Basic training part 5
Since you are training as part of a militia unit, and not part of the active military, you have the disadvantage of having to purchase your own ammunition. In combat this will also be a disadvantage since you will not have a source of re-supply. With this in mind, it seems that the use of your firepower should be different than that of the active military.
In simple terms, you must make every round count. To do this, you must train hard in the areas of marksmanship and combat shooting. (Shooting while moving etc.) You also must know how to make the firepower you have be as effective as possible. As a team leader, this will mean controlling the fire of your men as well.
The only time you should ever use the military techniques of 'covering fire' and 'grazing fire' are when you have no other options. You cannot afford to expend ammunition at that level. I'm not saying that you should form a unit of snipers either. I'm just saying that you must control your fire and the fire of your team. Don't shoot unless you have a target. And when you do have a target, shoot carefully. Make those rounds count.
This will of course lead you to train differently than the military. You will need to train to take longer shots, and to hit with those shots.
Another thing that is assumed in all military field manuals is that there are automatic weapons present at every given situation. This is something else you likely won't have (at least at first), so change your training accordingly.
No matter if you are in a static position, or moving, practice using 'fields of fire'. Drill on this until it becomes second nature. Otherwise you will have several men covering and shooting at the same peice of ground. Thus both wasting ammunition and manpower, and possibly leaving you open at one point.
Read SECTORS AND FIELDS OF FIRE from FM 21-75, chapter 2.
The above picture demonstrates the basic use of fields of fire for a fire team.
Part 6