Originally Posted by
Schmedlap
I guess my issue is that we shouldn't need a name, a definition, another staff officer, and another publication. We don't have "firepower" operations and write a publication for it and set up a functional area and make space for yet another group of desks on the TOC/JOC floor to handle firepower. We just integrate various forms of firepower, whether it be artillery, mortars, suppressive fire from direct weapons, et cetera. Likewise, I don't understand why we don't just integrate all of the assets that now concern the IO doctrine writers. We already have the assets and experience in using them. Why not continue to do so without creating another staff billet, functional area, and slew of publications?
Someone gave an example H&I fires and asked, "is this PSYOP?" I don't know if it is PSYOP, but purely kinetic operations can and do have effects that many normally assume to be IO. My favorite example occurred in OIF III when residents actually complained that we were too soft and weak because we took well-aimed shots, rather than firing indiscriminately at insurgents. They were truly angry with us, claiming that the insurgents were humiliating us and showing their strength. The support for their argument was that Kent the insurgent was slinging an entire magazine at us, while Stan the rifleman was only firing back with 3 well-aimed shots. We explained that we were trying to minimize civilian casualties and collateral damage, but this did not resonate with the city-folk.
Soon thereafter, we adopted a slightly different approach: we returned fire with 40mm, AT-4's, and 25mm, as appropriate. Hellfire strikes became more common, as did the occasional visit from an M-1. The effect was that we killed/captured no more insurgents than we were killing/capturing before, but the PERCEPTION was that we were routing them. Suddenly the city-folk were expressing satisfaction with our work. One man said, "thank you for fighting back." We weren't before? Thereafter, IEDs and direct fire attacks began to plummet and we got significantly more intelligence and cooperation from locals. No IO annex required.
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