Training Mission #1: Forth & Back
Use a GPS (beginner) or map & compass (preferred) to establish a supply cache in the Mojave. Training Mission #1 introduces teams to basic mission procedures on a short hike to establish a supply cache.
Supply Cache Missions
Ft. Edwards is very remote and utilizes a cache system with a variety of goods and materials stashed within our AO’s. Mojave Ranger School runs frequent supply cache missions to maintain our backup supplies for a variety of contingencies and missions.
Supply cache missions are straight out and back with no overnight component and no patrol base needed. Ranger Support Teams use proper trail procedures for the tactical environment and maintain the security and secrecy of the cache location. Supply cache missions are used to train basic team procedures,
- Check in/out
- Team briefings
- Gear and radio checks
- Trail security
- Basic patrolling
- Basic team communications
- Basic team tactics
- Basic area familiarization
- Mojave Desert survival
Mission 1: Geocache/Orienteering Trail & CPR
Mission 1 uses a geocache trail to train new troopers on team positions and introductory GPS and map & compass navigation. First Aid scenarios are built-in to the geocache trail stations.
Concept: a 5-station geocaching trail. Each station has a hand-out for each team role with instructions for that objective. Each trooper gathers their team role handouts and at the end of the trail has a small manual for how to manage that exercise in that role.
Mission 1 can be repeated frequently with different first aid and tactical scenarios at the stations.
Vanilla Version
Mission 1 can be done in City Parks and public locations without airsoft guns and weaponry. Teams can train on patrolling, patrol formations, radio calls, first aid and GPS navigation even when they don’t have a safe location for airsoft operations.
Lack of a safe airsoft training area should not prevent Affiliated Clubs and freelance teams from participating in training and drill days.
Mission Procedures
- Ranger Support Teams check-in at the fort, hold a team briefing and gear & comm checks
- Teams navigate to each objective, which have handouts for each team role,
- Team Leader: coordinates for next objective, instructions for the mission scenario, patrol formations to use on the next leg
- AT L: Team support instructions
- RTO: Radio frequencies, call scripts and radio call exercises
- Team Medic: team safety checks, instructions for that station’s first aid scenario
- Riflemen: Security and team support instructions, station infantry drill
Rifleman 1
Supply cache missions are the simplest training mission and can be run as frequently as necessary for basic team training. Every team member should be proficient with basic map and compass skills.
Shoot, Move, Communicate (SMC)
Supply cache missions can be used to train the full range of Shoot, Move, Communicate topics.
Shoot (Marksmanship & Weapons Handling)
- Precision Under Pressure: Engaging targets accurately while under stress, using cover, or in changing environments.
- Weapon Proficiency: Consistent handling, including rapid reloads and clearing malfunctions (e.g., immediate action drills) while behind cover.
- Active Engagement: Providing suppressive fire to inhibit enemy movement while team members move.
- Target Identification: Engaging threats, not just firing aimlessly, while understanding environmental conditions.
Move (Tactical Maneuver)
- Individual Movement Techniques (IMT): Moving quickly between points of cover, using techniques like high/low crawls or rushing.
- Pair/Team Movement: Coordinating movement in pairs (buddy teams) or fire teams to ensure someone is always providing covering fire.
- Utilizing Cover/Concealment: Identifying and utilizing terrain (trees, berms, buildings) to minimize exposure to threats.
- Controlled Movement: Moving in a way that avoids walking into a teammate’s line of fire (preventing fratricide).
Communicate (Cohesion & Coordination)
- Verbal Commands: Shouting clear, concise commands in a loud, high-stress environment (e.g., “Cover me,” “Moving,” “Set,” “Reloading”).
- Non-Verbal Signals: Using hand-and-arm signals when silence is required or verbal communication is impossible.
- Situational Awareness: Constantly communicating team member positions, target locations, and ammunition status.
- Battle Tracking: Ensuring teammates are aware of your intent, such as when you are breaking left, right, or moving forward.
Skill Integration & Training Phase
- Individual Skills: Practicing dry-fire (unloaded) before moving to live-fire to build muscle memory.
- Buddy Live Fire: Training in pairs to build trust, refine handoff of covering fire, and synchronize movement.
- Combined Task Force Training: Simulating full-speed, realistic, and complex scenarios that require rapid decision-making and simultaneous tasks.
- Shoot (Precision & Suppression)
“Shooting” is about more than just accuracy; it is about establishing fire superiority to fix the enemy in place.
- Marksmanship: The ability to engage targets quickly and accurately under stress.
- Suppressive Fire: High-volume fire aimed at the enemy’s position to keep their “heads down,” preventing them from returning effective fire.
- Weapon Maintenance: Ensuring firearms are operational and knowing how to clear malfunctions (e.g., “SPORTS” or immediate action) without leaving the fight.
- Move (Maneuver & Aggression)
Movement allows a team to close with the enemy, flank them, or find better cover.
- Individual Movement Techniques (IMT): Skills like the high crawl, low crawl, and 3-to-5-second rushes (“I’m up, they see me, I’m down”).
- Bounding Overwatch: A team-level maneuver where one element stays stationary to provide cover (Shoot) while the other advances (Move).
- Tactical Use of Cover: Maximizing terrain features like trees, walls, or depressions to limit exposure during repositioning.
- Communicate (Coordination & Clarity)
Communication is the “glue” that prevents friendly fire and ensures the “Shoot” and “Move” elements are synchronized.
- Verbal Cues: Using loud, standardized commands like “Moving!” and “Covering!” or “I’m set!” to confirm actions between partners.
- Non-Verbal Signals: Utilizing hand-and-arm signals when silence is required or gunfire makes shouting impossible.
- SITREPs (Situation Reports): Relaying critical information regarding ammunition levels, casualties, or enemy positions to team leaders.
Hierarchy of Difficulty
In tactical training, it is often noted that:
Shooting is hard.
Moving is harder (physical exhaustion and exposure).
Communicating is hardest (stress causes “tunnel vision” and a breakdown in information sharing).