Route Planning 101

As an instructor, I was evaluating a reconnaissance team on a patrol when I noticed that the point man kept bearing to the left due to the terrain. The more he veered, the further away from the route he got. Eventually, the team leader ordered a security halt.

I walked up to him to see if he knew where we were on the map. He easily identified our position. He recognized that he had gotten off his route. The terrain left him little choice.

This is what he planned:

This is what was happening:

I asked what he was going to do. He said, “Well I can turn 90° to the right and continue until we get back on our route.”

That would look like this:

“You could,” I said, “or you can just shoot a new azimuth.”

In most cases, the goal isn’t to follow your planned route.

The goal is to get to your objective.

There will always be obstacles along the way that you couldn’t have envisioned.

We usually plan under near-perfect conditions.

But reality is far from perfect.

Most plans don’t survive first contact.

Don’t get me wrong—planning is critical.

But it is what you do when the plan falls through that will determines whether the mission is successful.

Until next time—Keep Walking Point.

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