Fire Control Orders

This lesson encompasses both the Reacting to Fire Control Orders (FCO) lesson and the Issuing Fire Control Orders lesson, and is intended to be an introduction to the topic for recruits and 1 star cadets, and revision for 2 and 3 star cadets. You can pause and rewind the video when you need to make sure you have all the information you need.

Summary

There are a number of words of command to become familiar with when issuing or receiving Fire Control Orders. These are:

• “Fire“- Indicating you are clear to engage the target
• “Again” – You need the FCO repeated
• “Stop” – You must cease fire

Each Fire Control Order is issued in the same sequence:

• Group – Who is being addressed by the FCO, eg: “SECTION”, or “CHARLIE FIRE TEAM“
• Range – In meters, the approximate distance to the target
• Indication – A method of target indication to indicate the location of the target
• Type of fire – How you should engage, eg: deliberate (command “FIRE”), rapid (command “RAPID – FIRE”), bursts (machine gun only, command “BURSTS”) or snap (command “WATCH AND SHOOT”)

This can be remembered using the mnemonic GRIT.

There are 4 types of FCO:

• Full – Where there is sufficient time to include detail about the target and who will engage (likely command “FIRE”)
• Brief – Where there is little time or the target is obvious (likely command “RAPID FIRE”)
• Individual – In situations where the section commander may issue a command to a fire team and delegate the responsibility to engage to the section members (command “WATCH AND SHOOT”)
• Delayed – Where movements of own or enemy forces are known and an order is issued in advance of the target being present (command “AWAIT MY ORDER”)

These can be remembered using the mnemonic FBID.

Fire Control Orders are delivered in the manner of:

• Clear – Give the command clearly and calmly, being concise
• Loud – Loud enough for all members of the section or fire team to hear
• As an order – With authority and direction
• With pauses – To allow for members of the section to acquire the target and adjust sights if necessary

This can be remembered using the mnemonic CLAP.

Knowledge Check

I hope you found that lesson useful and you now have the basic information you need for going out into the field and constructing your shelter. To check you have understood some of the main points, you can take our short 5 question knowledge check. The questions are selected at random and it is just for fun, your results won’t be recorded anywhere.