Pre-Combat

Why is important to have a pre-combat check before moving out to the objective?

“During World War II, the homeland was safe from major attacks. While there was a threat of sabotage, the Axis powers could neither project a major force to North America nor strike it from the air. Today’s security environment is different. . . . Today’s enemies include nonstate organizations. Their members and power sources are hard to find and defeat. New enemies may appear with little warning. This situation makes it impossible to determine when the War on Terrorism will end. It places a premium on operational flexibility and adaptability.” (From Field Manual 1, The Army)

Combat missions start with pre-combat checks. These inspections are an essential part of every mission. The objective of pre-combat checks is to confirm the combat readiness of the team. After the check, the team it is prepared to move out to the objective on the receipt of orders.

When preparing for a mission of any type, you must be certain that everyone is ready and everything is in order. Checks are your primary tool to combat the enemies of team readiness—apathy and complacency. It’s human nature for people to get used to their surroundings and begin to overlook minor problems. By ordering regular inspections, you will be able to correct small problems before they become big problems. You must perform checks and inspections before each event or exercise to check personnel, equipment, vehicles, and

mission knowledge. By requiring the team to adhere to standards, you ensure that every

individual and every piece of equipment will be combat ready. Equally important, pre-combat checks ensure that soldiers do not carry unnecessary equipment or sensitive combat intelligence into the battle that could jeopardize the mission should they become a casualty or captured.

If a weapon isn’t working, if a radio’s batteries are dead, if you don’t have enough water or rations, the success of your mission and the...