Kill box: the newest FSCM

FA Journal,  July-August, 2005  by Karl E. Wingenbach

Tags: Air Force, attack, Java, JFC

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What complicates matters in every theater, is that the kill box is used as a measure to facilitate rapid attack of targets and as an area reference system (also known as common area reference system, common grid reference system or common geographic reference system). Within theater SOPs, the area reference system and the kill box are interchangeable. In fact, joint doctrine also confuses the ideas by stating that "... area reference systems are often described as ... kill boxes ..." (7)

The Kill Box is a Stand Alone FSCM. One of the first things the joint working group (JWG) realized was the necessity to de-link the kill box from the area reference system. (8) The two clearly can be related but are not synonymous. OEF and OIF proved the usefulness of the area reference system beyond facilitating rapid air-to-ground attack of targets.

The various combatant commands use a color code (green, black and brown kill boxes) to identify areas where ground forces are located, but these are RFAs and not "kill boxes"; any fires into them must be coordinated. If the area reference system was just a reference system and not a kill box system, then the area reference system could be used to delineate any required areas, such as RFAs, NFAs, ACAs or named areas of interest (NAIs). The area reference system merely would be a simple way to refer to and identify those areas. Of course, the various coordination and control measures still could be drawn using grid coordinates or radius from a point, but the area reference system would provide simplicity and brevity.

Way Ahead. The next step for kill box doctrine development is to officially establish the kill box as a jointly recognized FSCM during the revision of JP 3-09 Doctrine for Joint Fires (9) and write it into the revision of FM 3-09 Doctrine for Fire Support. Although the various combatant commanders sent representatives to the working groups to help develop FM 3-09.34, the kill box has only been approved by the services and will not be officially "joint" until the entire joint doctrine development community (which includes the five services, joint staff and the combatant commands) decides to add it to JP 3-09.

Additionally, experiments are planned for kill boxes as they relate to other changes in the areas of command and control systems, organizations and training. For example, the Office of the Secretary of Defense Joint Test and Evaluation (JT & E) for Joint Fires Coordination Measures (JFCM) plans to experiment with kill box MTTPs. The JT & E seeks to increase limited available joint fires efficiency, maximize limited fires effectiveness and reduce the risk of fratricide through standardized kill box MTTPs.

Employing (or not) service-approved TTPs is the option of the combatant commander. But through the efforts of doctrine developers, the combatant commander now has clearly defined, simple and flexible kill box FSCM to help facilitate his air-ground operations and give him agility--attributes valued in all military operations.