PROBLEM. Not enough funding to send senior NCOs and Infantry officers assigned to the Mortar Platoon to the Infantry Mortar Leaders Course.
SOLUTION. Create a indirect-fire training program consisting of individual correspondence courses from the The Army Correspondence Course Program (ACCP). The courses will be in a logical progression and pertinent to the mission and emplacement of the battalion mortars.
CONSIDERATIONS. Junior officers can only participate in one correspondence course program at a time. It the officer is already enrolled in the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, he will not be able to sign-up for more courses.
SUBCOURSES. This is a listing of the courses recommended, 12 in all with 72 credit hours. There is an Infantry core basic course and advanced field artillery courses as well as other recommended related coursework. The student would sign-up for these individual courses.
Subcourse: IN0485
Title: Mortars
Description: Overview of the different organizations and types of mortar squads, sections, and platoons. Details how to operate and maintain the 60mm, 81mm, 4.2 inch and 120mm mortars. Includes operation and maintenance of sighting and fire control equipment and procedures and conduct of fire without a fire direction center. Crd hrs: 8.Subcourse: IN1055
Title: Mortar Section Leader Tasks
Description: Declinate an M2 aiming circle. Establish a declination station and declinate an M2 aiming circle. Assist the unit commander by making target recommendation, define terms used in fire planning, and prepare a recommended target list. Prepare a target list, target overlay and fire plan. Prepare a fire direction center order for the 60mm, 81mm, and 4.2 inch mortars. MOS: 11C. Crd hrs: 5.Subcourse: IN1056
Title: Infantry Mortar Field Techniques
Description: Describe the mortar field techniques. Move as a member of dismounted mortar squad (60mm/81mm Mortar), construct and camouflage a mortar firing position, construct a mortar position in a military operation in urban terrain environment, and determine an azimuth using an M2 compass. Prepare an M2 aiming circle for operation. Orient an M2 aiming circle and lay mortars for direction, boresight a mortar for deflection using an M2 aiming circle, lay a mortar for direction, use an M2 compass (ground mounted) and (carrier mounted), and boresight a mortar for elevation using an M2 compass. Supervise a squad during the occupation of a firing position, storage of ammunition and using mortar firing tables (60mm, 81mm, 4.2 inch). MOS: 11C. Crd hrs: 6.Subcourse: IN0488
Title: Mortar Fire Direction Center--Part I
Description: Record, compute data from met data sheet, record met message on DA Form 3675 (Ballistic Met Message), compute meteorological firing corrections, prepare a plotting board, identify the procedures to compute data for a fire mission, a grid mission, a re-registration mission, a polar mission, and a final protective fire, compute a sheaf adjustment, traversing and/or searching, illumination mission and a coordinated illumination mission, identify the procedures to compute data for a sheaf adjustment using a plotting board, a traversing and/or search mission using a plotting board, for an illumination mission using a plotting board, and a coordinated illumination mission using a plotting board. MOS: 11C. Crd hrs: 8.Subcourse: IN0489
Title: Mortar Fire Direction Center--Part II
Description: How to compute data to mark center-of-sector; conduct a mean point-of-impact registration and radar registration as a member of the Fire Direction Center; shift fires from a known position; compute data for a split section; and plan for the immediate suppression or smoke missions on designated targets. MOS: 11C. Crd hrs: 6.Subcourse: IN0491
Title: Tactical Employment of Mortars
Description: Overview of the role of mortars on the AirLand battlefield. Details command and control of mortar section/platoon and how mortars support both offensive and defensive operations. Includes mortar section/platoon tactics, techniques, and procedures, and mortar survivability techniques. Special considerations for the 60mm mortar section are covered in addition to combat service support operations as they apply to the mortar section/platoon. MOS: 11C. Crd hrs: 8.Subcourse: IN0493
Title: Fire Planning and Observer Procedures
Description: Information on preparing target lists, fire plans, overlays, a platoon sector sketch, and assisting the unit commander in preparing the indirect fire support plan. Also, information on performing forward observer procedures including determining a target location using grid coordinates, locating a target by shifting from a known point, polar plot, and calling for or adjusting indirect fire. MOS: 11B/C/H/M. Crd hrs: 5.Subcourse: IN0524
Title: Mortar Ballistics Computer--Part I
Description: How to identify the characteristics, components, functions, capabilities of the M23 Mortar Ballistic Computer (MBC) and how to perform maintenance on the MBC. Gives the types of memory storage, error messages, and types of data entry. How to place an MBC into operation, conduct a system self-test, initialize an MBC, and enter fire missions manually, survey and safety data/missions, and make subsequent adjustments. MOS: 11C. Crd hrs: 5.Subcourse: IN0525
Title: Mortar Ballistics Computer--Part II
Description: Procedures for computing the following fire missions using the Mortar Ballistics Computer (MBC): grid mission, shift mission, polar mission, mark center-of-sector mission, grid registration mission, and mean point-of-impact mission. Also describes how to make sheaf adjustments, how to compute a meteorological message, and how to operate an MBC using a Digital Message Device. (Prerequisite: IN0524.) MOS: 11C. Crd hrs: 5.Subcourse: IN0526
Title: Mortar Ballistics Computer--Part III
Description: How to prepare a Mortar Ballistics Computer (MBC) for computing fire mission data by conducting an MBC self-test, initializing the MBC, and programing safety data in the MBC. Also, how to compute data for traversing, searching, zone, coordinated illumination, simultaneous, split section, final protective fire, quick smoke, immediate smoke, resection, intersection, and traverse missions. (Prerequisites: IN0524 and IN0525.) MOS: 11C. Crd hrs: 5.Subcourse: IN0766
Title: Company Fire Support Operation
Description: Capabilities and limitations of the weapons systems, equipment, personnel, and elements available to assist company level officers with fire support operations. Crd hrs: 5.Subcourse: IN0511
Title: Maintenance of Wheeled Vehicle M998 (HMMWV)
Description: Identifies the procedures for performing operator maintenance (before, during, after) on the M998 HMMWV. Also, how to operate and maintain the NBC system. Crd hrs: 6.
ADVANCED COURSEWORK There are 5 courses and 37 credits.
Subcourse: FA4025 (prerequisite for Determine Target Locations and Direction)
Title: Field Artillery Map Reading
Description: Map symbols and features, using the marginal information and topographic symbols, recognizing various landforms and irregularities of the earth surface; military grid reference system using the universal transverse mercator and unipolar stereographic grids, 100,000 meter square identification, and the exact location to the point; determining direction and location; using a protractor to measure azimuth, using an M2 compass, orienting a map using the M2 compass, converting degrees and mils, converting azimuth with the declination diagram. MOS: 13B/C/E/F/M/N/T, 39C, 82C, and 93F. Crd hrs: 16.Subcourse: FA4201 (prerequisite for Call for and Adjust Area Fire)
Title: Determine Target Locations and Direction
Description: Determine target locations by grid coordinates, polar plot and shift from a known point. Determine direction to targets using M2 compass, map and observed fire fan. (Prerequisites: IS0788 and FA4025.) MOS: 13F. Crd hrs: 4.Subcourse: IS0788 (prerequisite for Call for and Adjust Area Fire)
Title: Land Navigation
Description: Map reading and map-terrain association skills and how to apply these skills to land navigation. Crd hrs: 8.Subcourse: FA4202 (prerequisite for Conduct a Precision Registration)
Title: Call for and Adjust Area Fire
Description: Prepare a call for fire in proper sequence and transmit call for fire to fire direction center; determine observer spottings, OT factor, observer deviation corrections, observer range corrections, height of burst spottings, and height of burst corrections; fire for effect, refinement, and surveillance; conduct a suppression and immediate suppression mission. (Prerequisites: IS0788 and FA4201.) MOS: 13F. Crd hrs: 5.Subcourse: FA4230
Title: Conduct a Precision Registration
Description: How to conduct impact and time registrations for howitzers and mortars. Includes selecting registration points and the use of an observed fire fan, coordinate scale, compass and binoculars. (Prerequisite: FA4202.) MOS: 13F. Crd hrs: 4.
OTHER COURSEWORK There are 3 courses and 7 credits.
Subcourse: IS8706
Title: The After-Action Review
Description: How to plan, prepare, and conduct an AAR to Army standard. Crd hrs: 2.Subcourse: IS8701 (Proponent: Combined Arms Command Training)
Title: Prepare to Conduct Training
Description: Analyze training guidance, perform backward planning, identify subtask and task steps, identify resources, select training methods, prepare an outline, prepare resource and conduct training. Crd hrs: 3.Subcourse: TR0503
Title: Motor Convoy Operations
Description: Procedures followed before, during, and after a convoy movement; planning, coordination, and commanding a motor transport convoy. MOS: 95A-D, 88M. Crd hrs: 2.