These capabilities should include reasonable assets the next higher element, or other higher enemy headquarters, may provide. This should include, but is not limited to, employment of reserves, use of chemical weapons, artillery and or mortar locations and ranges, and employment of reconnaissance assets.
(f) Enemy SITEMP. To identify how the enemy will potentially fight, the company commander weighs the result of his analysis of terrain and weather against the higher headquarters’ SITEMP. The refined product is a company SITEMP, a visual/graphic depiction of how he believes the enemy will fight under specific battlefield conditions.
This SITEMP is portrayed one echelon lower than that developed by the higher headquarters’ S2. For example, if a battalion SITEMP identifies a motorized rifle platoon (MRP) on the company’s objective, the company commander, using his knowledge of both the enemy’s doctrine and the terrain, develops a SITEMP that positions individual vehicles from the MRP and possibly individual fighting positions or trenches in the platoon’s defense. He includes in this SITEMP the likely sectors of fire of the enemy’s weapons and any tactical and protective obstacles, either identified or merely templated, which support the defense. Figure 2-9 depicts recommended SITEMP items. It is important to remember that the company commander must not develop his SITEMP
independently of the higher commander’s guidance and the S2's product. The product must reflect the results of reconnaissance and shared information. Differences between the SITEMPs must be resolved before the company commander may continue with his analysis of the enemy. Finally, given the scale with which the company commander often develops his SITEMP, a 1:50,000 map, it is advisable to transfer the SITEMP to a large-scale sketch for briefing purposes when the situation allows. This is not for analysis, but to enable subordinates to see the details of the anticipated enemy course of action (COA).
Once he briefs the enemy analysis to his subordinates, he must ensure they understand what is known, what is suspected, and what is merely templated (estimated). Unless given the benefit of reconnaissance or other intelligence, his SITEMP is only an
"estimate" of how the enemy may dispose itself. He must not take these as facts.
Reconnaissance is critical in developing the best possible enemy scenario.
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Figure 2-9. Recommended SITEMP items.
(g)
Initial Priority Intelligence Requirements. The company commander will develop his initial PIR. PIR are defined as information about the enemy that will lead to a critical decision by a commander. Answering the PIR will allow the commander to clarify the enemy situation. Although the company commander’s PIR will help clarify the enemy situation for him, they usually lead to answering the battalion commander’s PIR.
(4) Troops and Support Available. Perhaps the most critical aspect of mission analysis is determining the combat potential of one’s own force. The company commander must realistically and unemotionally determine all available resources and any new limitations based on level of training or recent fighting. This includes troops who are either attached to or in direct support of his unit. He must know the status of his soldiers’ morale, their experience and training, and the strengths and weaknesses of subordinate leaders. The assessment includes knowing the strength and status of his soldiers and their equipment. It also includes understanding the full array of assets that are in support of the unit. He must know, for example, how much indirect fire, by type, is available and when it will become available.
(5) Time Available. As addressed in the first step of the TLP, time analysis is a critical aspect to planning, preparation, and execution. The company commander must not only appreciate how much time is available. He must also be able to appreciate the time-space aspects of preparing, moving, fighting, and sustaining. He must be able to see his own tasks and enemy actions in relation to time. For example, he must be able to assess the impact of limited visibility conditions on the troop-leading procedures. He must know how long it takes under such conditions to prepare for certain tasks--such as order preparation, rehearsals, and backbriefs--and to complete other time-sensitive preparations for subordinate elements. He must understand how long it takes to deploy a support-by-fire element and determine the amount of ammunition that is needed to sustain the support for a specific period of time. He must know how long it takes to assemble a bangalore torpedo and to breach a wire obstacle. Most importantly, as events occur he must adjust his appreciation of time available to him and assess its impact on what he wants to accomplish. Finally, he must update previous time lines for his 2-19
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subordinates, listing all events that affect the company and its subordinate elements.
Figure 2-10 provides an example of a company time line.
Figure 2-10. Example of a company time line.
(6)
Civil Considerations. The higher headquarters will provide the company commander with civil considerations that may affect the battalion’s mission. The company commander must also identify any civil consideration that may affect only his mission. These may include refugee movement, humanitarian assistance requirements, or specific requirements related to the rules of engagement (ROE) or rules of interaction (ROI).
(7)
Summary of Mission Analysis. The end result of mission analysis is the development of a number of insights and conclusions regarding how the factors of METT-TC affect accomplishment of the unit’s mission. From these insights and conclusions, the company commander derives a restated mission, an initial intent, an initial risk assessment, and possibly a decisive point. He uses these to develop courses of action, which are possible ways to accomplish his mission.
(a) Commander’s Intent. The commander’s intent is a clear, concise statement of what the force must do to succeed with respect to the enemy, terrain, and desired end state. It provides the link between the mission and the concept of operations by stating the key tasks that, along with the mission, are the basis for subordinates to exercise disciplined initiative when unanticipated opportunities arise or when the original concept of operation no longer applies. Key tasks are those that must be performed by the unit or conditions that must be met to achieve the stated purpose of the operation. Key tasks are not tied to a specific course of action. They are not limited to "tactical tasks." The operation’s tempo, duration and effect on the enemy, and the terrain that must be controlled, are examples of key tasks. The commander’s intent does not include the method by which the force will get from its current state to the end state. The method is the concept of operations. Nor does the intent contain "acceptable risk." Risk is addressed 2-20
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in courses of action. Figure 2-11 shows an example of key tasks related to enemy, terrain, and desired end state. An example of commander’s intent follows.
Commander’s Intent: All enemy forces on OBJ ATLANTA destroyed; company controls west side of Bush Hill; company is in defensive posture NLT 011400 OCT __, able to defeat enemy CATK in EA RED; TF 2-99 IN
(M) passed through CP2 without significant delay.
KEY TASKS IN RELATION TO--
Enemy:
Terrain:
Desired End State:
• All enemy forces on OBJ • Company controls west • Company in defensive ATLANTA destroyed.
side of Bush Hill NLT posture NLT 011400OCT__,
• Enemy forces fixed in EA 010600OCT__.
able to destroy enemy
DOG.
• Major chokepoints along counterattack in EA RED. TF
• Enemy reconnaissance
RT BLUE cleared of obstacles 2-99 IN (M) passed through
forces destroyed prior to and enemy forces.
CP2 without significant
reaching PL DOG.
• Company reaches PL delay.
• Enemy unable to mass DOG NLT 010400OCT__.
greater than one MRP against
the Company ME.
Figure 2-11. Example of key tasks related to
enemy, terrain, and desired end state.
(b)
Risk Assessment. Risk assessment is the identification and assessment of hazards that allows a commander to implement measures to control hazards. (Refer to Appendix E for a detailed discussion of risk management and Appendix F for a discussion of fratricide avoidance.) Identification and assessment are the first two steps of the risk management process. Risk management is conducted to protect the force and increase the chance of mission accomplishment. The commander must consider two kinds of risk: tactical and accident. Tactical risk is associated with hazards that exist due to the presence of the enemy on the battlefield. The consequences of tactical risk take two major forms:
• Enemy action in an area where the leader has accepted risk (such as an enemy attack where the friendly commander has chosen to conduct an economy of force).
• Lost opportunity (such as moving across severely restricted terrain and then being unable to mass effects of combat power because of inability to traverse the terrain rapidly).
Accident risk includes all operational risk considerations other than tactical risk and can include activities associated with hazards concerning friendly personnel, equipment readiness, and environmental considerations. Fratricide and the inability to complete a planned air movement because of weather conditions are two examples of accident risk.
The leader must identify risks based on the results of his mission analysis, decide which risks he is willing to accept, and incorporate measures that abolish or mitigate the consequences of the identified risks into his courses of action.
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2-9.
ISSUE A WARNING ORDER
After the company commander has determined his unit’s mission and assessed the time available for planning, preparing for, and executing the mission, he should immediately issue a warning order to his subordinates. In addition to telling his subordinates of the company’s new mission, the warning order also gives them his planning time line. He also may communicate any other instructions or information that he thinks will assist them in preparing for the new mission. This includes any information on the enemy and the nature of the higher headquarters’ overall plan and any specific instructions or rehearsal tasks for preparing subordinate units for the mission. The most important thing is not to waste any time in issuing the initial warning order. If and when more information becomes available, he can--and should--issue additional warning orders. By issuing the initial warning order as quickly as possible, he enables his subordinates to begin their own planning and preparation (parallel planning) while he begins to develop the OPORD.
2-10. MAKE A TENTATIVE PLAN
In a time-constrained environment, a company commander typically will develop only one course of action; however, as time permits, he may develop as many courses of action as possible to allow comparison. He will begin this step of the TLP after he issues his warning order and after he has received higher headquarters’ third warning order. He does not need to wait for a complete OPORD from the higher headquarters before beginning his own course of action development. The SBCT infantry company commander must take advantage of the tactical internet to communicate his COA through imagery, graphics, and relevant information.
a.
Course of Action Development. The purpose of course of action development is to determine one or more ways to accomplish the mission that are consistent with the immediate higher commander’s intent. A COA describes how the unit might generate the effects of overwhelming combat power against the enemy at the decisive place with the least friendly casualties. Each COA the company commander develops must be detailed enough to clearly describe how he envisions using all of his assets and combat multipliers to achieve the company’s mission-essential task and purpose. To develop a COA, he focuses on the actions the company must take at the decisive point and works backward to his start point. He should develop several COAs if time permits. A legitimate COA must be--
• Suitable. If successfully executed, the COA will accomplish the mission consistent with the higher commander’s concept and intent.
• Feasible. The unit has the technical and tactical skills and resources to successfully accomplish the COA.
• Acceptable. The COA minimizes friendly casualties.
• Distinguishable. Each COA must be sufficiently different from the others to justify full development and consideration.
• Complete. The COA must cover the operational factors of who, what, when, where, and how and address the mission from its start point to its conclusion.
The COA also must address the doctrinal aspects of the mission. For example, in an attack against a defending enemy, the COA must address the movement to, deployment against, assault of, and consolidation upon, the objective.
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(1)
Analyze Relative Combat Power. The purpose of this step is to compare combat power of friendly and enemy forces. It is not merely a calculation and comparison of friendly and enemy weapons numbers or units with the aim of gaining a numerical advantage. Using the results of all previous analyses done during mission analysis, the company commander compares his unit’s combat power strengths and weaknesses with those of the enemy. He seeks to calculate the time and manner in which his force (and the enemy) can maximize the effects of maneuver, firepower, protection, leadership, and information in relation to the specific ground, disposition, and composition of each force.
In short, he is trying to determine where, when, and how his unit’s combat power (the effects of maneuver, firepower, protection, leadership, and information) can overwhelm the enemy’s ability to generate combat power. Where and when this occurs is, of course, the decisive point. Using a relative combat power analysis (RCPA) matrix is a technique to assist in organizing his analysis (Figure 2-12). The matrix allows him to identify conclusions that he can apply to the development of his COA. The conclusions from his analysis of combat power are not COA specific, but rather apply to all COAs he may develop. Once he has completed his analysis of relative combat power, he attempts to determine a decisive point (if he has not done so already). He does this by considering the unit’s mission, the terrain, and the enemy, seeking to find a place in time or space where he can focus overwhelming combat power to accomplish the unit’s assigned purpose. He must understand the strengths and vulnerabilities of his unit and the enemy. The RCPA, as a tool, should lead him to a better understanding of when, where, and how to apply his combat power to exploit a weakness or relative weakness of the enemy. This process points the way to a potential decisive point, tactics, or techniques to be used when generating options.
Combat Power
Friendly
Enemy
Friendly
Enemy
Conclusions
Tactics
Strengths
Weaknesses
Weaknesses
Strengths
Techniques
Maneuver
Firepower
Protection
Leadership
Information
Figure 2-12. Relative combat power analysis (RCPA) matrix.
(2)
Generate Options. The company commander first determines the doctrinal requirements for his particular operation. These also may include the doctrinal tasks to be assigned to subordinate units. For example, a breach requires an assault force, a support force, a breach force, and possibly a reserve. This doctrinal requirement provides a framework for the commander to develop a COA. Next he determines his decisive point.
If he has not done so earlier in the TLP, he must determine his decisive point during this step in order to proceed. Once he has determined his decisive point, he identifies the main effort’s purpose and the purposes of his supporting efforts. The main effort’s purpose is nested to his unit’s overall purpose and is achieved at his decisive point. The supporting efforts’ purposes are nested to the main effort’s purpose by setting the conditions for 2-23
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success of the main effort. He then determines the mission-essential tactical tasks for the main and supporting efforts. These tasks are those that must be accomplished to achieve the subordinate units’ given purposes.
(3)
Array Initial Forces. He must then determine the specific quantity of weapons (by type) and fire support necessary to accomplish each task against the enemy array of forces. He must ensure that he has sufficient combat power to accomplish the assigned task. He allocates resources required for the main effort’s success first and then determines the resources needed for supporting efforts in descending order of importance.
EXAMPLE: The main effort in an attack of a strongpoint may require three rifle squads and an engineer squad to seize a foothold, whereas a support-by-fire force may require four squads and one MGS vehicle. This array relies on an accurate assessment in the relative combat power analysis (step 1).
(4)
Develop Schemes of Maneuver. The scheme of maneuver is a description of how the company commander envisions the COA unfolding from its start to its conclusion or end state. He clarifies in his mind the best ways to use the available terrain and to employ the unit’s strengths against the enemy’s weaknesses. He includes the requirements of indirect fire to support the maneuver. He then develops the maneuver control measures necessary to convey his intent, to enhance the understanding of the schemes of maneuver, to prevent fratricide, and to clarify the tasks and purposes of the main and supporting efforts. He also determines the CS and CSS aspects of the COA. One technique is to overlay his scheme of maneuver onto the SITEMP digitally. As control measures become necessary, he places them on his maneuver overlay. This now becomes the basis for his COA sketch that he can distribute to his subordinates.
(5)
Assign Headquarters. He assigns specific subordinate elements as the main and supporting efforts. He ensures that he has employed every unit in his command and every asset that has been attached and that he has provided for adequate command and control of each element. The company commander must avoid unnecessarily complicated command and control structures.
(6)
Prepare COA Statements and Sketches. He bases the COA statement on the scheme of maneuver