Specific question about a defensive position with vehicles
My company went on an FTX a while ago and every time I think back to it, it bothers me because I still don't know what the best course was in the following situation: I'm part of a maintenance company so we need a big open area to work, not some patrol base in the worst place imaginable. There were only about 50 people but we took something like 8 vehicles, most with 50 cals. As we pulled in, a circular perimeter was set up in the middle of the flat, open ground with soldiers in the prone placed in between vehicles. Most of this perimeter had anywhere from 20-50 meters of open ground before thick, high (elephant?) grass and then trees. I was talking to my commander when I looked around and saw this and it made me nervous. Every guy we had pulling security was in the middle of open ground with no cover or concealment. I rounded up two of my stronger NCOs and we started discussing. My idea was to push them into the wood line and keep the trucks where they were. None of us were sure which idea was the lesser of two evils - have them exposed but have complete command and control and visibility, or give them cover and concealment but increase the risk for potential fratricide. A solid brief to the gunners of limits of engagement because of friendlies at their front didn't leave any of us with a good feeling. I think it could've worked well with some units, but not mine. All that being said, we normally would start digging immediately (yay) so it wouldn't be a problem once the holes were dug, but I just don't like not having a better answer. Possibly the better idea, that came to me afterwards, would have been to just have a guy in the prone behind the truck, on either side. The big ass tires would have been better than nothing, but those would have been very large sectors. So, what ideas do you guys have? I doubt the answer is really that hard - but I don't like any of the few options I've come up with. I will say they all have to be better than the first time I was out there though. It was with a different group, and they pushed the trucks right up into the brush. There was absolutely zero standoff for just about every single mounted weapon and one guy thought our security should be sitting in the driver and passenger seats for the whole night, because that would apparently allow them to see and give them protection. I asked how they were going to secure anything, not to mention fight from that position, but he didn't really answer.
Just to give you an idea of what the place looks like. Ignore the fact that I took a picture of a rainbow...
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04...2288d1eb37.jpg
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