TAB in the Fires Brigade - FA and ADA?

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The target acquisition (TA) battery or“TAB”—does anyone really knowwhat it does? Everyone seems to

want one, or at least a piece o one, butthe value it could bring to the battleeldhas yet to be realized ully.

It is important or the Field Artillery(FA) community to understand what aTAB does, what it can do and what itshould do. It is equally important that ourmaneuver brethren understand a TAB’scapabilities in much the same way theyneed to understand the eects broughtto the battleeld with artillery delivery

systems. In the uture, the TAB needs tobecome the ocal point o all acquisitionsystems, including emerging acquisi-tion systems and Air Deense Artillery(ADA) TA systems being employed inIraq today.

TAB Organization. Under the Armyo Excellence organization, the TAB iscomposed o three AN/TPQ-36 and twoAN/TPQ-37s Firender radars. It has anorganic target processing element (TPE)and a headquarters element designedto sustain the battery independently o external organizational-level logistics.Figure 1 on Page 14 shows the proposed

TAB organization inField Manual Interim(FMI) 3.09-24 The Fires Brigade.

Its mission, as dened by FM 3-09.12Tactics, Techniques and Procedures for Field Artillery Target Acquisition, is“locating enemy indirect re weaponsand registering and adjusting riendlyartillery in the division’s battlespacewith sucient accuracy and timelinessor attack by riendly units.”

The three Q-36 radars requently aredetached rom the battery and are directsupport (DS) to their maneuver brigades,generally alling under the organic DSartillery battalions or command andcontrol and logistical support. TheQ-37s remain general support (GS) andwork directly or the orce FA (FFA) orcounterre headquarters or the area o responsibility (AOR) they all within.

The TAB headquarters plays a ar moreactive role in managing and supportingthe division’s GS acquisition assets dur-ing high-intensity confict. However, incurrent, and more than likely in uture

conlicts with non-contiguous bat-tlespace, perhaps it is time to reconsiderthe concept o the TAB.

A TAB in Iraq—A Holistic Ap-proach. From November 2005 throughOctober 2006, D Battery, 1st Battalion,94th Field Artillery (D/1-94 FA) servedin Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) 05-07,providing GS radar coverage, primarilyto Task Force (TF) Band o Brothers,part o the 101st Airborne Division (AirAssault), operating in MultiNationalDivision-North (MND-N). BecauseD/1-94 FA deployed without a battalion

headquarters and was separated romboth its 1st Armored Division maneuverbrigades and division artillery, it ellunder the 18th FA Brigade that served asthe res brigade and FFA headquartersor TF Band o Brothers.

The battery’s ve organic radars werespread across MND-N with the Q-36scovering 40,000 square kilometers andtwo Q-37s centrally located near theFFA and TAB headquarters. The radarswere augmented with one additionalQ-36 and Q-37.

With this setup, the battery supportedmany maneuver brigades across the

in the Fires Brigade

— FA and ADA?

By Major Jeffrey S. Schmidt, FA,

and Captain John C. Mooney, FA

Firefinder Radar. An AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder radar from D Battery, 1st Battalion, 94th Field

Artillery (D/1-94 FA), is in position near Tal Afar, Iraq.

TAB

13sill-www.army.mil/fresbulletin/index.asp • May-June 2007



area o operations (AO). At one point,the battery supported every brigadewithin MND-N: 1st Brigade CombatTeam (BCT), 1st Armored Division;172nd Stryker BCT (SBCT); 1st BCT,101st Airborne Division; and 3rd BCT,

101st Division.With the Q-36 and Q-37 Firender

radars’ being organic to the new BCTs,many would argue that the TAB nolonger is needed. What purpose does theTAB serve? Clearly, a DS radar is situ-ated best within its supported BCT.

However, because there was a delugeo emerging acquisition systems, the TABassumed control o TA assets in the AORin a holistic approach. Our allies in Ger-many, Great Britain and Australia, just toname a ew, already have complementedtheir artillery locating radars with other

sensor systems in a holistic approach.One o the most noticeable challenges

D Battery aced during its recent rotationin Iraq was a murky understanding o the roles and responsibilities o theseemerging TA systems. Questions con-stantly arose: Who do they belong to?Who sustains them? Who controls theirsearch pattern?

As a TAB, D Battery supported theelding, operation and maintenance o many emerging acquisition systems in

theater. Among these systems were theUnattended Transient Audio MonitoringSystem (UTAMS), Lightweight Coun-termortar Radar (LCMR), Rapid Aero-stat Initial Deployment (RAID)/JointLand-Attack-Cruise-Missile-Deense

Elevated Netted Sensor (JLENS),Counter-Rocket, -Artillery and -Mortar(C-RAM) acquisition assets and theSentinel radar. However, nowhere indoctrine are these responsibilities spelledout. In some instances, there was greatdisparity among dierent orward oper-ating bases (FOBs) in the use, propo-nency and support o these systems.

To streamline the use and maximize thereadiness and results o these systems,it makes sense to consolidate divisionTA assets under a single headquartersthat understands the doctrine, capabili-

ties and intricacies o these systems andhow to tie them together in a seamlessTA network. What headquarters wouldbe better than that o a TAB?

I the division integrates all TA systemsat the BCT headquarters, the BCT sta lacks experience with the TA systems. Onthe other hand, a TAB has a senior NCOas the radar platoon sergeant who canmentor and train the young section chiesand help the counterre headquartersin the best use o these assets. Without

using the expertise o this senior NCO,the utility o the Firender radar maybe diminished. The TAB brings to thebattleeld the TA seniority, experienceand technical capabilities to enhance thecounterre ght.

Because a TAB is a leadership-heavybattery, it is easy to manage the divisionTA assets in a decentralized environment,

although D/1-94 FA employed a mix o centralized and decentralized control.Falling under the 18th FA Brigade orthe majority o the deployment, D/1-94FA managed its radars in a centralizedashion when it came to positioning,movement, employment and zones o search. However, because o geographicdispersion, processing acquisitions wasmore decentralized with each systemreporting its acquisitions through theclosest maneuver brigade res and e-ects cell (FEC) or battalion re supportelement (FSE).

The brigade-level radars also ell underthis centralized control, although thebrigade commander has more leewayin the daily use o his DS acquisitionsystems. A common ailing is that themaneuver commander does not haveenough experience with TA systemsand, thus, cannot employ them to theirmaximum potential.

It is up to Artillerymen to sell the meritso these TA systems and, consequently,make sound recommendations aboutwhat commanders should do with them.I acquisitions don’t result in action, there

is no purpose in acquiring targets.The warrant ocers serving as radar

section leaders (soon to be serving onlyas TA platoon leaders) or brigade systemsmay be used best in maneuver battalionFSEs as targeting and counterre ocers,especially because the re support cover-age usually encompasses one maneuverbattalion AO. They also could providethe maneuver battalion commander andbattalion re support ocer (FSO) criti-cal radar and counterre experience andunderstanding.

In addition to daily radar maintenance

and repairs, this would keep the warrantocers more than busy and prepare themor assignments as brigade counterreocers (CFOs) or targeting ocers. Thecareer development plan or the MilitaryOccupational Specialty (MOS) 131ATargeting Technician is now TA platoonleader, res battalion targeting ocer,BCT target analyst and BCT targetingocer. (See the article “FA 131A War-rant Ocers: A Career Update” in theMarch-April Field Artillery.)

Figure 1: The Target Acquisition Battery (TAB) in the Fires Brigade (Field Manual Interim

[FMI] 3.09-24 The Fires Brigade)

1 May-June 2007 •

The TAB provides—

• Radar coverage in support of division and corps

counterstrike operations.

• Reinforcing radar coverage for brigade combat team

(BCT) operations.

• Target area meteorological (Met) data support to

organic and assigned fires battalions.

• Survey control to fires brigade radars and other users.

• The development and refinement of targets and sus-

pected targets.

0-1-11 12*

* From left to right, these numbers reflect the number of the officers-warrant

officers-enlisted personnel followed by the total number of personnel.

Met0-0-6 6* 0-0-3 3*

Target

Processing0-1-5 6* 1-4-46 51*

HQ1-0-2 3*

Headquarters

(HQ)1-0-5 6*

TAB

3-9-129 141*



Additionally, as the Army is changing,proposals are on the table to combine theMOS 13R Firender Radar Operator,13W Meteorological (Met) Specialistand 13S FA Surveyor into one MOS.Based on the new TAB realignment, thiswould create a situation in which anySoldier entering a TAB could end up ineither a radar, survey or Met section. This

versatility could prove benecial, but, inact, may overload incoming Soldiersbecause they need more training on theemerging acquisition systems—trainingthey have received “on the fy” ater ar-riving in theater and assuming control o the emerging systems.

Adding ADA to the TAB. The Armyis realigning its divisions into modularcombined arms brigades with maneuver,res and eects, bringing overlappingFA and ADA in the res unctionality.In addition, the FA Center at Fort Sill,Oklahoma, and ADA School at Fort

Bliss, Texas, are creating a Fires Centero Excellence (CoE) at Fort Sill.

ADA’s mission is to protect the orce andselected geopolitical assets rom aerialattack, missile attack and surveillance(FM 44-100 US Army Air and Missile Defense Operations) , and it goes hand-in-hand with the TAB mission that involvesprotecting the orce through counterre.While ADA uses the AN/MPQ-64 Senti-nel radar to cue Avenger or dismountedStinger teams on hostile and unknown

aircrat, cruise missiles and unmannedaerial vehicles (UAVs) and provide airsituational data to command and controlcenters, the FA uses Firenders to locateenemy indirect re weapons and providetimely counterre on targets.

In the January-March 2006 edition o Air Defense Artillery, Lieutenant Colo-nel Christopher R. Mitchell, ADA,

wrote the article “C-RAM Battery—[A]Proposal [to] Place Majors in Commando Air Deense Artillery’s Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar Batteries.”In it, he advocates giving control o emerging acquisition and C-RAM sys-tems to the ADA.

This would be a mistake. C-RAMshould be an FA asset—operations in Iraqplace most o the control o the C-RAMsystems under the res brigade, basedeense operations center (BDOC) orTAB. Countering rocket, artillery andmortar attacks is not an ADA mission; it

is an FA counterre mission.That being said, it does not mean that

a uture TAB should not include theproven Air Deense Sentinel radar andthe newly elded land-based Phalanxweapon being used in Iraq to shoot downincoming rockets.

While this may sound like one o therst “battles” between the two artilleries,our proposal could become one way orthe two communities to merge as a parto the res unctionality. For example,

an ADA sensor platoon, consisting o six Sentinel radars, is part o an ADAbattalion headquarters and headquartersbattery; it should be moved into a TABand led by an ADA lieutenant. This wouldadd an ADA section to the TAB and beone opportunity or the two artilleriesto work together, providing both FAand ADA coverage and creating a radarshield that encompasses both the groundand air. (See Figure 2.)

This combination truly would create theradar shield maneuver commanders think they have in their AOs. Also, it wouldcreate an organization that controls allTA systems, both air and land, allowingother FA and ADA batteries to ocus onlyon ring their weapons systems.

Another reason or adding the sensorplatoon to the TAB is that the TABalready has organic mechanics amiliarwith and able to x the TA systems.MOS 94M Radar Repairmen receivetraining on the Sentinel radar and canbe assigned to either a Firender TAB

or an ADA sensor platoon.During OIF 05-07, D/1-94 FA sup-

ported Sentinel radars as i the sensorplatoon were part o the TAB. Underthe current res brigade organization,the only ADA ocers are in the AirDeense Airspace Management/BrigadeAviation Element (ADAM/BAE). Byadding the ADA sensor platoon to theTAB, it would help merge the branches’unctions and make a single headquar-ters, the TAB, responsible or TA, the

Chief Warrant Officer Two (CW2) Jasbir Riat and Sergeant Don Grainger from D/1-94 FA

troubleshoot a Q-37 Firefinder radar in Iraq.

Sensor Platoon

Platoon Headquarters

Sensor Section

Figure 2: The Air Defense Artillery (ADA)

Sensor Platoon. The sensor platoon

would be part of the fires brigade’s TAB

and led by an ADA lieutenant. Each of the

six sections has one Sentinel radar. (This

figure was taken from FM 44-48 Tactics

Techniques and Procedures for the Sen- sor Platoon. )

15sill-www.army.mil/fresbulletin/index.asp • May-June 2007



C-RAM headquarters and the Sentinelto provide air and ground radar cover-age o an AO.

Additionally, by bringing the ADATA system into the TAB, it orces thecorps ADA battalion to integrate into theres brigade. This also helps merge theres unctionality o the two branches,promotes cooperation and knowledge

about the two artilleries that make up theres cell within the new maneuver, resand eects unctional alignment.

Overall, the TAB is alive and well, andit can support all TA systems (FA, ADAand emerging). The 13Rs that makeup the majority o the TAB need moretraining on the emerging acquisitionsystems so they can man and maintain

those systems as well as the Firenderradars that support the C-RAM ght.

Putting emerging acquisition systemsand Air Deense systems under theTAB would create an organizationthat can serve as the headquarters orall TA systems within a res brigade.Eventually, this would lead to the corpsADA battalion’s being added to the res

brigade, providing an ADA counterrecapability to the new res brigade.

Major Jeffrey S. Schmidt, Field Artillery

(FA), is the Commander of D Battery, 1st

Battalion, 9th Field Artillery (D/1-9 FA),

1st Armored Division, in Idar-Oberstein,

Germany. He deployed his target acquisi-

tion battery (TAB) to Iraq from Operation

Iraqi Freedom (OIF) 05-07. He also de-

ployed as 1-9 FA’s Assistant S3 and the

1st Armored Division Artillery’s S during

OIF I. In the 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood,

Texas, he commanded the 1st Cavalry Divi-

sion Horse Cavalry Detachment, among

other assignments.

Captain John C. Mooney, FA, deployed in

OIF 05-07 as the Executive Officer (XO)of D/1-9 FA. Previously, he served as a

Multiple-Launch Rocket System (MLRS)

Battery XO, MLRS Battery Operations

Officer and Fire Direction Officer and

MLRS Firing Platoon Leader, all in 1-9

FA in Idar-Oberstein. He graduated from

George Washington University, Wash-

ington, DC, with a BA in Journalism and

Political Science.

On 13 March, two Editors o the Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Bulletin romthe ADA School, Fort Bliss, Texas, wonthe 2006-2007 Secretary o the Army(SECARMY) Editors o the Year, aGroup (Departmental) award.

In a ceremony held at the Pentagon,William B. Case and Kathleen M. Doylerom the Oce o the Chie o ADA

(OCADA) received Editor o the Yearaward plaques in recognition o theireditorial skills and initiative to reinstatethe print version o Air Defense Artilleryin 2006. The Armywide competition was judged by a Department o the ArmyIncentive Awards Board.

Awards were presented in the ollowingcategories: Publications Improvement

ADA Editors Receive SECARMY Award(Command), Army Editor o the Yearand Army Editor o the Year (Command).The awards ceremony was ollowed by areception in the Executive Dining Roomo the Pentagon.

The Secretary o the Army awardrecognized the two editors or superiorwriting and editing o Proessional Bul-letin 44 (PB-44), a publication tailoredto the proessional development o AirDeenders worldwide. The editors expe-dited the ADA School’s reestablishinga print version o PB-44 as a Depart-

ment o the Army PB, starting with theJanuary-March 2006 edition. Jointly thetwo editors have devoted more than 60years o active duty and civil service tothe Army.

Although the resurgence o the printedversion o Air Defense Artillery wasshort-lived (the nal print edition wasOctober-December 2006), Air Deenderswill continue to benet rom proessionaldevelopment literature in this Fires Bul-letin. Fires integrates the proessionalcontent o both the Air Defense Artilleryand Field Artillery bulletins.

William B. Case and Kathleen M. Doyle,

(center) receive the first of the Secretary

of the Army 2006-2007 Editor of the Year

plaques at the Pentagon on 13 March.

On the far left is Assistant Secretary of

the Army for Manpower and Reserve

Affairs (M&RA) Ronald J. James, and on

the far right is the Army’s Deputy Chief of

Staff, G1, Lieutenant General Michael D.

Rochelle. (Photo by Lisa B. Henry, Office

of the Chief of Air Defense Artillery)

1 May-June 2007 •

Documents

TAB in the Fires Brigade - FA and ADA?