Chapter 5: Battle Drills

The OPFOR derives great flexibility from battle drills. Unlike the U.S. view that battle drill, especially at higher levels, reduces flexibility, the OPFOR uses minor, simple, and clear modifications to thoroughly understood and practiced battle drills to adapt to ever-shifting conditions. It does not write standard procedures into  its combat orders and does not write new orders when a simple shift from current formations and organization will do.

Purpose of Battle Drills

The purpose of battle drills is to achieve advantage in controlling the tempo of combat. They allow OPFOR units to perform basic combat functions without hesitation or need for further coordination, assistance, or delay. Battle drills are intended to be the baseline of tactical competence for the OPFOR. Once able to execute all battle drills, units can be directed to act with concise and rapidly formulated combat orders.

The OPFOR uses battle drills to make the execution of basic tactical tasks that  are  standard throughout the OPFOR. Battle drills are not designed for a specific unit type, but rather represent a common methodology for executing common, recurring tasks at the tactical level. They are conducted in both offensive and defensive operations.

Battle drills are detachment-level tactical tasks carried out by functionally organized elements performing various subtasks. The composition of such elements will vary depending on the type of force and the operational environment. However, the subtask(s) each element performs in a given battle drill will be the same for any tactical unit. Most battle drills focus on enabling functions that facilitate the primary action of a larger tactical mission.