Squad Leader

Squad

You are in control of a 8-12 man squad, including yourself. The loadouts among your men will vary but generally follow a few rules:

2x Fireteams containing a FTL, AR, AAR, RAT, GRN, Rifleman CLS

Squad Composition

1x SL (you)
1xMEDIC
2x FTL
1x AR
1x AAR
3x Rifleman (Flex)
2x RAT

Mission designers are free to alter not only the squad structure, but the fireteam structure. Ensure you are aware of the assets available at the fireteam level.

Occasionally you will be assigned additional units or assets. These can include, a truck or armored vehicle, a vehicle with dedicated crew, an attack vehicle without dedicated crew, additional infantry specialties, additional fireteams, significant JIP numbers. Every specialty supports the light infantry platoon, be sure you are well versed in how to employ every asset, lean on your specialty leaders if you are unsure.

Squad leaders must be the flexible in all situations, your job is to protect and attack with your 2 fireteams, any additional assets under your command should be used to support your fireteams.

Squad Leading SOPs

Always be as vocal as possible
Always ensure your FTLs have what they need
Always mention what formation you want the fireteams in if necessary
Always ensure communication is setup prior to safe start being disabled
Always keep your medic somewhere safe but mobile
Always ensure you have supply lines setup to your fireteam leaders
Always keep yourself out of danger, but in a managing position
Always inform the Platoon Leader on what is happening within your squad
Always position your teams to support each other

Planning and Orders

Your job is to refine the plan as described by your platoon leader.

Further divide your sector for your fireteams, make additional marks of important or dangerous areas. When necessary micro plan for fireteam leaders. Ensure your team leaders discuss their sectors. Brief on what vehicles will be taken (if any) and what unit mounts where. Ask about additional questions the leaders under you have about the mission.

Management

When moving your fireteams, they can and should be used interchangeably. Either team can be an assaulting team or base team. Consider path to the area, and causalities in what unit is assigned to a role.

Try to keep fireteams close together, they should have to make minimal movement if they need to directly support the other fireteam.

Generally use squad columns for travel, and squad lines for assaulting.

When placing fireteams for defensive positions, maintain overlapping fields of fire where possible.

Forest/Jungle

For forest, jungle or general treeline movement, the overall most used formation is column. This keeps all units able to keep an eye on each other as they move through dense foliage as well as keeping visual in all directions. As soon as contact is taken, you will make a line and engage.

Most importantly keep teams in direct support of each other, too far apart can allow entire enemy units between fireteams in dense terrain.

Open or exposed terrain

Bound teams to areas of cover, use other elements to cover/suppress. Keeping your group together and watching a full 180 will help you to spot units that might be in the distance. Limit time in the open by all elements.

Urban

For urban enviroments, most common formations are column or a staggered column depending. Mostly it will be column because of keeping sectors watched and for making crossing roads and open lanes easier and safer. These are used when taking contact from a flank is more likely. It leaves the front and rear slightly weaker but ensures that you cant get hit from the sides. The safest way is to keep your FT against a wall so 1 out of 4 directions are always safe... mostly.

Roads

For roads or long paths, You will almost always want to run a staggered column, unless you have your other FT running side-by-side with you in which case it will be just a column. Staggered gives both sides a close to equal amount of firepower and visibility as the team moves and keeps the spread apart in case of very close contact.