THE FOUR STEPS OF ACTIONS ON CONTACT
The following four steps allow the platoon leader to execute actions on
contact using a logical, well-organized decision-making process:
• Deploy and report.
• Evaluate/develop the situation.
• Choose a course of action.
• Recommend/execute a course of action.
The four-step process is not a rigid, lockstep response to the enemy
contact. Rather, the goal is to provide an orderly framework that enables
the platoon to survive the initial contact, then apply sound decisionmaking
and timely actions to complete the operation. In simplest terms,
the platoon must react instinctively and instantly to the contact, and the
platoon leader must decide, with equal dispatch, whether to execute a
preplanned battle drill or course of action or to recommend and execute an
alternate drill or action.
At times, the platoon leader, and the platoon, will have to execute several
of the steps simultaneously. This makes thorough preparation an absolute
require ment in contact situations. To ensure the platoon functions as a
team, reacting correctly and yet instinctively, the platoon leader must
establish SOPs and conduct comprehensive training and rehearsals
covering each step.
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