Final answer:
A squad leader aligns a squad by instilling uniformity and discipline from basic training, utilizing tactics and terrain for advantage, and ensuring clear signs and signals within the squad. They also focus on building the mental determination necessary for the squad to engage in operations with purpose and resolve.
Step-by-step explanation:
To align a squad, a squad leader must effectively blend and harmonize the various elements of their force. This starts from basic training, where new recruits are taught to emulate each other's movements, walk, and salutations to create uniformity and discipline within the unit. The squad leader ensures everyone follows structured schedules and maintains clean areas for inspection, learns to march in correct formations, and salutes in the presence of superiors, as per military protocol.
In complex operations, the squad leader utilizes tactics and terrain to their advantage. For instance, occupying the sunny side of a hill with a slope on the right rear benefits soldiers and provides natural advantages. These principles extend to larger forces, where the challenge lies in instituting signs and signals for communication. Whether managing a large army or a small one, the basics of squad alignment and unit cohesion remain the same.
Finally, the mental fitness of the squad is equally critical. A leader must carry their men deeply into hostile territory with conviction and purpose, often symbolized by the action of climbing a height then kicking away the ladder, to instill the necessary determination and resolve within the squad. This psychological alignment is crucial for mission success.