1-24. The squad leader and two team leaders provide the squad with command and control. Additionally, the squad has two rifleman, two automatic rifleman, and two grenadiers.
Squad Leader
1-25. The squad leader directs team leaders and leads by personal example. The squad leader is responsible for the accountability of squad members, has authority over subordinates, and overall responsibility of those subordinates’ actions. Centralized authority enables the squad leader to act decisively while maintaining troop discipline and unity. Under the fluid conditions of close combat, the squad leader accomplishes assigned missions without constant guidance from higher headquarters.
1-26. The squad leader is the senior Infantry Soldier in the squad and is responsible for everything the squad does or fails to do. The squad leader is responsible for the care of the squad’s Soldiers, weapons, discipline, and equipment, and leads the squad through two team leaders. During operations, the squad leader—
- Acts as the subject matter expert on all squad-level battle drills and individual Soldier tasks.
- Acts as the subject matter expert for the squad’s organic weapons employment and employment of supporting assets.
- Knows weapon effects, surface danger zones, and risk estimate distances for munitions used by and with the squad.
- Uses control measures for direct fire, indirect fire, and tactical movement effectively.
- Controls the movement of the squad and its rate and distribution of direct fires.
- Controls the employment of indirect fires within the squad (including call for and adjust fire).
- Fights the close fight by fire and movement with two fire teams and available supporting weapons.
- Selects the fire team’s general location and initial sector of fires.
- Communicates timely and accurate situation reports and status reports including—
- Size, activity, location, unit, time, and equipment (SALUTE) spot reports.
- Status to the platoon leader (including squad location and progress, enemy situation, enemy killed in action, and security posture).
- Status of ammunition, casualties, and equipment to the platoon sergeant.
- Employs digital command and control systems available to the squad and platoon.
- Ensures Soldiers maintain all equipment and account for equipment and supplies.
- Operates in all environments.
- Conducts TLP.
- Coaches, counsels, and mentors team leaders.
- Assumes duties as the platoon sergeant or platoon leader as required.
- Understands the mission and commander’s intent two levels up (platoon and company).
Team Leader
1-27. The team leader leads the rifle team members by personal example, is responsible for accountability of team members, and has authority over subordinates and overall responsibility of their actions. Centralized authority enables the team leader to maintain discipline and unity and to act decisively. Under the fluid conditions of close combat, the team leader accomplishes assigned missions using initiative without needing constant guidance from higher headquarters.
1-28. The team leader’s position on the battlefield requires immediacy and accuracy in all performed actions and is a fighting leader who leads by example. The team leader is responsible for all the team does or fails to do, and is responsible for caring of the team’s Soldiers, discipline, weapons, and equipment. During operations, the team leader—
- Acts as a subject matter expert for all the team’s weapons and duty positions and all squad battle drills and individual Soldier tasks.
- Leads the team in fire and movement.
- Controls the movement of the team and its rate and distribution of fire.
- Employs digital command and control systems available to the squad and platoon.
- Ensures the security of the team’s AO.
- Assists the squad leader as required.
- Prepares to assume the duties of squad leader and platoon sergeant.
- Enforces field discipline and preventive medicine measures.
- Manages the team’s combat load and its available classes of supply as required.
- Understands the mission two levels up (squad and platoon).
Grenadier
1-29. The grenadier is equipped with a 40-millimeter (mm) grenade launcher. The grenadier provides the fire team with a high trajectory and an HE capability. Grenadier fires enable the fire team to achieve complementary effects with high trajectory, HE munitions, and flat trajectory ball ammunition from the team’s weapons. The grenade launcher allows the grenadier to produce three effects: suppress and destroy enemy Infantry and lightly armored vehicles with HE or high explosive dual purpose (known as HEDP); provide obscurants to screen and cover the squad’s fire and movement; and employ illumination rounds to increase the squad’s visibility and mark enemy positions. The grenadier—
- Accomplishes the same tasks of the rifleman.
- Engages targets with appropriate type of rounds both day and night.
- Covers dead space and denies dead space to the enemy.
- Identifies 40-mm rounds by shape and color and knows how to employ each type of round and its minimum safety constraints.
- Knows the maximum ranges for each type of target of the grenade launcher.
- Knows the leaf sight increments without seeing the markings.
- Knows how to make an adjustment from the first round fired so a second-round hit can be attained.
- Loads the grenade launcher quickly in all firing positions and while running.
- Prepares to assume the duties of the automatic rifleman and team leader.
- Understands the mission two levels up (squad and platoon).
Note. In some cases, the team leader will assume the primary weapon system and responsibilities of the grenadier in order to mitigate for a missing team member or create an extra rifleman to assume additional duties within the squad.
Automatic Rifleman
1-30. The automatic rifleman’s primary weapon is the light machine gun. The automatic rifleman provides the unit with a high volume of sustained suppressive direct fires of area targets. The automatic rifleman employs the weapon system to suppress enemy Infantry and bunkers, destroy enemy automatic rifle and AT teams, and enable the movement of other teams and squads. The automatic rifleman is normally the senior Soldier of the fire team and must—
- Be able to accomplish all tasks of the rifleman and grenadier.
- Be prepared to assume the duties of team leader and squad leader.
- Be able to engage groups of enemy personnel, thin-skinned vehicles, bunker doors or apertures, and suspected enemy locations with automatic fire.
- Be able to provide suppressive fire on these targets so other team members can close with and destroy the enemy.
- Be familiar with field expedient firing aids to enhance the effectiveness of assigned weapon (an example is aiming stakes).
- Be able to engage targets from the prone, kneeling, and standing positions with and without night observation devices.
- Understand the mission two levels up (squad and platoon).
Rifleman
1-31. The rifleman provides the baseline standard for all Infantry Soldiers and is an integral part of the fire team. The rifleman is an expert in handling and employing the weapon and placing well-aimed fire on the enemy. Additionally, the rifleman must—
- Be an expert on assigned weapon system, its optics, and its laser-aiming device, and is effective with this weapon system day or night.
- Be capable of engaging all targets with well-aimed shots (specifically through correct positioning on the battlefield and marksmanship proficiency).
- Employ all weapons of the squad, as well as common munitions.
- Construct and occupy a hasty firing position and know how to fire from it. Know how to occupy covered and concealed positions in all environments and what protection they provide from direct fire weapons and is competent in the performance of these tasks while using night vision devices.
- Fight as part of the team, which includes proficiency in individual tasks and drills.
- Know the duties of team members and is prepared to fill in with their weapons, if needed (for example, assume the duties of the automatic rifleman and team leader).
- Contribute as a member of special teams, including detainee search, aid/litter, and demolitions and wire/mine breach teams.
- Inform team leader of everything heard and seen when in a tactical situation.
- Perform individual preventive medical measures.
- Administer buddy aid as required.
- Manage supplied food, water, and ammunition during operations.
- Understand the mission two levels up (squad and platoon).
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