Pcc and Pci

Section

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INTRODUCTION TO PRE-COMBAT CHECKS AND INSPECTIONS

Key Points

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Tactics and Techniques Track

The Purpose of Checks and Inspections Types of Inspection Conducting Inspections Inspecting Equipment

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—attributes of Army forces with balanced capabilities. It requires Army forces to sustain a consistently high readiness level. There will be no time to “ramp up” to meet a crisis.

From Field Manual 1, The Army

Introduction to Pre-Combat Checks and Inspections

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Introduction

When your Soldiers are preparing for a mission of any type, you must be certain that everyone is ready and everything is in order. 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 safety of your platoon are threatened. As a platoon leader, it will be your job, and that of your NCOs, to ensure that your Soldiers have all the necessary clothing and equipment, that the equipment is in working order, that sanitary conditions are met, and that the platoon can operate effectively when called on. You do this through pre-combat checks and inspections. Such inspections build unit cohesiveness and prevent boredom and complacency, as CPT William Clark understood when he prepared his Soldiers for the Lewis and Clark “Corps of Discovery” expedition.

Lewis and Clark Prepare the Troops Although the [Corps of Discovery] expedition had...