Group

Infantry formations

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The FM outlines our core skills, policies and guides to ensure every member stands ready for the mission ahead.

Formations are a set way of positioning members of an element during combat. These formations are used for several key reasons:

1. Command and control: They allow leaders to effectively manage and direct their units, ensuring clear communication and efficient execution of orders.
2. Mutual support and security: Soldiers in these formations can cover each other, provide overlapping fields of fire, and maintain situational awareness, enhancing their overall survivability and effectiveness.
3. Team cohesion: By having a standard for where everyone should be, it is easier to maintain cohesion as an element

The wedge is a versatile formation that is easy to establish and control. It allows for good all-around observation and security, and can be used in the majority of situations encountered. Fire can be placed in any direction in good quantity, and a shift in formation upon contact is easy to accomplish to suit where the contact came from.

If contacted from the front or rear, the wedge allows for easy transition to a line formation. If attacked from either side, one buddy team is able to return fire whilst the other maneuvers to support them.

The fireteam leader will usually take the forward-most position, with the first buddy team to their left, and the second buddy team to their right. The fireteam leader may adjust positions within the formation based on need, such as putting the automatic rifleman to the front and the medic to the rear, but should generally avoid splitting buddy teams between the two sides.

Strengths:

• Good all-around security
• Allows balanced volume of fire in all directions
• Good movement control, even with limited visibility or difficult terrain
• Easily transitions to other formations

Weaknesses:

• The balanced forward, rearward, and side firing angles are each limited compared to other formations
• May not be suitable for restrictive terrain

Above: A fireteam wedge, led by the fireteam leader

The line formation is well-suited for advancing towards a known or suspected threat with the maximum number of guns brought to bear, and excels at placing a heavy volume of fire to the formation's front.

Strengths:

• Allows largest possible volume of fire forward and rearward
• Good troop dispersion
• Large area coverage
• Easily transitions to base of fire, bounding overwatch, or flanking maneuvers

Weaknesses:

• Vulnerable to both sides
• Allows very limited volume of fire on both sides
• Difficult to maneuver and control movement
• Highly visible due to large area coverage
• Ill-suited for maintaining stealth

Above: A fireteam line

The fireteam column is the opposite of a fireteam line in that, instead of being lined up left-to-right, the fireteam is lined up front-to-back. In other words, a single column line. Each team member after the point man should walk the exact same path as the person in front of them, to minimize risk of exposure to environmental hazards (such as mines or IEDs), and to keep the team together in low-visibility environments and on difficult terrain. When available, a role with a mine detector, such as an EOD Specialist or combat engineer, should take point if such hazards are known or suspected in the area.

A column must be used with caution, as only the point man can immediately react to any contact from the front, while the rest of the team must maneuver to support. If the team is in a column because the area is dangerous, those maneuvers are especially risky.

Strengths:

• Easiest formation to control, especially on difficult or restrictive terrain
• Allows largest possible volume of fire on both sides
• Easy to maintain at higher movement speeds
• Ideal for maintaining stealth

Weaknesses:

• Vulnerable to the front and rear
• Allows very limited volume of fire forward
• Often has poor dispersion of troops, especially with limited visibility
• Difficult to transition to base of fire, bounding overwatch, or flanking maneuvers

Above: A fireteam column, led by the fireteam leader

The fireteam staggered column sees the fireteam split into two adjacent column formations, staggered so that each member of each column is diagonal from those in the adjacent column. They should never be directly next to each other, as this prevents one team member from being able to effectively return fire when contacted from the side. Additionally, being staggered improves the spacing between fireteam members, reducing risk from explosives and ambushes.

The staggered column is usually utilized when following a road, and is useful for scouting ahead of friendly vehicles and sweeping the road for hazards. It also allows the team to maintain improved security over a single column, while avoiding walking on the center of the road. The team can easily condense into a single column on either side of the road at any time.

The staggered column does make it more difficult to effectively return fire to the front without forming a wedge, though is still better than a single column formation.

Buddy teams should create the front and rear of the formation, not the left and right columns. When the team takes contact from front or rear, this allows one buddy team to return fire whilst the other maneuvers to support them. When taking contact from the sides, it allows for the quick formation of a fireteam line, with one buddy team on the left and right.

Strengths:

• Good dispersion of troops
• Allows large volume of fire on both sides
• Better forward and rearward sectors of fire than a column
• Good maneuverability and movement control

Weaknesses:

• Fairly vulnerable to the front and rear
• Allows limited volume of fire forward and rearward
• Difficult to transition into base of fire, bounding overwatch, or flanking maneuvers

Above: A fireteam staggered column, led by the fireteam leader

Echelon left/right comprises the fireteam creating a single diagonal line going rearwards from the given side of the point man, which is usually the fireteam leader. Echelon left means the fireteam will be on the point man’s left, while echelon right means the fireteam will be on the point man’s right.

Used when the fireteam has another element covering the echelon’s weak side (the left side of an echelon right, and vice versa). Most commonly used to create a squad wedge formation, which is two fireteam echelon formations connecting to form a protective wedge for the squad leader element.

Pros:

• Allows excellent volume of fire on the specified side
• Allows good volume of fire forward and rearward
• Easily transitions to other formations

Cons:

• Vulnerable to the opposite side without an adjacent element
• Somewhat difficult to maneuver
• Not suitable for restrictive terrain

Above: An echelon left (top) and an echelon right (bottom), each led by the fireteam leader

The squad column comprises a fireteam wedge at the front, the other fireteam wedge at the rear, and the squad Leader element in the middle. The most common squad formation, it allows contact from either side to be engaged by both fireteams, while contact from the front or rear allows one fireteam to establish a base of fire whilst the other maneuvers to support.

Pros:

• Good all-around security
• Allows large volume of fire to the sides
• Good movement control with limited visibility or difficult terrain
• Easily transitions to base of fire, bounding overwatch, or flanking maneuvers

Cons:

• Allows limited volume of fire forward and rearward
• May not be suitable for restrictive terrain

Above: A squad column, led by the first fireteam leader

The squad wedge is created by having two fireteams form an echelon left and an echelon right, and connecting at their point men, usually with the first fireteam leader or taking point. In other words, wherein the fireteam wedge has a buddy team on either side, the squad wedge has a Fireteam on either side. The squad leader element is positioned behind the front of the wedge, but still within the formation, for optimal security and control over the formation.

Just like the fireteam wedge, if contacted from the front or rear, the wedge allows for easy transition to a line formation. If attacked from either side, one fireteam is able to return fire whilst the other maneuvers to support them.

Pros:

• Well-balanced for contact from the front, rear, and both sides
• Balanced volume of fire forward, rearward, and to both sides
• Good movement control, even with limited visibility or difficult terrain
• Large area coverage
• Easily transitions to other formations

Cons:

• The balanced forward, rearward, and side firing angles are each limited compared to other formations
• Highly visible due to large area coverage
• May not be suitable for restrictive terrain

Above: A squad wedge, led by the first fireteam leader

The squad file comprises the whole squad as one single column line, with one Fireteam at the front, the squad leader element in the middle, and the other Fireteam at the rear.

Just like the fireteam column, the squad file is usually used when there is a risk of mines/IEDs or other UXOs, to minimize risk of detonation by ensuring each person steps exactly where the point man did. It can also be used to maintain stealth, as the point man only needs to find a single path for the entire squad, and can easily stop the formation to avoid detection.

Strengths:

• Easiest formation to control, especially on difficult or restrictive terrain
• Allows largest possible volume of fire on both sides
• Easy to maintain at higher movement speeds
• Ideal for maintaining stealth

Weaknesses:

• Vulnerable to the front and rear
• Allows very limited volume of fire forward
• Poor dispersion of troops, especially with limited visibility
• Difficult to transition into base of fire, bounding overwatch, or flanking maneuvers

Above: A squad file, led by the first fireteam leader

The squad staggered column is created by having one fireteam in a staggered column at the front, the squad leader element in the middle, and the other fireteam in a staggered column at the rear. The formation can be done as either a single, unbroken staggered column, or with additional spacing between each element’s staggered column..

Similar to the fireteam staggered column, it is usually utilized when following a road, and is useful for scouting ahead of friendly vehicles and sweeping the road for hazards. It also allows the squad to maintain improved security while avoiding walking on the center of the road.

Strengths:

• Good dispersion of troops
• Allows large volume of fire on both sides
• Better forward and rearward security than a file
• Good maneuverability and movement control

Weaknesses:

• Vulnerable to the front and rear
• Allows limited volume of fire forward and rearward
• Difficult to transition into base of fire, bounding overwatch, or flanking maneuvers

Above: A squad staggered column, led by the first fireteam leader

Maintain the correct position in the formation set by the element leader.