Company-Level Cordon and Sea

(Reprinted from September-October 2004) As U. S. Armor and Cavalry units conduct combat operations to root out terrorists and bring democracy and the rule of law to Iraq, they learn lessons for future wars. The principles of war are unchanged; however, the methods warfighters use to apply these principles continue to evolve. On the current battlefield, commanders are challenged to carryout search operations, reconnaissance and detection operations, patrols, checkpoint and traffic control point operations, gather intelligence, and conduct stability operations while simultaneously protecting soldiers and U. S. security interests. These challenges were no different for B Troop, 1st Squadron, 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment when they deployed to Baghdad, Iraq. Here, they faced a dynamic battlespace that called for new methods and principles to prepare and plan for mission success. Captain Dale Murray, commander, B Troop, set out to prepare his soldiers and key leaders for a different kind of war. As an officer professional development project, he instructed his key lieutenants to codify techniques for follow-on units. This project soon revealed effective methods used by B Troop to successfully conduct patrols and raids in an effort to disrupt terrorist raids operating in the 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment’s area of operations in Baghdad. In the following articles, Captain Dale Murray and Lieutenants Christopher Shepherd, Gregory Hickerson, Michael Gantert, David Tosh, and Morris Estep share how they successfully took the fight to the anticoalition forces to capture or destroy the enemy, won the support of the local population, improved the quality of life for the Iraqi people through rebuilding projects, and prepared local law enforcement and government agencies for transferring authority to the Iraqi people. 72 —

Company-level armor and cavalry units in Iraq continue to face a dynamic battlespace that is predominantly populated by friendly people and an occasional terrorist, criminal, or anticoalition person (commonly known as a subversive element) or two. The Iraqi populace provides coalition forces with invaluable intelligence on where they think these subversive elements are hiding because they usually want them out of their neighborhoods. That said, there are two types of companies or troops in Iraq — those who have done a cordon and search and those who are going to do a cordon and search to find and capture or eliminate possible subversive elements. The cordon and search operation is a pretty simple mission in concept but may be a little more difficult when applied to the terrain where the would-be subversive element(s) may be hiding. Having led my troop through a few of these missions, practice makes perfect, and each and every cordon and search is different. The fundamental elements of the cordon and search remain the same though — outer cordon, inner cordon, and assault. The Cordon and Search Concept While the practical application of this concept depends on the nature of the objective area, a commander will typically divide his company or troop into an outer cordon force, an inner cordon force, and an assault force. The outer cordon force will usually set along the major avenues of approach into and out of your objective. They will initially focus on the objective to identify and stop personnel and vehicles that are departing the objective area, but will shift their focus away from the objective once the inner cordon is set to block vehicles and personnel from entering the objective area, preventing anyone from interfering with the search. arch Operations in Iraq — 73

The inner cordon force will move to isolate the objective once the outer cordon force is set. The force will be positioned on the three sides of the objective that the assault force will not use for entry, where they will find defilade positions in case the assault force is required to fire at the objective. The inner cordon force must block all personnel or vehicles attempting to move away from the objective to prevent anyone from escaping the objective. The assault force, typically made up of four elements, will move into the objective area last. The first element is a four-man security/support team that secures the entry point and prepares to provide suppressive fire for the entry team should they come under fire. The second element is a four-man entry team that will move through the entire objective and clear it of all personnel. The third element is a three- to four-man search team that will search the objective for contraband, illegal weapons, or bomb-making material. The fourth element is a three- to four-man detention/ collection team that secures all detainees and all contraband found. Once the search is complete and all detainees and contraband are secure for movement, the assault force withdraws from the objective. The inner cordon force will withdraw immediately after the assault force withdraws, leaving the outer cordon force to withdraw last. Planning Typically, an Iraqi citizen will provide information on terrorist forces to either a patrol or someone at a base camp. The S2 normally interviews the informant and determines the story’s credibility. Once someone has clarified the information (translation from Arabic to English is often a time-consuming process), the S2 will brief the squadron or battalion commander on the possible subversive element, and the commander will direct the S3 to order a cordon and search of the new target, if the information seems credible (credible intelligence from an informant is a matter of great debate, but for the purposes of this article, we will assume the information is credible). Immediately on receipt of the mission, the company-level commander conducts a reconnaissance of the target house to be searched. Ideally, the S3 can provide the unit with an eight- or ten-digit grid to the target house, and the S2 can provide either maps or satellite imagery. If possible, avoid sending a patrol to the area of the target house since the patrol may unnerve the target and cause him to flee prior to the search. However, the only information that an informant can usually provide is an address, which means a patrol must conduct a reconnaissance to determine where the target is located. The patrol may not alert the target, if patrols frequent the area, but the patrol does not need to loiter in the area any longer than necessary. Once a commander knows the location of the target house and the terrain that his unit will encounter, he can begin planning the cordon and search. Typically, the homes in and around Baghdad are stand-alone compounds or connected compounds. Almost every home will have a walled-in courtyard, which must be taken into consideration during planning. Normally, we encountered stand-alone compounds in the more rural areas of Baghdad away from built-up areas. The built-up areas in Baghdad typically consist of connected compounds, where two families share a courtyard wall. The actual buildings may or “The outer cordon force will usually set along the major avenues of approach into and out of your objective. They will initially focus on the objective to identify and stop personnel and vehicles that are departing the objective area, but will shift their focus away from the objective once the inner cordon is set to block vehicles and personnel from entering the objective area, preventing anyone from interfering with the search.” 74 — may not connect, but if they do, the rooftops may serve as a possible egress route for the subversive element. For a stand-alone compound, the outer cordon force should set first. Our outer cordon force was typically mounted on M1025s, so the high-mobility, multipurpose, wheeled vehicle (HMMWV) could be used to block the road, and one or two dismounts could speak with the locals. One platoon leader should be in charge of the outer cordon force to facilitate the command and control between various outer cordon elements. The outer cordon force will initially have a dual mission in blocking personnel and vehicles from entering and departing the objective area. Once the inner cordon force is set, the outer cordon force will focus primarily on blocking anyone attempting to enter the objective area. We typically moved the inner cordon force to the objective dismounted. The inner cordon force should follow one direction of attack and have clearly defined sectors of observation and fire. The inner cordon positions must set where they will be in defilade of the other inner cordon positions and the assault force in the event of a direct fire engagement. Once set, the inner cordon blocks anyone from departing the objective to prevent an escape from the assault force. While not a steady rule, we normally placed the inner cordon force under the control of a platoon leader or platoon sergeant, while the remainder of their platoon secured the vehicles of the inner cordon force and the assault force. One platoon typically makes up the assault force, which again normally consists of four teams and moves to the objective dismounted. The security/support team will set adjacent to the entry point first, prepare to provide suppressive fire to the entry team, and secure the entry point once the rest of the platoon has passed into the compound. The entry team will follow closely behind the security/support team and move into the courtyard and building using the four-man stack technique, clearing each room one-by-one.1 The entry team will normally evacuate detainees directly to the detention/collection team. As the rooms are cleared, the search team moves behind the entry team and searches for contraband or any incriminating evidence. As the search team finds contraband, evidence, or illegal weapons, they will evacuate each item to the detention/collection team, which should locate somewhere near the entry point. If the compound has more than one dwelling, the search team should be prepared to act as an alternate entry team. Likewise, once the building is clear, the entry team should be prepared to act as a search team. Despite the intimidating nature of the terrain, a connected compound is somewhat easier to cordon and search. The fundamentals are still the same, but we modified the task organization a bit to simplify the operation. We typically combined the outer and inner cordon forces, using dismounts from the outer cordon vehicles to move into the inner cordon positions. The assault force conducts actions in a similar fashion to the stand-alone compound. Units want to ensure that they have adequately addressed service support issues in their plan. They must ensure that the troop or company can easily provide casualty evacuation. To ease this process, we typically placed our first sergeant and medics in a location near where the assault force parked their vehicles and to where platoons evacuated any casualties. The unit must also plan for detainee and contraband/evidence evacuation, as well. As a final element, the commander should designate what he wants his platoon leaders to report. We usually reported outer cordon force set, inner cordon force set, entry into the target, cleared buildings, search complete, and any contraband and/or detainees found. The company XO received these reports and sent them on to our squadron tactical operations center (TOC). Preparing Rehearsals are the key to successful cordon and search operations, and while units will develop their own requirements for what to rehearse, here are a few suggestions:

• The outer cordon force should review the rules of engagement (ROE), rehearse the set up of their blocking position, and rehearse actions on contact with certain events, such as persons or vehicles attempting to pass the blocking position, a crowd protesting the cordon and search, and rock throwers.

• The inner cordon force should review the ROE and specifically focus on their actions should they identify someone attempting to leave the cordon. The inner cordon force also needs to rehearse their movement to the objective and talk through the sectors that they will observe. Additionally, the inner and outer cordon forces need to rehearse their direct fire plan to reduce the risk of fratricide.

• The assault force will usually have the most to rehearse, so commanders will want to make sure that they identify the assault force as early as possible. The entry team(s) will need to rehearse “Immediately on receipt of the mission, the company-level commander conducts a reconnaissance of the target house to be searched. Ideally, the S3 can provide the unit with an eight- or ten-digit grid to the target house, and the S2 can provide either maps or satellite imagery. If possible, avoid sending a patrol to the area of the target house since the patrol may unnerve the target and cause him to flee prior to the search. However, the only information that an informant can usually provide is an address, which means a patrol must conduct a reconnaissance to determine where the target is located. The patrol may not alert the target, if patrols frequent the area, but the patrol does not need to loiter in the area any longer than necessary.” — 75 multiple-room clearing procedures along with ROE scenarios on what to do if they encounter people inside a room and what criteria differentiates a hostile person from a bystander. The entry team will also need to rehearse entry into the compound and rooms that may be locked or blocked.

• The security/support team will need to rehearse their plan for providing the entry team with suppressive fire, as well as actions on contact with persons approaching the entry point. Additionally, the entry team(s) and the security/support team must rehearse their direct fire plan in the event that their entry into the compound or dwelling is opposed.

• The search team will need to conduct all rehearsals that the entry team conducts, since they will serve as your alternate entry team. The search team should also rehearse what to do with various types of contraband or illegal weapons and how to handle these items in a manner that will preserve this evidence for any military tribunal.

• Finally, the detention/collection team should rehearse searching detainees and actions to take if one of the detainees does not want to cooperate or attempts to flee the area. The assault force platoon should conduct a full rehearsal using buildings on the base camp as models for the objective. At the troop-level, we usually conducted either terrain model or map rehearsals to ensure that all elements of the cordon and search were synchronized for the operation. Some of the actions we reviewed at rehearsals were actions with a crowd at a blocking position, persons attempting to enter cordon areas or entry points, personnel in the target home, discovering contraband, and most importantly, the direct fire plan. Reporting is a crucial aspect of this operation, so we had our platoon leaders reporting in the rehearsal just like they would during operations. Commanders must ensure that casualty and detainee evacuation procedures are reviewed during this rehearsal. Precombat checks and inspections do not vary greatly from your normal patrol preparation, but here are a few additional items we usually took along:

• Bolt cutters — needed to enter rooms with padlocked doors or to open wardrobes that the owner has miraculously lost the key to unlock.

• Battering ram — needed to open gates or doors that may be locked from the inside.

• Hand-held metal detectors — needed to rapidly search detainees for weapons or other contraband.

• Mine detectors — needed to search the grounds around the buildings, since contraband is sometimes buried.

• Shovels — needed to dig up any items the mine detector finds.

• Zip cuffs — everyone will need these, but ensure that the entry, search, and detention/collection teams have priority on these.

• Ladder — needed to check the roof of some homes or as an alternate method of bypassing a locked courtyard gate.

• Hand grenades — patrols may normally carry these, but if they do not, make sure that the entry and the security/support teams have them.

• Miscellaneous cash — someone on the assault force should sign for some money from the unit field ordering officer (FOO) to compensate the people in the house for any damages, should the informant prove to be incorrect. Execution As the unit approaches the objective, the inner cordon and assault forces must make sure that they have allowed enough time for the outer cordon force to set before actually arriving at the target house. The locals know the sound of a HMMWV, and any subversive element, who may be home, will likely try to flee on hearing the unit approach. While the impact may not be immediate, vehicles and foot traffic (aside from curious onlookers) around the objective will decline quickly once the outer cordon is set, facilitating the movement of other elements to the objective. “Once the inner cordon is set, the assault force will approach the house to begin the critical part of the operation. We knocked on the courtyard gate and gave the occupants anywhere from two to five minutes to gather all the people in the home and bring them into the courtyard. As the people file out of the home, the entry team prepares to move into the house and the security/sup port team maintains overwatch in the event that someone decides to resist.” 76 —

Our troop found that the best method to maneuver the inner cordon and the assault force to the objective was dismounted. To do this, we used as many cargo HMMWVs as we could find to minimize the number of vehicles we had to secure (maneuvering a 5-ton truck in downtown Baghdad is not practical, but if operating in a more rural area, this may be the way to go). We occasionally used our headquarters section to secure these vehicles while the inner cordon and assault forces conducted actions on the objective, and we usually designated this same location as our casualty collection point (CCP). Once the inner cordon is set, the assault force will approach the house to begin the critical part of the operation. We knocked on the courtyard gate and gave the occupants anywhere from two to five minutes to gather all the people in the home and bring them into the courtyard. As the people file out of the home, the entry team prepares to move into the house and the security/support team maintains overwatch in the event that someone decides to resist. While this may seem like an unnecessary delay, it is imperative to ensure minimal impact in this area in case the informant gave bad information, and removing the people from inside the home eased the actions of our entry team since they could then be relatively sure that no hostiles were inside. Again, this three to five minutes is critical to the success of the operation, so we made sure that the security/support team was in a good position to provide suppressive fire. As the entry team moves into the building, they should communicate with each other to verify that their sector of the room is clear (this is a little more challenging at night with night-vision sights), and inform the search team when they can move into the next room. The search team should bring everything they find to the detention/collection team, which is also guarding the people in the courtyard. Initially, they will look in obvious spots for contraband, such as under beds and inside cabinets, using metal detectors to check various places. If they begin to find contraband or other incriminating evidence, the search team will want to increase the intensity of their search. Remember to view the occupants as innocent until proven guilty, being careful not to unnecessarily alienate them in the event the informant was wrong. As the entry team completes its task, they should act as an alternate search team to expedite the operation, since the unit wants to minimize the time that the inner and outer cordon forces must block the locals. Once the search is completed, report the findings and get guidance on what higher headquarters wants to do with any detainees or contraband, and then evacuate the detainees and contraband accordingly. We normally withdrew from the objective in reverse order by moving the assault force away first, then the inner cordon force, and finally the outer cordon force. Once we returned to base camp, we handed any contraband or detainees over to the S2 and debriefed our soldiers, especially those on the assault force. While some readers may think that this type of operation is for infantrymen, rest assured that you and your soldiers are the only infantrymen in your area of responsibility. As you begin to conduct cordon and search operations, you and your soldiers will become more and more comfortable with the operation and eventually develop your own battle drills. This is definitely an operation that a tank company can do. Typically, these operations were conducted by two platoons, each manned with 15 to 18 soldiers. Hopefully, this article will provide a basis for others to use when planning cordon and search operations. As you analyze the terrain and forces available for the mission, remember that every operation is different, and there is no “cookie-cutter” approach. However, the principles outlined in this article generally do apply to most situations and will hopefully help you in future operations. Note 1Center for Army Lessons Learned, “Small Unit Leaders Guide to Urban Operations,” CALL Newsletter 03-4, Fort Leavenworth, KS, May 2003. CPT Dale Murray is currently serving as commander, B Troop, 1st Squadron, 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment (1/2 ACR), Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is a Distinguished Military Graduate of Auburn University. His military education includes Armor Officer Basic Course, Scout Platoon Leaders Course, Infantry Captains Career Course, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, and Airborne School. He has served in various command and staff positions, to include assistant S3 planner, 1/2 ACR, Fort Polk, LA; tank platoon leader and squadron personnel officer, 3d Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment (3/3 ACR), Fort Carson, CO; and scout platoon leader, K Troop, 3/3 ACR, Bosnia-Herzegovina. “The entry team will normally evacuate detainees directly to the detention/collection team. As the rooms are cleared, the search team moves behind the entry team and searches for contraband or any incriminating evidence. As the search team finds contraband, evidence, or illegal weapons, they will evacuate each item to the detention/collection team, which should locate somewhere near the entry point. If the compound has more than one dwelling, the search team should be prepared to act as an alternate entry team.” — 77