“Modern Minuteman” Team Responsibilities & Support
How Combat Service Support, Manpower, and METT-TC play a role in planning...
Many years ago when I first started on this journey I had a friend (still do) who helped with laying out a hiarchy of sorts with the roles folks might play in a mutual assistance group or with a group of merry Minutemen. From responsibilities to operation types to equipment and into planning. Below is a very condensed version of what we came up with…
Combat Service Support
Do you really have need for administrative staff functions while you’re 10-20 guys crawling through the woods doing recon? Or manning some blocking position? Or watching for rioters to drift into your neighborhood? Any time before, during, or after your adventures with guns, all those functions come into play to some degree.
Support Personnel
Combat Service Support could be made up of the following support positions:
S1, for manpower or personnel
S2, for intelligence and security
S3, for operations
S4, for logistics
S5, for plans
S6, for signals (i.e., communications or IT)
No, you’re not going to do S1 paperwork while out on patrol. But you might need to annotate a cache report. Like the remote grave where you buried a friend killed far from home. Or take a witness statement after something controversial occurs. Like when a fatal shooting, reported rape/theft, or serious accident occurs. You might be held legally culpable for certain events after normalcy returns. You might want the designated S2 to put out a daily situational update to your patrol. A news update & weather forecast (gleaned from a portable FM radio or smart phone) to the entire group. Or your S4 gets tasked to go find a new ride or a tow truck. Or gets tasked to go down to that farm & buy some chickens & potatoes so you can all fill your bellies.
Don’t let anyone tell you that you haven’t a need for staff functions when you choose to arm a group of people to conduct direct combat. That’s an amateur hour way of thinking.
Whether during pre-event training, live mission planning, or actual execution, some sort of staff functions get called upon. If you don’t think so, you’ve never done it for real. So don’t discount the need to delegate the work load across even a very small element. Pre-assign the task categories. That way, folks already understand who is responsible for what when a situation presents itself. Have an internal staff organization SOP for even a small tactical element such as a squad.
My Team:
Regardless of the size of your group, whether it is a small squad or A team or a platoon size group, you still need to have a minimum SOP for your group even though those duties will be at the small squad level! This way you can start training with those roles and have a full understanding of what is expected! Everyone needs to be on board and be able to assign themselves the following staff assignments:
S1-MANPOWER AND PERSONNEL:
Guy 1-Responsible for detachment Medical Records/Readiness, Travel/Pay Problems, Personnel Records/Administrative Actions, Team Alert Roster, Mail, etc. (Everyone is mentally, physically, and administratively ready to go out on this mission.)
S2-INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY:
Guy 2-Responsible for Intel Updates & Situation Brief for all missions. Your designated S2 would put out a daily situational update to your patrol ot team. A news update & weather forecast (gleaned from a portable FM radio or smart phone) to the entire group. (This is what things look like and what we’re up against on this mission.)
S3-OPERATIONS:
Guy 3-Responsible for developing Concept of Operations for any mission. (This is what we’re going to do, how we’re going to get ready to do it, and how we’re still going to accomplish this mission if the main plan fails.)
S4-LOGISTICS:
Guy 4-Logistics, Supply, Transportation, & function as Paying Agents (hold the $$). (This is the gear & supplies we’ve got to play with, how we’re going to get more, how we’re going to travel, and the specialty gear to accomplish this particular mission.) He’s the guy in charge of resupply of ammo, water, rations, batteries, cold weather gear, vehicle fuel, replacement of broken/lost weapons, backpacks, boots, socks, or any other consumables. A scrounger who knows how to get things done & get the needed stuff delivered. If you can still purchase items locally, he’s the guy with the cash. Or he conducts trade/barter.
S6-COMMUNICATIONS:
Guy 5-Cyber, IT, radio, & phone networks/equipment; signal plan to include all electronic means as well as clandestine methods and visual signals. (This is who we can talk to, who we need to talk to, how we can do that, when we should do it, how to keep the other side from listening in, and contingency plans for when parts of the communication plan don’t work.)
MEDIC:
Everyone should be a minimum of 1st aid and CPR certified with EMT and Wilderness 1st Responer certifications being a bonus along with taking a TCCC course! If you can get your team to take one together than go for it!
Putting Combat Service Support into action
Upon receipt of a mission, CSS planners conduct a mission analysis to develop their initial vision, which they continually confirm or modify. To visualize the desired outcome, CSS planners must clearly understand the mission, enemy, troops, terrain and weather, time, civilian considerations (METTTC) in the area of operation:
What is the mission?
What are the enemy's capabilities and likely actions?
What are the characteristics of the AO?
Do weather and terrain favor friendly or enemy actions?
How much time is available?
What CSS factors are most important?
What role does civil considerations play?
The solution to Modern Minuteman CSS requirements is area-specific and mission-dependent.
CSS in 4 different functions:
-Offensive operations will require as much support as far forward as possible. Ready resupplies as ammunition, weapons maintenance, and first aid will be critical at this level along with communication needs and up to date intelligence.
-Defensive operations require additional ammunition and medical but will also require additional support in the way of fortification material and manpower for help in turning a defensive posture into an offensive one.
-Stability operations can serve multiple purposes, from long term supply of forward operating teams to emergency and humanitarian efforts to peace enforcement missions which may require combat.
-Support operations most critical task is CSS… Minuteman forces would offer and provide support to civilian agencies in time of humanitarian need and respond to civil unrest, emergencies and natural disasters. Being able to react quickly and efficiently to help with search & rescue efforts, medical needs, and additional security would be a valuable asset.
Modern Minuteman needs:
-Sustaining Modern Minuteman operations is a challenge for CSS planners and operational units. Each MM operation requires some combination of mature theater and contingency CSS. Modern Minuteman CSS planners apply their knowledge of conventional CSS operations to meet specific MM needs. The fundamentals of contingency CSS apply to most MM operations.
-The nature of Minuteman operations frequently imposes stringent operations security (OPSEC) requirements on the CSS system. Certain Minuteman operations would be extremely sensitive and require compartmentalization of their support to avoid compromise. Supporting CSS planners ensure OPSEC within their own activities.
-Modern Minuteman units are comparatively small and will serve and participate in a varied number of roles and missions. From long range reconnisance patrols (LRRP), to quick reaction neighborhood response teams, to coordinated assistance with local civilian governments and LEO’s.
CSS MANAGER: This person has been tasked with putting the additional support personel in place! It will be mainly composed of family and close friends that are on the same page as the rest of us!
I’ve also put together a CSS (Combat Service Support) supply list for different scenarios that the “Modern Minuteman” individual or team may encouter or possibly be tasked with. A best case scenario is that any Minuteman team have these supplies already stored at a central location and their CSS team can fulfill their role of being able to stage and deliver required supplies anywhere within their designated AO when needed! Most would depend on the CSS function they are serving at that time...
Classes of Supply
I. Subsistence (food/rations), gratuitous health and comfort items.
II. Clothing, individual equipment, tentage, organizational tool sets and kits, hand tools, unclassified maps, administrative and housekeeping supplies and equipment.
III. Petroleum, fuels, lubricants, hydraulic and insulating oils, preservatives, liquids and gases, bulk chemical products, coolants, deicer and antifreeze compounds, components, and additives of petroleum and chemical products, and coal.
IV. Construction materials, including installed equipment, and all fortification and barrier materials.
V. Ammunition of all types, bombs, explosives, mines, fuzes, detonators, pyrotechnics, and associated items.
VI. Personal demand items (such as health and hygiene products, soaps and toothpaste, writing material, snack food, beverages, cigarettes, batteries, and cameras).
VII. Major end items such as mobile machine shops, and vehicles.
VIII. Medical materiel including repair parts peculiar to medical equipment.
IX. Repair parts and components to include kits, assemblies, and subassemblies (repairable or non-repairable) required for maintenance support of all equipment.
X. Material to support nonmilitary programs such as agriculture and economic development (not included in Classes I through IX).
Miscellaneous. I Water, salvage, and captured material.
There is a lot more to this than what is shared above but it is a point to start from and build upon, especially if you are just starting out with putting a mutual assistance group together. Know the basic tenants of Combat Service Support can go a long way in your mission and long term planning.