What should a team leader primarily base their order on?

A team leader should primarily base their orders on the squad leader's order because the squad leader has a comprehensive understanding of the overall mission objectives, the operational environment, and the capabilities of the team. The squad leader's directives are formulated after assessing various factors, including intelligence, terrain, enemy positions, and available resources, ensuring that the orders align with the larger tactical plan.

This alignment helps maintain unity of effort, ensuring that the team operates cohesively and effectively toward a common goal. The squad leader is responsible for providing clarity and direction, which the team leader must interpret and implement at the team level. Each layer of command builds on the previous one, making it crucial that the team leader's orders are consistent with those given by the squad leader.

While personal combat experiences, historical battle operations, and general directives from command can inform a leader's decision-making, these sources should support rather than replace the specific and current orders from the squad leader, which are tailored to the unique situation at hand.