ACE Report

Purpose

The ACE Report provides a quick and standardized way for fireteam and section leaders to communicate their element’s operational effectiveness. It covers Ammunition, Casualties, and Equipment, and is critical for assessing whether a team is capable of continuing a mission or needs support.

Definition

An ACE Report is a short transmission, typically over the radio or during a verbal handoff, that summarizes the team’s combat readiness using a simplified color code system:

• Ammunition – Ability to engage in continued combat.
• Casualties – Number of effective members still operating.
• Equipment – Mission-critical gear such as explosives, breaching tools, etc.

SPECTRE uses a color-coded system for brevity:

• 🟢 GREEN – Fully effective. No critical shortages.
• 🟡 YELLOW – Some degradation (e.g., one magazine low, light injury, minor missing equipment), but still mission-capable.
• 🔴 RED – Limited capability. Serious degradation requiring attention. Team may not be reliable without resupply or reinforcement.
• ⚫ BLACK – No longer combat effective. Out of ammo, mission gear, or too few members to continue.

❗ ACE colors are not based on exact percentages or numerical thresholds. They rely on the team leader’s judgment to provide a realistic and immediate assessment of their team’s combat effectiveness.

Key Principles

• Use ACE to summarize team status, not detail every item.
• The section/team lead determines the appropriate color for the whole team.
• Should be requested after major engagements or before committing to new objectives.
• Reports flow from Fireteam ➝ Section Leader ➝ Platoon.
• If multiple colors apply, use the lowest effective status (e.g., 2 Green areas and 1 Red = Report Red).

Application

A standard ACE exchange typically takes place between the Platoon Lead and a Section Leader. The Section Lead gathers status from both fireteams and provides a consolidated summary of their section’s combat effectiveness:

Platoon Net

"Bravo, Alpha, ACE report, over."

Section Lead responds

"Alpha, Bravo. Bravo is Yellow. Standing by for orders, over."

Platoon Lead replies

"Bravo, Alpha. Copy. Hold position and await resupply, out."

In this example, the section is still able to fight, but not at peak effectiveness. The decision to resupply or press on is made by the receiving commander.

Common Mistakes

• ❌ Reporting separate colors for each category unless explicitly asked.
• ❌ Using numbers or over-detailed explanations (e.g., “2 mags, 1 KIA, 1 demo charge left”).
• ❌ Under-reporting critical shortages due to optimism or poor judgment.
• ❌ Omitting ACE reports when they’re requested or operationally necessary.

Summary

The ACE Report is a simple but powerful tool for maintaining situational awareness across a unit. By focusing on a clear, color-coded summary, teams reduce radio clutter and speed up command decision-making. Trust your team leads to call it accurately—and act quickly when a report signals that support is needed.