Unit FormationThere are a
lot of great resources on potential unit formations, from the U.S. military to allied countries and mediums to read this information from, for more in depth information, but primarily modern military formations revolve around the best way to move to new locations swiftly but in an organized manner, or fire upon a position while freeing up a line of sight for all soldiers involved, so each soldier doesn't accidentally have one of their teammates cross their line of fire, and cause friendly fire. As firearms are more or less line of sight weapons, tactics involving avoiding crossing each other's LOS are more or less paramount to successful modern combat. Of course, squad formations have to be balanced with the available cover and concealment available. Thus, if the formation is slightly off balance due to unnatural terrain features or less than ideal, it isn't considered a considerable cause for concern. When available, soldiers are expected to hide from their enemies, whether simply concealing their position, or taking cover behind something sufficient to stop a bullet. Unlike the old days, of the American revolution and civil war, maintaining the formation "no matter what", and braving a hail of bullets is considered not only immoral due to the exposure of troops, but foolish, due to the ease of taking casualties. Particularly with modern weapons, it would be incredibly easy to wipe out an enemy formation in a matter of moments, and in any case it requires the enemy to respond back in a similar manner and not respond back with more complex tactics or guerrilla warfare.
Another particularly important aspect of modern formations is the need for dispersion. While proximity is often useful to maximize and concentrate firepower, due to the inherent range of most modern firearms, it's easily possible to engage the enemy and maximize firepower with proper coordination and communication, whilst not physically being close to other units. Close proximities between troops should only be done when absolutely necessary, such as in close quarters, or tight spaces. In part due to the raw power of modern weaponry and their ability to cover wide areas, dispersion techniques are important to utilize to avoid soldiers from clustering on top of each other. Not only can it hinder maneuverability, but it allows soldiers to be wiped out by particular weapons, such as explosives or machine gun fire. If soldiers are too close to each other, they can be more easily mowed down by opposing soldier's not needing to change their sight pictures as rapidly, or simply wiped out due to the large radius of explosive weaponry. 40mm grenades have an approximate lethal radius of 5 meters, hand grenades out to 15, while a 2000 pound bomb from an air strike can take out an area roughly the size of a quarter mile. If soldiers are clustered too close together, or move too closely, it's possible to wipe out an entire enemy unit with a single, well placed shot. In addition to this are weapons of mass destruction, such as nerve gas or chlorine, aerosol weapons which disperse over a wide area as a gas or in small, liquid droplets, and can kill people simply through skin exposure or inhalation. Due to the ease of concentrating fire despite being spread out, if targets are coordinated properly, there is little to no advantage to being clustered together, and thus units should be dispersed whenever possible.
In general, line formations are ideal for speedy movement, particularly through rigorous or arduous terrain, such as dense vegetation. The front soldier, usually the lead soldier, or navigator, can clear or find a path through an area, and then lead the rest of the soldiers through it, with each one following in the first soldier's path. Rather than needing to find dozens of different paths through an area, and potentially becoming separated or slowed down, a single soldier can look for signs of trouble or a decent path through an area, allowing for the rest of the soldiers to move through behind; in addition, in areas with really rough terrain, there may not be many walking paths, and some areas may be barely large enough for a single soldier as is. Thus, moving in such a formation can be absolutely necessary, when the terrain is too rough to allow for more than a handful of soldiers to pass. In addition, it can be useful in a territory plagued with traps or potentially dangerous terrain features, as spreading out can cause less trained troops to accidentally set off traps, compared to a single well trained troop spotting and clearing the area beforehand. When moving stealthily, to disrupt as little of the environment as possible, it is also usually best to move in line formations.
However, line formations are usually rather poor for combat. Soldiers are inherently within each other's line of fire if attacked from the front, and are so close together as to make them easily killed by the enemy with area of effect weaponry or attacks. When moving in line formations, it is usually best to quickly transition into a combat formation when attacked or when perceiving an attack. This usually involves spreading out and no longer being in each soldier's line of sight. Formations in this manner also involve understanding which direction you're being attacked from. Combat formations are most effectiveness when done in the direction facing an enemy attack. Often, if a formation is simply done at random, it can quickly and easily lose it's effectiveness, as they are directional in nature. Obviously, as many soldiers facing the enemy with a clear line of sight as possible is the most effective formation against an enemy, whether soldiers are in a straight line or not. However, it can take time to fulfill such a formation, or the cover and concealment options may not allow for this.
If in an undesirable position, soldiers are expected to do as much as they can to maximize their capabilities in general. A low crawl in the prone position makes the soldier as small a target as possible to the enemy (at a straight facing angle of fire), while being low the ground makes them inherently difficult to hit, due to the parallax effect. Prone positioning also usually allows for greater accuracy, due to a more stable firing platform. Smoke grenades and covering fire can provide virtual concealment and cover, which allow soldiers to hide behind smoke screens which block their enemies from viewing them. Most soldiers can't hit what they can't see without a great degree of luck, and most people will instinctively duck or move out of the way when being fired at. While smoke screens can disrupt your own view of the enemy in addition to their's of yours, it can give you valuable time to recuperate and form into a more ideal formation or take a more ideal position, as well as generally size up the situation and determine total troop strengths, or even call in reinforcements or retreat. With the right equipment, such as thermal vision scopes, it is possible to see through smoke screens, as list in a limited effect, giving you the ability to fire upon them accurately, while they cannot fire upon you. It's also important to note that when caught in an ambush or surprise attack, that laying down covering fire is essentially to success. Simply firing at the enemy can keep their heads down, and give you valuable time to get a lock on their position, and thus provide accurate return fire. The response to most ambushes can generally be perceived as "lots and lots of firepower". While it ultimately comes down to dumb luck and skill of marksmanship of the individual soldiers to win a firefight, as well as equipment, you can increase the odds and probability of success drastically by simply maximizing potential factors. In general, regaining momentum to allow a capable response to an enemy is paramount to responding to an ambush, assuming you are second to fire or in general are engaged while vulnerable. If given sufficient time, it is possible to realign yourself and mount a formidable defense, as well as offense.
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