Battle drill

In the training of infantry, a battle drill is a kind of standard operating procedure by which platoons and squads apply fire and maneuver in commonly encountered situations. They require leaders to make decisions rapidly and to issue brief oral orders quickly.[1] In 1944, C.P. Stacey defined the practice of battle drill as "the reduction of military tactics to bare essentials which are taught to a platoon as a team drill, with clear explanations regarding the objects to be achieved, the principles involved and the individual task of each member of the team."[2]

The Ranger Handbook defines a battle drill as "A collective action rapidly executed without applying a deliberate decision-making process." A US Army publication from 2016 identifies fifteen "essential battle drills that an Infantry platoon and squad must train on to ensure success":[3]

1: React to Direct Fire
2: Conduct a Platoon Attack
2A: Conduct a Squad Assault
3: Break Contact
4: Knock Out a Bunker
5: React to an Ambush
6: Enter and Clear a Room
7: Enter a Trench to Secure a Foothold
8: Conduct the Initial Breach of a Mined Wire Obstacle
9: React to Indirect Fire
10: React to a Chemical Attack
11: React to an IED
12: Dismount a BFV and ICV
13: Mount a BFV and ICV
14: Execute Action Left or Right While Mounted

References

Ronald Haycock; Keith Neilson (1989). Men, Machines & War. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN 088920957X.
C.P. Stacey (Historical Officer, Canadian Military Headquarters) (1986) [1944], Report No. 123 (PDF), Directorate of History, National Defence Headquarters of Canada, p. 2. Stacey is quoting "the manual Fieldcraft and Battle Drill" (perhaps the British War Office's 1942 Instructors' Handbook on Fieldcraft and Battle Drill)
Infantry Platoon and Squad (Army Techniques Publication 3-21.8, C1) (PDF). Washington, DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army. April 2016. Retrieved 2022-04-04.

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[Haycock1989-1] Ronald Haycock; Keith Neilson (1989). Men, Machines & War. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN 088920957X.

[Stacey1944-2] C.P. Stacey (Historical Officer, Canadian Military Headquarters) (1986) [1944], Report No. 123 (PDF), Directorate of History, National Defence Headquarters of Canada, p. 2. Stacey is quoting "the manual Fieldcraft and Battle Drill" (perhaps the British War Office's 1942 Instructors' Handbook on Fieldcraft and Battle Drill)

[ATP3-21.8-3] Infantry Platoon and Squad (Army Techniques Publication 3-21.8, C1) (PDF). Washington, DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army. April 2016. Retrieved 2022-04-04.