Now we come to the segment of this series where we put it all together. Combined arms is the method by which we Marines engage in maneuver warfare. It is fundamental to all of our combat task organization. It is also how you can improve your life as you tackle the various problems that crop up on a daily basis.
Combined arms seeks to put the enemy in a dilemma that he cannot escape from. It is the combining of different types of firepower that require the enemy to do two mutually exclusive things at the same time. Most simply, it is the combination of direct fire and indirect fire. For example at the squad level: pin your enemy down with machine gun and rifle fire and then hit him with grenades. In order to escape the direct fire, he must seek cover and stay behind defenses.
In order to escape the indirect fire of grenades falling from overhead, he must get up and move. Defending against one attack makes him vulnerable to the second. In war you can apply that tactic to any level of organization. Direct fire from machine gun units or tanks. Indirect fire from artillery or aircraft. If you have followed the other steps then you have thought and reacted faster than the enemy, outmaneuvered him on the battlefield, chosen the time and place of your attack, and then presented him with a no win dilemma where his only choice is surrender or death. As Marines, we'll take either.
I'm telling you guys, this is a beautiful thing to watch. We have shown time and again how we roll right over an enemy when we know who or what he is. (It's the tricky hidden enemies that give us a hard time, but they eventually end up dying as well.) The most important thing to remember when applying this to your life is to constantly think offense. You have to charge forward and make things happen. Really, when you look at it, this whole series of articles is about how to assume the offense. That is where combat power lies and that is where your life should be lived.
