TACTICS SERIES: POST 4 | Speed in Combat

Speed in Combat

"Hit quickly, hit hard and keep right on hitting. Give the enemy no rest, no opportunity to consolidate his forces and hit back at you." —Holland M. Smith

When we think of weapons, we typically think of rifles, pistols, machine guns, mortars, or rocket launchers. A pilot may recognize that weapons include helicopters and planes. But an often-overlooked weapon is one of the most powerful, creating an advantage for infantry, pilots, and commanders alike. That weapon is speed. 

How can speed be a weapon? Take hockey, for example. In hockey, a breakaway uses speed as a weapon. By passing the puck quickly down the ice, one team denies the other a chance to set up its defense. Speed circumvents their opponent's ability to respond in an organized manner. 

The results of speed often go beyond the immediate goal. How many times have you seen a team score on a fast break, steal the ball, then score again? Unable to regain their composure, the victims of the fastbreak become victims of a rally. The victims lose confidence. Passes go astray; signals become crossed; tempers flare; arguments ensue. The same thing can happen in combat.

Great leaders have repeatedly stated the value of speed in combat. Napoleon said, "I may lose a battle, but I shall neverlose a minute." Nathan Bedford Forrest told the secret of his many victories: "Get there first with the most men." General Patton said in 1943, "When the great day of battle comes, remember your training and remember above all else that speed and violence of attack are the sure road to success." History's great commanders differed in many ways, but one thing they shared was a sense of the importance of speed.

In Operation Urgent Fury in 1983, the Marines moved so fast when they captured the operations officer of the Grenadian army, he said to them, "You appeared so swiftly in so many places where we didn't expect you that it was clear that resistance was hopeless, so I recommended to my superiors that we lay down our arms and go into hiding." That is what speed, used as a weapon, can do for you. 

What is Speed?

Speed in combat has two main parts: physical speed and mental speed.

Physical speed includes movement, maneuver, rapid execution of drills, and quick transitions between tasks. It is how fast we can reposition, reinforce, exploit, or pursue.

Mental speed includes rapid assessment, decision-making, and communication. It is how fast we can understand what is happening and choose what to do next. Attacking the enemy's mind is a central tenet of maneuver warfare.

Speed and Time

Speed is about controlling time. Every action in combat takes time—observing, deciding, moving, firing, reorganizing. If we complete these actions faster than the enemy, we gain an advantage.

Making the most of every hour and every minute is as important for speed in combat as simply going fast when we are moving. We never waste time, and we are never content with the pace of events. We are always saying to ourselves and to others, "Faster! Faster!" We know that if speed is a weapon, so is time.

Timing

Speed alone is not enough. Timing matters. Timing requires an appreciation for the rhythm of combat, so we can exploit it to our advantage. Timing means knowing when to act and, equally important, when not to act.

Opportunities in combat are often brief. A flank may be exposed for only minutes. A reserve may commit too early. A unit may become temporarily disorganized. Leaders must recognize these moments and act immediately.

Decisive action is our goal, and it must be timed too ccur at the proper moment. There are times to act, and times to set the stage and wait.

Relative Speed

Going fast and making efficient use of time are both parts of the answer to the question, "What is speed?" However, something else must be considered: the enemy. As with all things in war, speed is relative. Speed is meaningful militarily only if we are acting faster than the enemy. We can do that either by slowing the enemy or by increasing our own speed. Superiority in relative speed allows us to maintain the initiative throughout the operation.

Continuing Speed

To be consistent, superiority in relative speed must continue over time. It is not enough to move faster than the enemy only now and then, because when we are not moving faster, the advantage and initiative pass to him.

One way to sustain speed is to use the effects of combined arms. When the infantry must break contact temporarily to maneuver, resupply, or recover, other forces can keep the pressure on. Maneuver cannot be sustained indefinitely, but the momentum can be maintained. 

Speed and Change

To act consistently faster than the enemy, it is necessary to do more than just move quickly. It is also necessary to make rapid transitions between actions. While there are many types of transitions in combat, the important thing to remember is that transitions produce friction. Reducing friction minimizes the tempo loss it causes at the point of transition. A unit that can make transitions faster and more smoothly than another unit can be said to have greater relative speed.

Battle drills and rehearsals can be conducted to smooth out procedures for rapidly changing organizations. The faster these transitions canbe made, the more effective the force becomes.

This can be summarized by Boyd's theory, which states that conflict may be viewed as a time-competitive cycle of observation-orientation-decision-action (OODA). First, each party to a conflict enters the fray by observing itself, its surroundings, and its enemy. In tactics, this equates to adopting a hunting instinct: searching, actively looking, hunting the enemy, and seeing what he is doing or is about to do. It also includes anticipating the enemy's next moves—getting inside his mind.

Second, based on those observations, the combatant orients to the situation, that is, produces a mental image of the situation and gains situational awareness. This awareness becomes the foundation for a plan. Generally, thebetter the orientation, the better the plan. 

Next, based on this orientation, the combatant decides upon a course of action. The decision is developed into a plan that can be disseminated to subordinates for planning and execution. 

Last, the combatant acts, or puts the decision into effect. In tactics, this is the execution phase in which the decision or plan is implemented. Since this action has changed the situation, the combatant again observes, beginning the cycle anew. Boyd's cycle is also known as the OODA loop.

Boyd's theory helps define the term "maneuver." It means being consistently faster than our opponent. As our enemy observes and orients on our initial action, we must be observing, orienting, deciding, and acting on our second action. As we enact our third, fourth, and fifth moves, the time gap between our actions and our enemy's reactions widens. Our enemy falls behind in a panicked game of catch-up. Everything he does is too late. 

Thus, the military answer to the question "What is speed?" is not simple. Nonetheless, it is central to every aspect of tactics. As General George Patton said, "In small operations, as in large, speed is the essential element of success."

Becoming Faster

Now we see clearly the importance of speed. We want to be fast. How do we do it?

We start by recognizing the importance of time. Our sense of the importance of time, of urgency, must direct our actions. We must work to cultivate that sense within ourselves.

Once we have it, there are several things we can do to increase speed. First, we can keep everything simple. Simplicity promotes speed; complexity slows things down.

Second, speed is increased through decentralization. Decentralization is an important concept in the execution of maneuver warfare. How do we achieve decentralization while still retaining control? We use two main tools that provide the required control over the effort and the decentralization of its execution. These tools are mission tactics and the commander's intent.

• • Mission tactics means giving a subordinate a mission and its purpose, but not telling them exactly how to accomplish it. The higher commander explains what needs to be done and why, and the subordinate decides how to do it. This allows leaders at lower levels to act quickly as situations change without waiting for permission. 
  • The commander’s intent explains the mission's overall purpose. When subordinates understand that purpose, they can adapt to changing conditions without losing focus or slowing down. Clear intent allows leaders to act independently to accomplish the commander's intent.

A third way to become faster is through experience. Experience breeds speed. Experience gives units advantages over other, less experienced units. We can give them experience through tactical decision games, war games, field exercises, and rehearsals. These and other forms of training help reduce the stress and confusion of combat.

Another way speed gains from experience is through the development of lateral communication and coordination. If all communication is up and down the chain of command, action will move slowly. If commanders and leaders at every level communicate laterally—if we, as leaders, talk directly to other leaders—action moves much faster.

A fifth way to become faster is for the commander to position himself at the point of friction. This position may be with the main effort, with a supporting effort, or in the rear. A commander who is forward can instantly influence the battle as the situation develops. The key is to be where we can best influence the actions of our units.

Conclusion

We must be faster than our opponent. This means we must move fast, but, more importantly, we must act faster than our enemy. The aim is to tailor our tactics so that we can act faster than the enemy force can react. Our ability to plan, decide, and execute faster than our enemy creates an advantage that we can exploit. We have just discussed ways to improve our speed. 

When applied properly, speed seizes initiative and disrupts enemy cohesion. It sets the conditions for decisive action. In the end, speed is not about movement alone. It is about creating a pace of events the enemy cannot survive.