Theory
Definitions
- Doctrine: The French Army defines "doctrine" as the official high-level view of the nature of future conflicts, on the national state of military preparedness, and the armed forces' means of waging war. Under the current definition, doctrine does not cover tactical situations, although the word is often mis-used for this purpose.
- Military Art: The study of preparing and conducting combat actions in the battle-space.
- Strategy: The preparation of the armed forces and the nation for war. In contrast to Doctrine, Strategy attempts to solve concrete problems within a methodology established by the national Doctrine.
- Operational Art: The methodology of ordering and arranging forces and battles to achieve a strategic goal.
- Tactics: The methodology of arranging and employing units, subunits, and formations in combat. Always refers to units of division size or smaller.
- Unit: A small combined-arms force. This usually refers to a regiment, demi-brigade, or brigade.
- Sub-unit: A small unit composed of primarily one arm of a service (i.e. Infantry, Armour, etc). Generally refers to a battalion or smaller. (Some French battalions incorporate combined arms doctrine; and many units of the Armoured Cavalry Branch are designated 'regiments' even though they are battalion-sized. Thus the observer needs to exercise caution when regarding any particular military body.)
- Formation: A combined-arms force composed of several Units. (Generally a division or occasionally a brigade.)
- Battlespace: All zones of possible military operation: air, land, and sea.
- Battle Area: The zone of combat. While this may be termed the "front line" by other armies, the French increasingly believe in a gradation of control between friendly and hostile terrains.
General Principles of Tactics
The General Principles have been laid out elsewhere, and so this section identifies only overarching principles. In all cases, they are identified primarily as decision-making tools to aid a commanding officer in rapidly assessing a situation, swiftly determining on a course, and allowing immediate and understandable communication to one's superior and junior officers.
- Unity: Subunits, units and formations must maintain a unity of purpose through active and effective communication, command, and control. Basically, unity is designed to ensure the entire force fights the same battle as a coherent and effective body.
- Depth: The principle of engaging the enemy throughout the battle zone using all forces at the formation's disposal (air, armor, artillery, infantry, etc).
- Aggressiveness: Activity of purpose. An attacking unit is expected to portray aggressiveness in achieving victory, while a defending unit is expected to employ aggressiveness to lure the enemy into ambushes and battlefield situations enabling decisive counterattack.
- Surprise: Seeking out an aspect unforseen by the enemy (direction of advance, strength, timing, nature of an attack) and using it to catch the enemy in an unfavorable situation leading to their destruction.
- Mass: The concentration of forces at the time and place of an attack to achieve decision.
- Maneuver: The principle of using aggressive movement to focus mass in the battle area to achieve surprise.
- Combined Arms: A system of mutually-supporting types of units which aid each other in achieving the goals of the force. I.E., tanks require infantry, which require anti-tank support. Tanks require artillery and air support to suppress anti-tank forces.
Engagement
March Formations
The French Army moves primarily in "march formations", which are in turn divided into two different patterns: Administrative, and Expectant.
In Administrative March Formation, the march formation does not expect contact with an enemy, be it long-range artillery or strike aircraft. Oftentimes this is focused around transport by rail, airlift, or sealift resources.
In Expectant March Formation, movement is conducted under a high state of alert, with the deployment of security elements. When speed is essential and the enemy threat is light, a force shall deploy into this formation.
A division moving in expectant march formation may use anywhere from two to four march routes spread out across up to twenty-five kilometers of frontage. Reconnaissance elements may advance up to a hundred kilometers forward of the main body.
Behind the lead reconnaissance elements, but ahead of the main body, is the Forward Detachment, which is tasked with seizing crucial terrain, finding routes for the main body, and raiding exposed enemy assets if possible. It is in this role that the French heavily employ dedicated Reconnaissance Regiments, which mix motorized light infantry and armoured cars in up to three battalion-sized combined arms units. In forces lacking Reconnaissance Regiments, the Forward Detachment will often be a battalion drawn from a regiment in the second echelon of the march formation.
The Main Body is composed of two echelons. The first echelon or Advanced Guard is generally one regiment in strength, and in turn deploys a battalion-sized Forward Security Element ahead of itself to undertake screening against enemy reconnaissance elements and other security tasks. (In turn, the Forward Security Element sends squad or platoon-sized patrols up to five kilometers forward of itself.)
The second echelon consists of all of the division's remaining regiments - generally two to three in number, as well as the majority of support units.
In all cases, both the first and second-echelon regiments are responsible for deploying flank security elements, ranging from platoon to company size, as well as a Rear Security Element, likewise of company size.
The consistent theme of the Expectant March Formation, impressed upon all officers at all levels of the force, is an emphasis on finding the enemy first, permitting the formation time to react and maneuver after gaining contact. In theory, the Forward Security Element may engage to fix an enemy force in place to be outflanked and attacked by the Advanced Guard; which then allows the use of the Main Body, and then the Second Echelon.
Pre-Battle Formation
When a division expects to come into imminent contact with the enemy, the constituent units shift into Pre-Battle Formation. In general, this shift results in a unit moving from a one-column march formation into more numerous march columns. The divisional battle-drill gives rough estimates for when each type of force should shift to Pre-Battle Formation. For instance, battalion-sized units are suggested to shift at 4-6 kilometers from the enemy's forward positions. However, these distances are emphasized to be guidelines rather than strict requirements, and the commanding officer is required to select the appropriate distance based on terrain and other factors.
Meeting Engagement
In light of the focus on moving in March Formations and upon maneuver in general, a great deal of emphasis is placed on preparing units and subunits for meeting enemy units engaged in similar missions. In these cases, junior officers are pressured to make decisive and bold decisions in uncertain situations, acting within the spirit of aggressiveness. The general concept is always toward finding a way to fix the enemy in place with initial forces, outflank them with supporting elements, and then exploit success wherever possible.
In an ideal situation, the French Army would prefer to defeat the enemy entirely through a series of meeting engagements, but it is recognized that this is rarely possible.
Attack
In the event an advancing friendly force encounters a static enemy formation, the division changes to the attack mode. The division commander selects a route to attempt a breakthrough, keeping in mind the principles of mass and surprise. All of the division's major resources are focused on destroying the defending enemy at the point of the breakthrough and in the depths behind that point. Corps and Army-level assets (principally artillery) are expected to commit to these efforts on a major scale.
In general, units are expected to engage enemy forces one size smaller than themselves. Thus, a regiment will be tasked with destroying an enemy battalion, while a company will be tasked with destroying an enemy platoon. The commitment to maneuver is intended to create this favorable ratio.
Throughout the attack, though particularly at the time and place of the initial assault, division and corps-level firepower is used on a massive scale to shatter enemy defenses, demoralize the enemy, and suppress enemy defenders during the opening stages of the assault. Artillery, tanks, and infantry are drilled to operate in close concert, with the latter two elements advancing as soon as the former ceases firing. Increasingly, the French Army has been attracted to the use of Russian-style artillery rockets to deliver massive firepower in a short period of time.
After achieving a breakthrough, the division shifts back into Pre-Battle Formation to conduct pursuit. The objective in this stage is to prevent an enemy force from conducting an orderly withdrawal and regaining their footing. Where possible, mobile forces will attempt to outrun a fleeing enemy and cut off their retreat in order to ensure their destruction. Where available, paratroops may be dropped along the line of the enemy's retreat in order to seize blocking terrain, whether to ensure the destruction of enemy forces or prevent the friendly advance from bogging down.
If an attacking formation has suffered too many materiel casualties during the breakthrough, the success may be exploited either by the division's second echelon or by the corps-level second echelon, equipped with extensive fire and logistical support based on the requirements of the situation.
Defense
Defense is not seen as decisive form of combat, but a very useful one, so long as it is designed to achieve the goals of maneuver and aggressiveness. The goal of a defensive operation is to delay the enemy, attrite their forces, and allow time for friendly maneuver elements to respond and counterattack.
The French Army classifies two different methods of defense. The first is Defense In Contact. In this method, friendly forces are being actively engaged by an enemy force attempting to achieve a breakthrough. The second method is Defense Out of Contact.
In general, Defense In Contact is expected to occur in the aftermath of a failed attack on an enemy force. The unit's lead elements assume a defensive line on the best available ground while the Main Body withdraws and regroups in order to establish a main line of defense, to which the lead element can then safely withdraw.
Defense Out of Contact divides the battle area into several zones. The foremost of these, the security zone, may be quite deep, with a (preferably motorized) infantry battalion fighting in prepared positions of the platoon size. Each position receives supporting fire from the ones behind it, and in the event a withdrawal is required, the rearward positions help cover the retreat. Where possible, enemy attacks should culminate in this zone.
The Main Defensive Zone begins behind the security zone, with two distinct echelons (often of regimental size). The first echelon is designed to slow, break up, and ideally defeat the enemy attack. Meanwhile, the second echelon maneuvers either to restore the line, deal with infiltrating units, and provide covering activities for the first echelon. When armoured forces are present, the armour is generally placed in the second echelon. This helps preserve the armour for counterattacks after the enemy attack has been stopped. A successful defense should always be followed up by a counterattack where possible, in order to recover lost ground and complete the defensive victory.
During a defensive battle, engineering units are to be actively employed in the depth of the security and defensive zones in order to shape the battlefield against an enemy, laying minefields, clearing fields of fire, erecting obstacles, developing defensive positions for infantry and antitank subunits, and conducting all manner of required preparations for the success of continued operations.