Several examples of a platoon drill include conduct convoy operations, conduct a defense, establish an area of operations, provide combat service support, etc.  On the other hand, tasks such as provide first aid, communicate on a radio, and repair a vehicle are not examples of a platoon drill.  However, within each platoon drill there are large number of individual tasks that Soldiers must perform. 

Here is some additional information about a platoon drill:

·         They apply to platoon-level and smaller sized units

·         They are natural, trained responses to a specific action or order

·         They are standardized and require minimal leader orders

·         They consist of a series of sequential steps

·         They require the full understanding of each individual and leader

In the Infantry, a platoon drill is often referred to as a battle drill.  FM 25-101 defines a battle drill as “a collective action rapidly executed without applying a deliberate decision-making process.”  In other words, the battle drills are instinctive and natural, similar to a reflex.  It’s something that all platoon Soldiers can perform without consciously thinking about it.  Compare it to driving a car or riding a bicycle.

Obviously, platoons will improve their efficiency with each platoon drill through repetition and practice.  Platoons must continuously train on their platoon drills to remain proficient.  As you can tell, these battle drills are not tasks completed by a single Soldier.  Instead is a collective task, made up of a large number of individual tasks.

As I stated earlier, the Infantry has its own set of drills, also known as battle drills.  According to FM 7-8, here is a list of the Infantry battle drills:

·         Platoon Attack

·         Squad Attack

·         React to Contact

·         Break Contact

·         React to Ambush

·         Knock Out Bunker

·         Enter Building/Clear Room

·         Enter/Clear Trench

In essence, these are the critical tasks that all Army Infantry platoons must complete to perform their wartime mission.

Next, all Army platoons have battle drills and/or platoon drills.  It doesn’t matter whether you are a Medical Services, Armor, Finance, Ordnance, Transportation or Field Artillery unit.  Your platoon has a series of platoon drills that your Soldiers must be able to perform, to accomplish its mission. 

For instance, if your platoon is a Maintenance Platoon, several examples of your Platoon Drills might include:

·         Establish an Area of Operations

·         Defend against an Enemy Attack

·         Relocate Area of Operations

·         Conduct Convoy Operations

·         Conduct Maintenance Operations

Once again, remember that the platoon drill is something that applies to everyone in your platoon.  For instance, repairing a vehicle would not be a platoon drill in a Maintenance Platoon, because it does not apply to everyone within the platoon.

As a leader, your job is to identify your platoon’s mission critical tasks.  You must know which tasks are the most important.  Also, you must ensure your Soldiers are trained on their individual tasks, so they can accomplish the platoon drill collective task.

As a good starting point, you should refer to your company and platoon METL.  These are the 4-5 mission critical tasks your unit must be able to perform in wartime.  If you can’t get a copy of this information from your Company Commander, you should refer to the ARTEP that pertains to your unit. 

The ARTEP will give you great insight as to which tasks are the mission critical tasks.  Each one of these tasks will become a platoon drill.  Your next priority is to assess your unit’s current proficiency with each platoon drill.  Once that’s done, you need to establish goals and schedule training on these tasks in your Yearly Training Calendar and Training Schedule.

After each training event, conduct an After Action Review to evaluate the training.  Once that’s done, take this information and update your assessment to re-evaluate your unit’s proficiency.

You can learn more about a Platoon Drill in my Platoon Leader eBook.