Tuscania: the perfect weapon (2 part)

(To Giusy Federici)
28/06/17

The departure is from the Vannucci barracks in Livorno, where the paratrooper carabinieri of the first regiment Tuscania have the basis. The boys of the explorers course when, after the theory and the physical and aptitude tests, they are confronted with the equally difficult practical tests. We followed them for a few days, we saw them camouflaged in the woods, in the various and extremely realistic simulations, from the attack on the armored vehicles to the transport of the wounded. Exhausted by fatigue, they do not give up, between interdiction and counter-interdiction. And we up and down with off-road vehicles together with the instructors who change gear, bring supplies and comment on the training process and the response to types of stress: from moving in an unknown environment despite the planning on the territory made in the classroom before moving, the humidity of the nights spent outdoors, the deprivation of sleep.

They learn to advance in silence, they study the various tactical acts based on the element of surprise, they manage to move between houses and inhabited centers as in the bush, to wait patiently for the helicopter that brings supplies and to be quick to re-enter the foliage, to not to be intercepted by the counter-ban. And this is still nothing, because then it will be the turn of the survival courses, of the capture, of the interrogations, of the escape. All simulated in a credible way, because this is what could happen in a mission and not necessarily in a crisis area abroad. You have to be prepared: for yourself, for the team and for any civilians to always protect. If he passes the course, the paratrooper carabiniere passes through the Battalion, where, among the operational activities, he further specializes in aviation with the free fall technique, in advanced shooting with unit and individual weapons, in the use of special materials and in various combat techniques.

The course for explorers of the Tuscania it happens through the overcoming of training packages. Among these, the one that prepares for the management of the wounded, their transport, their securing, always tactically, concealed, to avoid compromising with the counter-contradictory elements. Going to the technician, how is this type of exercise structured from the inside?

"After the tactical act, attack and defense, it also simulates the possible injury of someone and sometimes it really happens that you can hurt yourself. If there are wounded, these must be evacuated, with the procedure called Medevac / Casevac (medical evacuation / casualty evacuation: the staff, that is, must be stabilized by the unit that is facing the activity and, subsequently, extracted from the area for be treated correctly, in a suitable medical context.There are some forms to be provided to the superior command, there are indications that are given to the medical staff who receives the injured person and, after this, if it is considered that there are still the conditions, it is assumed that the group continues the mission", Explains the marshal of the regiment Tuscania Paolo Donati, during the journey to one of the places of exploration students' exercises.

"Counter-ban also plays a fundamental role. Each one operates on the basis of an order of operation, whether they are the "friendly" forces as well as the "enemy" ones: it is a large exercise that must be coordinated, where in interdiction we have the trained unit of the students with an instructor in tow and a series of tactical acts to be performed. While, in counter-ban, we have already effective personnel in the regiment, which has received an operation order for the defense of a territory and sensitive targets, which must be somehow protected from the aggressive action of these infiltrated students.".

Has a careful study of the territory and the unknowns been made by both groups?

Clearly, nobody knows the order of operation of the other, we know the salient data, the counter-interdiction forces absolutely must make an analysis of the mission, as did our students before being sent to practice. The mission involves a series of evaluations on what are the operational variables, the political, military, economic, infrastructures and then, going more into the tactical, we talk about the analysis of the mission, the enemy, the friendly troops, the time to provision, assessments on the presence of civilians, etc. We also study the terrain and all its aspects, from observation and fields of fire, to weather, to obstacles that can be found, to the so-called lines of approach to a given objective, to key land, etc.

It is an analysis of the mission that both groups make and the counter-ban intervenes by having very specific objectives that must be protected and safeguarded while looking for the opposing forces at the same time. All the hypotheses are considered, trying to arrange oneself on the ground in an adequate way to succeed in the intent. It is clear that the more counter-ban forces I have at my disposal, the more I can afford the luxury of distributing them in a varied and diversified manner. On the contrary, with less strength to rely on, I have to study even more carefully the terrain and the other variables of the mission, to try to understand what the modus operandi of our students will be. For example, I can employ forces that are statically disposed on the ground, along those routes which, from the analysis of the mission, are favorable for the capture of the opposing forces. The method is of observation, alarm and subsequent capture. Especially at night.

Another modality that the counter-ban uses is that of dynamic movements: that is, it can move on vehicles, with patrols structured in a similar way to those of interdiction, but with specific tasks for their capture. Let's say that both realities are inside an exercise that has the overall vision of things: even the interdiction forces have in turn a staff that plans, prepares and then carries out this type of activity.

Does this type of exercise serve both on the national territory and on a mission abroad?

They are definitely not everyday exercises. But they are the common basis of forces of a certain level. At some point in the preparation of a military unit, various aspects of military principles are put into place. The aim is to operate in various articulated and complex environments, where technology helps up to a certain point and the presence of trained personnel is required and human value is crucial.

Command and control, communication, computer management and information and planning skills are highlighted. Decision-making processes are essential, such as contingency and emergency plans. It is a whole series of principles that are then called into question when there is a prolonged effort over time, with an immediate availability of resources, where it is necessary to maintain a certain degree of "occulity".

In these cases, even a simple plan for powering personnel or batteries to communicate via radio should not be taken for granted, but carefully planned. Orientation, the ability to sustain sleep deprivation as well as food deprivation, are all part of a mindset which, returning to its question, makes it possible to move in difficult territories and, internationally, to be able to operate in remote areas. .

What is important to emphasize, in this type of activity, are the preparatory phases before the action, that is, careful planning, which accustoms to trying to limit the risks that are militarily faced in our type of work. Risks that must be evaluated, qualified and eventually accepted, as appropriate.

At every level of the personnel that is inserted in the trained unit, there is certainly resistance to a certain type of psycho-physical stress, which is very difficult to manage when it is prolonged for a long time.

Then, analyzing the type of action performed, one must always evaluate what had to happen and what really happened, what are the positive and negative sides. Even during the training phase, from the didactic point of view, it is also very important to underline the positive aspects of the actions of the trained personnel. There is always growth, there is always awareness that we can improve.

The mission, in any operational theater, is therefore something that should be planned according to criteria that are not only strategic but also psychological, under the banner of problem solving, which is also part of the management of stress?

The study is aimed at the so-called operational environment, consisting of various aspects: political, military, economic, social, infrastructure, etc. In this way, you have an overview at a strategic / operational level of what the operational environment is and all this serves to have an all-encompassing vision and to keep the situation under control.

All aspects related to the mission and its variables must be considered, which are the mission itself, the elements that compose it, the troops, the time available and the considerations on civilians. The center of gravity of everything is rightly given by the civilian population. The same territory, in turn, is characterized by various aspects, which we have already mentioned, by its possibilities of observation and fields of fire, by cover and concealment, by the obstacles that I can find, such as a dam, inaccessible mountains, a river. And they don't necessarily have to be marked on the map.

Here I open a parenthesis: with the planning, obviously every aspect is analyzed, considering that there could be some changes to be implemented suddenly. The mission becomes definitive only when the goal is reached, intended as a target, because only with the direct vision of the same, the hypotheses emerged previously are confirmed.

What has been seen on a map or satellite image can eventually be corrected and integrated in the field. All this while also following the "key terrains": a height, a hill, a bridge, are all aspects that concern the terrain, as well as, at a strategic level, they can be a road, an airport, any type of road network and, in the even more tactical context, a path, a carriage road, something maritime, or underground, from above, etc. The analysis of the mission, for example, can lead to the launch of paratroopers, with the technique of free fall or with a bridle rope.

So, the launch of the paratroopers on mission is an integral part of the analysis, but is evaluated on the moment whether to put it into practice or not?

It depends on what the situation requires this type of professionalism. In the Gulf War, in Iraq, the American paratroopers jumped but there were certain assumptions. It depends on the type of assessment on enemy forces, on the numerical, on what type of maneuver is carried out on the ground, etc.

After the considerations on the type of terrain, there is the second planning step, the assessments on the weather, which have a great influence on the operations: rainfall, visibility, dusk, humidity, wind speed. These are all things that must be taken into consideration, in a strategic / operational level that is not ours, because the strategic level is above the brigade level which, while being large unity, does not express a strategic and operational level but rather tactical, contrary to what one might think. We, when carrying out this type of business, must bear in mind all these factors.

But beyond the planning there is also the factor "unknown", which can not be excluded. How much does it weigh in the evaluation?

Here we return to what it is to foresee the eventualities that may arise. The assessment of this type of problem must be integrated into your planning process. That is, it is necessary to consider all those eventualities that may affect the activity and evaluate how they could occur, making sure to moderate them. To clarify: “In the event that problem A occurs, what can I take as a countermeasure to mitigate it?”. On the one hand, I have as a hypothesis the gravity of a fact and on the other the probability that it will occur: abscissa and ordinate, which provide me with a result on which I can then focus more or less attention and submit it to the Higher Command. And, in any case, for a tactical level like the one that is now in the field (the course for explorers, ed) we have personnel who are chosen to deal with certain aspects of planning which, highlighted, give a result whose final decision is in any case always taken by the commander.

The so-called "named areas of interest" are, for example, geographical areas where, if I verify the presence of the enemy, the confirmation of certain hypotheses about the enemy himself and his behavior, more probable and more dangerous, also arrives. understand in advance a situation on the ground. It is an activity that is first planned in every aspect and then we leave for the mission itself, in a cycle that is continuous and where we must deal with all these phases at every moment.

Also read "Tuscania: the perfect weapon (1 part)"

The author and the management of Difesa Online thank, for the availability, support and advice received, the General Command of the Carabinieri, the commander of the regiment Tuscania with the. Francesco Marra, the commander of the training department Tuscania ten. with the. Neil Dario, Maj. Andrea Corinaldesi of the press office of the General Command, Maj. Massimiliano Bolis of the OAI office of Tuscania, all the instructors and men of the regiment who, for various reasons, have allowed the realization of the service.

(photo of the author)