Purpose: Train officers in movement and supporting cover fire when there is no other option other than moving forward or back and practicing bounding overwatch with live fire.
Learning objectives (teaching drill):
- Coordinate and communicate status and intentions with their partner(s).
- Maintain safe fire lanes in a changing environment where target availability may close or open due to the currency of gun-target lines.
- Conserve ammunition (typical ammo load-out the officer carries on-duty).
- Accurate and disciplined target-specific cover fire.
Safety:
- Shooters maintain safe muzzle direction (away from any human) and index trigger finger when moving to and from targets, reloading, addressing malfunctions, etc.).
- Monitor safe firing lanes regardless of shooter’s position.
- Coach alternately moves to each cover shooter’s position to ensure a clear gun-target line.
First layer: 2 shooters.
- Rifle and/or handgun and 3 magazines of each weapon.
- Upon command, both shooters move to cover and fire upon any target.
- Shooters will fire past their partners, firing on any open targets while ensuring clear gun-target lines. There will be times one or more targets are not clear.
- Shooters communicate on all movement (“Moving/Move,” “Loading/Covering,” “Malfunction/Covering,” “Last officer out.”).
- Using principles of bounding overwatch, each shooter makes his/her way downrange as the partner officer alternates firing to suppress suspect fire (target specific fire) as his/her partner moves and is, in turn, covered as he/she moves.
- Reloads and clearing malfunctions are self-initiated. Cover fire continues to protect non-firing shooter.
- After reaching forward most barricades, the shooters safely work their way up range, reversing the process and providing target-specific cover fire for their partners as they move.
- Last shooter exits and calls, “Last officer out.”
Second layer: 4 shooters.
- A pair of shooters works each side of cover.
- Partners are forced to coordinate their movement and fire with each other as well as the other pair of shooters to maintain safe gun-target lines.
George T. Williams, Cutting Edge Training, LLC
www.cuttingedgetraining.org
