In ABCT defense planning, what sequence describes counter-battery fire?

• A. Engage enemy artillery with direct-fire weapons only after they fire.
• B. Detect and locate enemy artillery, apply counter-battery fires, and relocate positions to maintain protection.
• C. Ignore until after attack.
• D. Defend artillery positions exclusively by increasing rate of fire.

Answer: (B)

The sequence used in counter-battery defense starts with detecting and locating the enemy artillery. Once you know where the enemy guns are, you deliver counter-battery fires to suppress or destroy them. After neutralizing the threat, you relocate your own firing positions to avoid becoming a fixed target and to maintain protection for your forces. This cycle—find them, strike them, move—keeps the enemy’s artillery from shaping the battle and reduces your exposure to return fire.

The other approaches don’t fit because they either ignore the crucial steps of locating the enemy guns and swiftly engaging them, or rely on a single tactic (like increasing rate of fire) that doesn’t address neutralizing the enemy artillery or protecting your own positions.