by William Moorhead
As an Infantry Lieutenant, your time as a Platoon Leader (PL) is the peak of your first four years in the Army. You will train for it, stress over it, and only begin to appreciate it once you are out of the seat and begin to wish for “the good old days.” Unfortunately, most units can only guarantee 6-10 months of PL time. For those who excel at the position, your unit may offer you the chance to work as a staff Officer, Company Executive Officer, or “specialty” Platoon Leader (leading one of the Battalion’s Scout, Mortar, Distribution, or Medical Platoons). I was a Mortar Platoon Leader.
Most leaders recommend the Executive Officer (XO) slot because being an XO gives you more exposure to the administrative and logistical functions that run a Company. Consequently, XO positions prepare you for your time as a Commander. Taking a specialty Platoon is more enjoyable, but the professional benefit is less obvious. As a specialty Platoon Leader, your fundamental responsibilities do not change from your last PL job, but you must learn a completely new set of tactics and mission requirements.
When I learned I would become my Battalion’s Mortar PL, I was excited for the opportunity to continue being a PL in a more challenging capacity. I knew nothing about mortars, how to employ them, or how to process fire missions. I also knew that, as a specialty Platoon Leader, I would take on a much greater responsibility. Your new position as a specialty Platoon Leader will challenge you, but you will learn how to quickly acquire a new skillset, how to build mutual trust with your subordinates, and how to involve yourself in planning as a Junior Officer.
New Platoon, New Doctrine
As a specialty Platoon Leader, you must learn a new set of tactics not covered in Infantry Basic Officer Leader Course (IBOLC). While the leadership fundamentals are the same, you are a Battalion asset, and no one else can do your job. As the Mortar PL, I led the only organic fires assets in our maneuver Battalion. Likewise, as a Scout Platoon Leader, you may lead your unit’s only organic reconnaissance and intelligence assets. Because you operate autonomously and in a technical capacity, you must build your doctrinal foundation to be successful.
First, you should attend a school to prepare you for the position. Completing schools like Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course (RSLC) or Infantry Mortar Leader Course (IMLC) will prepare you for your new position and offer additional skill identifiers that will distinguish you from your peers.
Second, you must read doctrine. Talk to your new Platoon Sergeant to get a list of every applicable piece of doctrine and ensure you have hardcopies of each. You must read and understand the doctrine if you want to succeed, because you will be at the junction of different Warfighting Functions (WFFs). In your first Platoon, you mastered the Movement and Maneuver Warfighting Function. As a specialty PL, you will be responsible for an additional WFF: either Fires, Intelligence, Sustainment, or Protection.
As the Mortar PL, I had to understand how the Fires WFF related to and enabled the Movement and Maneuver WFF. Not only did I learn more about Fires than my peers, I also learned more about Movement and Maneuver by way of supporting it. By being at the junction of different WFFs, your tactical understanding will grow, and you will be more prepared to lead as a Company Commander.
Lead by Example, but Learn From Your NCOs
Like anything else in the Army, you must lead by example. Just like earning your expert rifle qualification to show your first Platoon that you have mastered basic warrior tasks, you need to show the Soldiers in your specialty Platoon that you understand and care about their tasks and drills. As the Mortar Platoon Leader, I would get on the plotting board with the Fire Direction Center and teach Soldiers who were preparing for IMLC. As the Distribution Platoon Leader, help with missions when you can. As the Scout Platoon Leader, tag along with your Sniper Section when they go to ranges (and help them pick up their brass for ammo turn-in).
Leading by example does not mean you can do it all on your own. You will have experienced Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) in your Platoon who have been experts at their job for longer than you have been in the Army. Because the NCOs in your specialty Platoon will be experts, you will need to be an expert, too, if you expect them to take your tactical decisions seriously. While you can master doctrine on your own, to become an expert you must ask questions and seek feedback. This is critical to gaining both the knowledge and respect of your NCOs.
In the Mortar Platoon, every fire mission we processed required at least one Soldier to check the other’s work. Whatever your specialty Platoon is, you need to both be that “check” when supervising your NCOs, and you need to rely on your NCOs to check your decision making. You will learn in this experience that you are able to gain your subordinate leaders’ trust, even if you started on the wrong side of a knowledge and experience gap.
Make Your Voice Heard
It is unlikely that your Battalion Commander or Operations Officer (S3) will understand your Platoon’s capabilities as well as you do. They do not have the time to understand. Just as the Battalion Commander and XO expect their staff primaries to be subject matter experts on their WWFs, as a specialty Platoon Leader, you must be the subject matter expert on your specific mission. You will be a Lieutenant at the table with the Command Teams–an opportunity that will be squandered if you do not speak with confidence on your Platoon’s capabilities. If you are not confident in what you can and cannot do for the Battalion, you will quickly find yourself out of the planning loop.
To maintain your seat at the table, be competent and confident. As the Mortar Platoon Leader, I found myself working side-by-side with the S3 and the Fire Support Officer (FSO) to create a plan that best utilized our capabilities and supported the Battalion’s mission. If I was not confident or if I did not think I needed to be in the room, fires planning would have been subpar, only creating more friction for the Battalion. Whatever your position is, you need to make your voice heard, early and often. Nobody wants to explain to the Battalion S3 at the combined arms rehearsal that you cannot range the targets they planned.
It may feel like getting the Battalion staff to take your feedback is an uphill battle, but it is a great learning experience for any Junior Officer. By being at the table, you see and understand the Battalion mission better than you do as a regular Platoon Leader, and you are provided the opportunity to give expert insight to the planners and decision makers of your unit. This prepares you for future assignments when you are in a niche job or a specialty function outside the normal brigade combat team structure. If you can fight to have your voice heard while a specialty Platoon Leader, you will be ready to dominate your first Command and Staff meeting as a Captain
Fire for Effect
A specialty Platoon is a difficult but rewarding position. I would recommend the experience to anyone. The position will challenge you technically and tactically. You will gain experience working with higher headquarters and answering to the Battalion Commander directly. And, if you did not learn it during your first stint as Platoon Leader, you will learn it this time: you can only be successful if you listen and learn from your NCOs. The most important reason you should consider taking the position? You will have much more fun than your peers who become Company XOs.
Captain William Moorhead is the former Mortar Platoon Leader of 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment at Fort Carson, Colorado. He is the Distinguished Honor Graduate of Infantry Mortar Leader Course Class 23-004.
