The Fires Warfighting Function: A Comprehensive Overview

The fires warfighting function is a crucial component of the Army’s combat power, encompassing the tasks and systems that provide collective and coordinated use of Army indirect fires, air and missile defense, and joint fires through the targeting process. This function plays a vital role in achieving mission objectives and maintaining operational effectiveness.

The Scope of the Fires Warfighting Function

The fires warfighting function encompasses a wide range of activities and tasks, including:

• Fire Planning and Coordination

  This involves developing fire support plans, coordinating fire missions with other elements of the force, and integrating fires with other warfighting functions.

• Target Acquisition and Identification

  This includes identifying and prioritizing targets, collecting intelligence on target characteristics, and conducting surveillance to maintain situational awareness.

• Fire Control and Execution

  This entails directing and controlling fires, adjusting fire missions based on changing conditions, and ensuring accurate and effective fire delivery.

• Fire Support Coordination

  This involves coordinating fire support with maneuver elements, ensuring timely and responsive fire support to ground forces.

• Fire Effects Evaluation

  This includes assessing the effectiveness of fires, evaluating target damage, and adjusting fire plans accordingly.

The Importance of the Fires Warfighting Function

The fires warfighting function is essential for achieving mission success in various operational scenarios. It provides the following critical capabilities:

• Offensive and Defensive Operations

  The fires warfighting function enables the delivery of precise and effective fires to support offensive operations, such as attacks and raids, and defensive operations, such as repelling enemy attacks and defending key positions.

• Target Destruction and Neutralization

  The fires warfighting function allows for the destruction or neutralization of enemy targets, including personnel, equipment, and infrastructure, through the use of various fire support assets.

• Suppression and Interdiction

  The fires warfighting function can suppress enemy activity, disrupt their operations, and interdict their lines of communication and supply, thereby hindering their ability to conduct effective operations.

• Force Protection

  The fires warfighting function contributes to force protection by providing covering fires to friendly forces, suppressing enemy fires, and neutralizing threats to friendly units.

Conclusion

The fires warfighting function is a vital element of the Army’s combat power, enabling the effective and coordinated use of fires to achieve mission objectives. Through the integration of Army indirect fires, air and missile defense, and joint fires, the fires warfighting function provides essential capabilities for offensive and defensive operations, target destruction and neutralization, suppression and interdiction, and force protection.

References

• The Lightning Press. (n.d.). About the Warfighting Functions. Retrieved from https://www.thelightningpress.com/about-warfighting-functions/

FAQs

Which unit is responsible for carrying out the fires warfighting function?

The fires warfighting function is carried out by the fires brigade, which is a specialized unit within the Army responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing fires.

What are the primary tasks and responsibilities of the fires brigade?

The primary tasks and responsibilities of the fires brigade include fire planning and coordination, target acquisition and identification, fire control and execution, fire support coordination, and fire effects evaluation.

What types of fire support assets does the fires brigade employ?

The fires brigade employs a variety of fire support assets, including artillery, mortars, rockets, air and missile defense systems, and joint fires from other services.

How does the fires brigade coordinate its activities with other elements of the force?

The fires brigade coordinates its activities with other elements of the force through fire support coordination teams, which are embedded with maneuver units to ensure timely and responsive fire support.

What is the role of the fires brigade in offensive operations?

In offensive operations, the fires brigade provides fire support to attacking forces, suppressing enemy defenses, destroying key targets, and shaping the battlefield to facilitate maneuver.

How does the fires brigade contribute to defensive operations?

In defensive operations, the fires brigade provides fire support to defending forces, repelling enemy attacks, interdicting enemy lines of communication and supply, and protecting friendly positions.

What measures does the fires brigade take to ensure force protection?

The fires brigade contributes to force protection by providing covering fires to friendly forces, suppressing enemy fires, and neutralizing threats to friendly units.

How does the fires brigade evaluate the effectiveness of its fire missions?

The fires brigade evaluates the effectiveness of its fire missions through fire effects evaluation, which involves assessing target damage, analyzing mission reports, and conducting after-action reviews.