HUMAN DIMENSION

MCDP 1

OVERVIEW

• Understanding of the physical dimensions of combat.

TERMINAL LEARNING OBJECTIVE

• With the aid of and per the reference MCDP 1 War fighting, explain the elements found in the combat environment.

ENABLING LEARNING OBJECTIVES *

• The purpose of training• The definition of maneuver warfare• Conduct of maneuver warfare• Orienting of the enemy• Philosophy of command• Shaping the action• Decision-Making

• Mission Tactics• Commander’s Intent• Main effort• Surfaces• Combined arms• Violence and Danger• Physical, Moral, and Mental Forces• Initiative and Response

EVALUATION

• COMP 3

PURPOSE OF TRAINING

• Develop forces that can win in combat.

• *Training provides both enlisted and officers a common experience, a proud heritage, and a set of values

HOW DO WE TRAIN?

• Individual Skills- Basic combat skills• Collective Training- Challenging• Critiques- Self-analysis• Professional Military Education

*MANEUVER WARFARE IS...

• A philosophy that seeks to shatter the enemy’s cohesion through a variety, focused, and unexpected actions which create a turbulent and rapidly deteriorating situation with which the enemy cannot cope.

• Bypass the Enemy’s Defenses• Relationship of Firepower to Maneuver

Warfare: Concentrate on decisive points• Objective of Maneuver Warfare: Panic, Resist• Objective of Maneuver Warfare: Enemy

cannot function• *Need for Speed and Focus, surprise,

exploitation• Human Skills and Traits: Endurance and

Courage

CONDUCT OF MANEUVER WARFARE

ORIENTING ON THE ENEMY

• Fundamental to maneuver warfare is orienting of the enemy

• Attacks the enemy “system” • Marine Corps concept for winning is a war

fighting doctrine based on flexibility and seizing the opportunity

FOCUS OUTWARD

• In order to penetrate the enemies system we need identify and attack critical vulnerabilities

• Penetrate by infiltration or a violent attack on narrow frontages at a weak point

• Get inside your enemy’s thought processes

PHILOSOPHY OF COMMAND

• Cope with the uncertainty, and disorder• Command and control must be

decentralized• Develop trust• Talk directly to one another when possible• Commanders command where they can

influence the battle

• Philosophy Of Command

• Thrive in an environment of chaos• Lack of certainty• Competency in a decentralized environment

SHAPING THE ACTION

• Establish what we want to accomplish and why we want to accomplish it

• *Commanders preserve momentum and control the tempo of operation. These events should be shaped with several options and not be restricted to one outcome

DECISION-MAKING

• Time is the most important factor • *Intuitive process which should be based on

awareness rather than habit• Made in the face of uncertainty: No right or

wrong solution

Mission tactics

• Assigning a subordinate a mission without specifying how to accomplish the mission

• *Benefits the senior commander to focus on higher concerns

• *Based on the mission the commander develops a concept of operations

*“COMMANDERS INTENT”

• Subordinate commanders to make decisions on their own initiative they must understand the commanders intent

• Must have a clear understanding of the intent of the commander at least two levels up

• Use own initiative and judgment to depart from original plan

MAIN EFFORT• Focal point upon which converges the combat

power• Priority for support• Ensures the success of the entire mission• *Commander establishes main effort for each

operation based on the mission, as they change commanders can sift their main effort

• Surfaces are hard spots-strength• Gaps are soft spots- enemy weaknesses

COMBINED ARMS

• *Maximize combat power, we must use all available resources to our advantage

• *For the enemy to counteract one, the enemy must become more vulnerable to another

VIOLENCE AND DANGER

VIOLENCE

• Greatest horrors known to humanity• Should never be “romanticized”• Is an essential element of war, its immediate

result is bloodshed, destruction, and suffering

• Fear has a significant impact on the conduct of war. War is a human phenomenon

DANGER

• Violent enterprise, danger is ever present• Leaders must foster courage to over come

fear• Experience• Self-confidence, experience, and

unwillingness to violate the respect and trust of peers helps Marines to overcome fear

PHYSICAL, MORAL,AND MENTAL FORCES

• Physical characteristics:• Loss of material, life• Terrain lost or gained• Supplies• Prisoners or materiel captured• *Equipment capabilities, supplies,forced

rations are examples

• Physical, Moral, and Mental Forces

• Moral forces:• Emotion• Fear• Courage,• Morale• Esprit

• *Mental forces:

• Ability to grasp complex battlefield situations

• Effective estimates• Calculations• Decisions• Devise tactics and strategies

INITIATIVE AND RESPONSE

• All actions are based on taking initiative or response

• Its through initiative that we impose our will on the enemy

• Reacting to the response to the opponent by negating, blocking, or counterattacking the enemy’s intention

• Counter-punch

•QUESTIONS

•What is the definition of maneuver warfare?

• A warfare philosophy that seeks to shatter the enemy’s cohesion through a variety of rapid, focused, and unexpected actions which create a turbulent and rapidly deteriorating situation with which the enemy cannot cope.

•What is the definition of commander’s intent?

• A devise designed to help subordinates understand the larger context of their actions.