing a stand off distance of 300+ meters from friendly movement lanes that would keep it just outside of danger close. There appeared to be a miscommunication between Flight Ops and Ground Teams caused delay in actions taken by Raider to engage enemy Armor.

It was great to bring Raiders back into the Operation. The issues really lied within ArmA Reforger and Mods. We could not look through the tree canopy and were not able to really support the ground teams with the view distance. Forcing Raiders to get too close and camp just at the edge of view distance and engagement distance ideals.

 

[Howe.T]

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
ALPHA COMPANY 1-7
7th Cavalry Regiment
COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT
​

Element Callsign: Prionner-3
Element Leader: Sergeant Howe.T
7th Cavalry Personnel Within Element:
Corporal Russell.JG
Corporal Vara.J
Corporal Fougere.J
Private First Class Gonzalez.J
Sergeant Grey.T
Corporal McKinley.K
Corporal Chisum.J
Corporal Winters.R

Pros:

• Ability to move and control the battle space allowing the rest of Pioneer to transition safe through our gate.
• Movement to contact was fluid
• Giving the maneuver elements the ability to take charge when the time arose.
• Utilizing a different approach to gates allowing for a smoother transition and continue movement without delay.
• Smooth and fast transition of secession of command from Actual going down to 2 IC.
• Fast and smooth resupply from Helios.

Cons:

• Adhering to 7 Cav SOP on enemy weaponry.
• Take the time to relay all information when resequencing command back to Actual.

 

[Harrel.R]

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
ALPHA COMPANY 1-7
7th Cavalry Regiment
COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT
​

Element Callsign: Prionner-1
Element Leader: CPL.Harrel.R
7th Cavalry Personnel Within Element:
SPC.Riley.K
CPL.McGahan.L
CPL.Woodford.F
CPL.Lucander.P
PVT.Flame.M
PVT.StClair.Z
SPC.Blackburn.Z
SPC.Juenemann.D


Pros:

• Lots of fun breaching with helios
• great squad movements
• Great FTL leadership, made things very easy for SL
• Good LDA reports

Cons:

• Final building was rough, took a mas cass and would have liked to approach it slower
• Fire team bounding

 

[Carr.W]

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
ALPHA COMPANY 1-7
7th Cavalry Regiment
COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT
​

Element Callsign: Prionner-6
Element Leader: 1LT.Carr.W

Success/Failiure:

Mission success. RAF Haverbrook was seized. Platoon conducted tactical approach march using doctrinal danger area crossing techniques. Platoon occupied ORP. Platoon conducted leaders recon on objective. Platoon used SOSRA technique to breach the objective and commence the assault. Platoon reacted dynamically to the enemy and cleared fully through to LOA.

Plan/Intent:

Move tactically on foot from TAA to ORP. Occupy ORP, conduct leaders recon, attack using SOSRA techniques integrating Helios 1, hard clear south to LOA, leaning on company assets (Raider, Helios-1) for security.

Actual/Actions:

We began at the TAA and conducted PCCs, PCIs, radio checks, and final coordination. I chose to have Pioneer 1 lead the platoon for the entire approach march. They'd be followed by HQ, Pioneer 4, Helios, and finally Pioneer 3 as rear security. It took longer than I would have liked to get the platoon staged at the step off point. Perhaps some clearer flag or marker for the point of departure so that Pioneer 1 knew where to set up and the rest could have fallen in line.

We commenced movement. Grouping was quite tight. On hitting the first danger area (the MSR) I had pioneer 3 (rear element) come forward to make the gate for the platoon. I then had Pioneer 1 move across to clear the far side, and then had the rest of the platoon follow once clear. Pioneer 3 covered themselves to cross the danger areas. 5 stayed with them. This format of movement was used at all danger areas during the approach march. It was slow, and with some of the tightly grouped LDAs, felt mechanical at times, particularly at the beginning as we were getting our rhythm. However it was very secure. For an FTX, it felt like a good call to run it doctrinally rather than use shorthand.(scrolling, etc). It also enabled Pioneer 1 to take responsiblity for navigation and keep that responsibility throughout the approach march.

We took contact about 1Km out of TAA. Pionner 1 attempted to clear, but was unable to fully suppress the enemy. Pionner 4 joined and suppressed. It seemed clear within a minute that the platoon needed to keep moving and not sit on an x the enemy had identified. We bypassed the enemy position and called on aviation to support with ISR. The enemy was reduced enough that only a few remained once we had completed the bypass.

We continued movement and took contact again about 500m later. A similar process was carried out. At one point I kept Helios and 4 as the gate security and used 3 to strike right into a suspected MG position. The platoon then linked up at the next chalk point and completed movement to the ORP.

We occupied the ORP with good 360 security. There was a sense of urgency as the enemy had a sense of where we were, if not an exact lock. I chose to conduct the leaders recon anyway as I wanted Helios-1 to have eyes on the breach point before we committed. I coordinated with 5 and gave them a GOTWA and they counted us out of ORP. Myself, the maneuver squad leaders, WSL, and the Helios leaders moved to an observation point close to the cold assault position. We had eyes on the breach point and confirmed the plan. We then quickly moved back to ORP, were counted in by 5, and I have them one minute to brief their squads before we moved. The enemy was definatley getting close.

We moved to the assault and security positions, marked on map. And kicked off suppression. Then committed obscuration hand grenades as Helios and Pioneer 1 moved across the large danger area to the double fence line. Pioneer 1 provided security while Helios reduced the 2x fences and then moved on to the 3rd barrier, the cement wall blocking us off from OBJ ALPHA which was the first set of buildings on the larger objective ELUAR. Helios set demo, had pioneer clear the area, and called fire in the hole. The breach was made, Pioneer 1 pushed back in and began to clear OBJ ALPHA. I called for Pioneer 3 to move in as well, and then Pioneer 4 and 5.

Originally it had been planned for Pioneer 3 to be the assault element on ALPHA and Pioneer 1 to be security, but on the ground it wasn't practical and Pioneer 3 had too much ground to cover, so Pionner 1 pushed in while Helios provided security at the breach point.

Once ALPHA had been seized, Helios called on the radio their intent to detach to their SBF positions, and I acknowledged and released them.

From there we set up out own SBF with Pioneer 4 facing south and had Pioneer 3 and 1 strike right through the trees and move to an assault position. Pioneer 3 held far side security while Pioneer 1 cleared the 3x buildings on OBJ BRAVO. There was pretty heavy contact for Pioneer 3 on that far side. Once OBJ BRAVO had been seized, I had Pioneer 4 move up and bump pioneer 3 so they could move onto their lane and clear the Rec building and then the Admin building.

Note, there was some abiguity around building numbers, it would be good to have a clear delegation plan for who numbers buildings during PCC/PCI as it is too much for just the OIC to do all the map markers in time and do in person coordination as well.

Note, we had planned originally to have both Pioneer 1 and Pioneer 2 clear the lane that Pioneer 1 ended up being responsible for. Due to numbers at step off I decided to roll Pioneer 2 into 1. However, it made for some gaps in the plan and a squad doing two squads work in the clearing, so progress was somewhat slower and a couple enemy combatants were missed during the clearing process. Pioneer 4 ended up mopping them up as they progressed south with the other squads in trail.

Pioneer 3 took the admin building and met heavy resistance. Additionally QRF made it through the air screen and penetrated the main entrance just south of the admin building. 2x BTRs came in guns blazing and had to be neutralized.

5 set up a new LZ at OBJ ALPHA for reinserts and resupply. However, there was a long time delay in terms of resupply. Anticipated 10 minutes before more ammunition could be provided to troopers. This felt too long and if we had waited would have killed any momentum we had achieved. Resuuply ended up being conducted by Helios-1, which had not been anticipated, but was welcome in the situation.

Once Pioneer 1 had cleared their next 4 barracks buildings, I had Pioneer 3 move up to be security at the gate and had pioneer 1 continue south to the hangars. On their oush to the ATC, Pioneer 1 became overextended and suffered a mass casualty. Their succession of command was solid and called up on the radio. I sent part of Pioneer 3 to support and provide security as they consolidated. Pioneer 1 was able to finish the ATC tower and 1 and 3 set up the LOA security.

Sustains:

• Doctrinal movement during FTXs
• ORP occupation, GOTWA and Leaders Recon actions
• SOSRA actions (all the letters)
• Violence of action
• Security positions in addition to assault positions

Improves:

• Coordination between aviation and ground tactical force so that the information is filtered - too much information from aviation made it hard to know what was pertinent to the ground force.
• Anticipation of resupply needs and how they coordinate with air assets
• Delegation of map marking from OIC to 5, Squad leaders

Carr
1LT
2/A/-17

 

[Giordano.C]

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
ALPHA COMPANY 1-7
7th Cavalry Regiment
COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT
​

Element Callsign: Pioneer-5
Element Leader: Staff Sergeant Giordano.C

Pros:

• A2G net was stellar with PZ coordination
• Platoon moved very well across the movement phase. LDA/ODA crossings were recognized well. Time to ORP was within a standard range for a 1.5km march
• Learned how to have good listening skills with 4 radio freq.​

Cons:

• Personal lack of attention lead to an extended time frame for resupply to Pioneer elements