A platoon leader is attempting to contact their commander using the Primary method, a SINCGARS FM radio net, but receives no response due to intense enemy jamming. According to a standard PACE plan, what is the leader's next immediate action?

A platoon leader is attempting to contact their commander using the Primary method, a SINCGARS FM radio net, but receives no response due to intense enemy jamming. According to a standard PACE plan, what is the leader's next immediate action?

• A. Cease all attempts to communicate and wait for the jamming to stop.
• B. Immediately dispatch a runner to the company headquarters.
• C. Attempt to establish communication using the designated Alternate method, such as a TACSAT radio or similar satellite-based system.
• D. Use pyrotechnics (flares) to signal that communications are down.

Answer: (C)

When you can’t reach the commander on the primary path, you don’t wait or try the same method again. You immediately switch to the alternate method. The SINCGARS FM radio net is jammed, so the platoon leader should move to a different communications channel, such as a TACSAT satellite radio, to reestablish contact. The alternate path uses a different link that is less affected by the same jamming and keeps the unit connected to higher headquarters, preserving command and control. Runners and signaling with flares don’t provide a reliable two-way link to the commander, and simply waiting out the jam isn’t practical. Only after exhausting the alternate method would you consider contingency or emergency measures.

When you can’t reach the commander on the primary path, you don’t wait or try the same method again. You immediately switch to the alternate method. The SINCGARS FM radio net is jammed, so the platoon leader should move to a different communications channel, such as a TACSAT satellite radio, to reestablish contact. The alternate path uses a different link that is less affected by the same jamming and keeps the unit connected to higher headquarters, preserving command and control.

Runners and signaling with flares don’t provide a reliable two-way link to the commander, and simply waiting out the jam isn’t practical. Only after exhausting the alternate method would you consider contingency or emergency measures.