Section 101 - Introduction to the infantry section

Introduction to working in and with the Canadian Armed Forces Infantry Section.

The core concept at play here is the section is the weapon. Each member plays a specific role in support of the whole.

This document is intended to provide a common language to the members of the section so they can communicate and react effectively during the friction and chaos of the gunfight.

This is not intended to be a slavishly obeyed doctrine but a commonly understood toolbox to allow the players to operate as an effective team.

Dent, 2026

Table of Contents

• Purpose
• Key Principles
• Prepare for battle
• Fire team responsibilities
• Organizing
• Team Colors
• Roles in the section
• Call Signs
• Radio Frequencies
• BACD
• Bounding
• Skirmish Movement Orders
• Rate of Fire
• Conclusion

Purpose

The objective of the Section and section attack is simple:

Close with and destroy the enemy.

This is achieved through fire and movement, enabled by discipline, communication, and cohesion.

Key Principles

• The Section is the weapon
• Cohesion = Survival
• Communication = Effectiveness
• If the Section gets scattered - Mission failure
• If the Section remains stays coordinated - Combat power is maintained
• Avoid frontal assaults on prepared machine gun positions unless surprise is guaranteed. Use alternate methods (flanking, support weapons, or indirect fire)

Prepare for Battle

Also known as "Fall in for battle".

Aim. To ensure that every member of the section is properly prepared for battle.

Execution. This drill will normally be carried out in a secure area such as a mounting base, concentration area or assembly area. The section commander will assemble his section and passes on the warning order, operation orders, or any changes to the section organization. He will detail fire team leaders as required. He will supervise the preparations for battle.

Prepare for Battle is one of the most important battle drills as it allows the section to:

• Establish radio settings for the section and higher
• Leadership roles for IC / 2IC
• Assign section organization: A1, A2, B1 ... D1, D2, see Organizing
• Assign player roles: Rifleman / Grenedier / C9 Gunner
• Create the group in-game and establish fireteam colors
• Update the section with any last minute additions or changes to the orders

Have the section line up and "fall in" on the section radio with the following information:

• name
• role
• team
• assault group

for example:

dent, rifleman, charlie 2, assault group 2

or

dent, 2IC, delta one, assault group 2

Each member of the section will check in like this on the sections Short Range radio net.

Note: using a nearby wall or fence makes this simpler to arrange, rather than telling people to line up without any direction in the open.

Fire team responsibilities

Each fire team is a two-person system.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain constant awareness of your buddy
• Never operate independently
• Immediately report:
  • Buddy down
  • Buddy missing
• Stay within effective supporting distance at all times

Tasking should always be to the Fire team, and not individual members.

Organizing

• Platoon = 3 or 4 sections
• Section = 2 groups (8 players)
• Group = 2 fire teams (4 players)
• Fire team = 2 players

Section organization:

Assault Group 1

• A1 IC
• A2
• B1 Pointman
• B2 C9 Gunner

Assault Group 2

• C1
• C2
• D1 2IC
• D2 C9 Gunner

LAV crew

• Z1 CC/3IC
• Z2
• z3

For less manpower:

• If 7 drop A2
• If 6 Drop B1 and B2, move the B2 Gunner to A2
• If 5, run an oversize assault group

For more manpower:

• If 9 add C3
• If 10 add A3

If more that that, just try and balance the assault groups and teams until it makes more sense to spin up another section.

Team colors

Coalition Squad Interface order

CSI interface (in Reforger) has a color order built in.

• Alpha Red
• Bravo Blue
• Charlie Yellow
• Delta Green
• Zulu White

Roles in the section

Rifleman

Carries C7 rifle and M72 LAW.

Riflemen execute all manner of tasks required at the moment.

• Engage contacts
• Driving
• Digging
• First aid
• Carrying mission specific gear
• etc

Grenadier

Carries C7 rifle and 40mm Grenade launcher.

• Same tasking as riflemen, but with 40 mm problem solvers instead of a LAW
• Normally two Grenadier in a section. one in each assault group

Gunner

Carries C9 LMG.

Gunners Gun.

• Your only job is keep that gun up
• Engage contacts
• Provide point suppression and area denial
• When the section has a tasking at a site gunners pull security
• Normally two Gunner in a section. one in each assault group

IC / 2IC

Leaders lead.

• Keep track of your element
• See to their needs
• Maintain comms with higher
• Provide instruction
• Maintain momentum
• Execute on your tasking

All roles carry

• Short range radio
• No more than 40 to 45 kg for a regular loadout, any more slows you down

Note the C9 are critical and account for 50% of the sections total firepower.

During contact you want both C9 engaging.

You may want to have the Riflemen carry a box or two of ammo for the Gunners.

Call Signs

In this example using 1st Company, 2nd Platoon (1-2):

Vehicle commander adopts a "Z" prefix on their elements call sign

For Example Z-1-2-B would be the 2 Section 3IC / vic commander

Unit or person	Call sign	Pronounced
2 Section IC	1-2-A	one two alpha
2 Section 2IC	1-2-A-Minor	one two alpha minor
2 Section 3IC/CC	Z-1-2-A	zulu one two alpha
1st Platoon IC	1-1	one one
2nd Platoon IC	1-2	one two
1st Company IC	1-9	one niner
Medical IC	8-3	eight three
Ambulance	8-3-A	eight three alpha
HQ	0	zero

Radio Frequencies

TBD

BACD

A philosophy of movement.

BACD is a term you will encounter in regards to order of fireteams in section movement.

BACD order with CSI Team colors:

• Bravo (Blue)
• Alpha (Red)
• Charlie (Yellow)
• Delta (Green)

This particular ordering places the Bravo and Delta C9 at appropriate locations.

The simple case is a single column with the fireteams in BACD order.

Column or File, aka "Single Column"

To clarify:

• "column" is players walking in a single path

B2 B1 A1 A2 C1 C2 D1 D2

Heading Left, Bravo fireteam in the lead.

Line, or Baseline

To clarify:

• Same order as the Column, but aligned shoulder to shoulder, 5 to 10 m spacing

An example would be the IC issues the command "Baseline on me, facing east".

Commonly used to establish order prior to an assault.

B2 B1 A1 A2 C1 C2 D1 D2

Heading up, C9 Gunners at either end.

Arrowhead, aka "wedge"

In this case we have the section IC fireteam leading, and the C9 gunners on each far end.

              A2
          A1      C1
      B1              C2
  B2                      D1
                              D2

Heading up, A2 in the lead.

Staggered Column

B2
    B1
A1
    A2
C1
    C2
D1
    D2

Heading up, Bravo fireteam in the lead.

Ack Ack, aka "Loose file"

B2
B1


    A1
    A2


C1
C2


    D1
    D2

Heading up, Bravo fireteam in the lead.

Member spacing 5m within the team, team spacing 15m,

Transitions

Maintaining BACD order allows clean transitions from one formation to another.

For instance, advancing via arrowhead and encountering contact ahead allows a section to smoothly transition into a baseline to engage the enemy.

The C9 are at either end (Bravo and Delta fireteams) and the assault groups are already assembled on each side of the base line formation.

If contact is made on either flank, the section C9 on that flank can immediately engage while the section wheels into a baseline facing that flank.

This can be done cleanly from any of these formations with no one crossing another players firing lane.

Spacing

A few words on spacing. Mind your spacing, avoid bunching up, if you see it happening, call it out. When crossing open ground or in file, maintain about 5 to 10 m distance.

The shout "SPACING" is your cue to adjust.

Bounding

Fire and maneuver warfare.

Fire without maneuver is indecisive, Maneuver without fire is Fatal

Bounding will be used once you make contact.

• Once you make contact you seize and hold fire superiority to allow maneuver
• One element will be putting accurate fire on the enemy position to fix them in place. The second element will maneuver to flank and finish them off
• A reasonable bound distance under fire can be a small as 5 meters. You don't want to push your luck
• About 3 to 5 seconds at most
• The phrase "I'm up, he sees me, I'm down" is a handy way to get a feel for far, or long you can move

I'm up, he sees me, I'm down

I use the term "element" here because the concept works the same no matter the numbers. This is why we organize in smaller and smaller elements.

• Platoon
• Section
• Group
• Fireteam

At the Platoon level an entire section can be suppressing while another maneuvers.

At the fireteam level individual players can suppress to allow the other player freedom to maneuver.

To effectively suppress, you have to put sustained accurate fire onto the enemy position in order to achieve a behavior changing effect: kill him, wound him, or make him take cover (become suppressed).

Types of Bounding

• Alternating is when the moving element sprints past the suppressing element, this is the default
• Successive is like an inch-worm with one element always leading, and the second always following

Skirmish Movement Orders

Once the target and direction are indicated, the section is capable of managing their own movement.

• A bound is normally 5 to 10 meters
• You must avoid converging, maintain spacing as you advance

The three movement commands are:

SECTION SECTION SECTION

Movement by Assault Groups within the Section.

GROUP GROUP GROUP

Movement by Teams within the Assault Groups.

TEAM TEAM TEAM

Movement by members within the Teams.

Rate of Fire

• Rapid 1 round every 3 seconds
• Normal 1 round every 6 seconds
• Slow 1 round every 12 seconds

For the SAW, instead of a round, fire a burst of 3 to 5 rounds.

Laying down suppressing fire can have you firing into the air around possible enemy positions. This does not require as much ammo as you think. 4 or 8 players firing a round every 12 seconds adds up to a pretty constant barrage.

No need to burn your entire loadout on the first engagement.

The IC or 2IC may call for different elments to use different rates of fire, this can be done to prevent everyone having to reload at the same time.

Conclusion

• Cohesion = combat power
• Suppression wins fights
• Speed + violence of action