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Military

CHAPTER 3

Army Airspace Command and Control Tasks

The commander is responsible for developing and implementing the A²C² system for his assigned area of responsibility. To assist him in this effort, the commander utilizes his staff.

The basic staff tasks to be accomplished are the same for A²C² as for any other function. These tasks are:

  • Facilitate and monitor the accomplishment of command decisions;

  • Provide timely and accurate information to the commander and subordinate units;

  • Anticipate requirements and provide estimates of the situation;

  • Determine various courses of action and recommend one course of action that will best accomplish the mission;

  • Prepare plans and orders; and

  • Integrate and implement ACA-directed airspace control measures.

This chapter discusses basic staff tasks, modified to address A²C², and identifies the A²C² element or cell responsible for each task. In all cases, the tasks are divided into subtasks. The tasks and subtasks shown in the following matrix support the current and future operations discussed in Chapter 2. The specific information and staff officer required to complete the tasks depend on the organization level and these are discussed in Chapter 5. The chief of the A²C² staff section (echelon-dependent) is responsible for ensuring that the appropriate staff officers accomplish the tasks or provide the information required.


BCE* CORPS DIV BDE BN
1. Identify and resolve airspace conflicts
a. Current Operations

    (1) Monitor operations of airspace users. Spot reports, situations reports, and radio traffic are some of the means available.

X
X
X
X
    (2) Monitor intelligence reports.

    (3) Disseminate unscheduled, high-volume use of airspace.

    (4) Inform airspace users at each echelon of any loss of communication affecting any airspace user.
X

X
X

X


X
X

X


X
X

X


X
X

X


X
    (5) Identify and correlate situations affecting airspace use for unscheduled events. Aviation missions should receive first priority for this action.

    (6) Analyze airspace use on the situation map to determine and resolve conflicts.




X
X



X
X



X
X



X
X
    (7) Recommend shifting/ending fires when affecting high priority aviation missions.

    (8) Disseminate changes of control or restriction measures, weapons control status, and NBC information which affect airspace users.

    (9)Review immediate air request (Army) for conflicts with current operations.


X


X



X
X


X



X
X


X



X
X


X



X
b. Future Operations (more fully developed
under task 4). Analyze the OPLANs and OPORDs
for possible conflicts among flight routes, control measures, artillery/ADA locations, and flight obstructions.




    (1) Determine the impact.

    (2) Develop and recommend alternatives.
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
2. Develop and maintain airspace utilization and situation overlays (At brigade/battalion these may not be separate overlays and could be maintained on the operations overlay)




a. Air Defense Artillery
    (1) Unit locations

    (2) Weapons control statuses

    (3) Weapon system coverage (high-to-medium-altitude air defense (HIMAD) primary/SHORAD, as required)

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
b. Fire Support
    (1) Coordination measures

    (2) Significant planned targets

    (3) Significant ongoing fires


X



X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
    (4) Firing battery locations

    (5) RPV launch/recovery sites

    (6) RPV flight paths
X

X

above
CA
X

X

below
CA
X

X

below
CA



below
CA
c. Aviation
    (1) Battle positions (current/preplanned)

    (2) Assembly area/unit locations (company size and larger)

    (3) FARPs




X


X

X

X


X

X

X


X

X
d. A²C²/ATS
    (1) A²C² control measures and restrictions

    (2) Friendly aircraft locations (airborne tactical formations)

X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X


X
    (3) Instrumented landing sites

    (4) NAVAIDs
X
X

X
X

X

e. Intelligence
    (1) Contaminated areas

    (2) Massed enemy aircraft locations


X

X

X

X

X

X

X
    (3) Areas affected by friendly electronic countermeasures

    (4) Flight obstructions
X
X


X
X


X
X
    (5) SEMA aircraft missions (current/preplanned)

    (6) RPV and UAV launch and recovery sites, and flight routes
X

X
X

X
X

X

X
3. Request/maintain/disseminate A²C² measures
or restrictions.

a. Request




    (1) Joint measures or restrictions

    (2) Army-specific measures (only affects Army users below coordinating altitude)
X
X

X
X

X

X

X
b. Maintain
    (1) Joint measures or restrictions

    (2) Army-specific measures

X

X

X

X

X

X

X



X
c. Disseminate
    (1) Joint measures or restrictions

    (2) Army-specific measures (overlay if possible)

X

X

X

X

X

X

X



X
4. Develop/coordinate A²C² annex to tactical operation plan

a. Determine the mission.
    (1) Receive higher headquarters' operation plan.





X




X




X




X




X
    (2) Extract required information from the plan.

      (a) Task organization

      (b) Mission statement

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
      (c) Concept of operation

      (d) A²C² annex (in some cases ATO or ACO, if provided)
X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X
    (3) Identify the following:

      (a) Area for which the commander is responsible, to include:

        (1) Vertical limits





X




X




X




X




X
        (2) Left and right limits

        (3) Front and rear limits


      (b) The degree of authority which has been vested in the ground commander
X

X


X
X

X


X
X

X


X
X

X


X
X

X


X
      (c) The users of the airspace:

        (1) Army aviation

        (2) Air forces




X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
        (3) Fire support

        (4) Air defense

        (5) Air traffic services
X

X
X

X

X
X

X

X
X

X

Opt*
X

X

Opt*
      (d) Requirements for the uses of the airspace:

        (1) Combat

        (2) Combat support

        (3) Combat service support



X

X

X


X

X

X


X

X

X


X

X

X
      (e) A²C² control measures imposed by higher headquarters

    (4) Receive commander's guidance or concept.
X
X


X
X


X
X


X
X


X
b. From information internal to the CP, determine:
    (1) A²C² priorities,

X

X

X

X
    (2) All airspace user requirements:

      (a) Combat missions

      (b) Combat support missions

      (c) Combat service support missions


X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
c. Prepare staff estimates.

    (1) Consolidate airspace use requirements for each course of action. Integrate requirements when possible. Identify conflicts.

    (2) For each course of action determine the requirements to resolve conflict (control measures), the difficulty of solving conflict, and how the requirements to solve conflict affect the concept of the operations.


X



X

X



X

X



X

X



X
    (3) Recommend a specific course of action.

    (4) Receive commander's decision and guidance for implementation.
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
d. Develop A²C² annex (utilize format provided) including the following as a minimum:

    (1) Delineate the airspace subsector:

      (a) Upper limits





X




X
*
*
      (b) Left and right limits

      (c) Front and rear limits
X

X
X

X

    (2) Describe authority to be exercised by each echelon concerning:

      (a) Army users



X


X

      (b) Other service users

      (c) establishment of control measures

      (d) Positive control and procedural control requirements

X
X

X

X
X

X

X

X

X

X

X
    (3) State the commander's airspace priorities.

    (4) State the A²C² mission.
X

X
X

X
X
X
    (5) Explain the concept of operations/scheme of maneuver, to include A²C² overlay.
X
X
X
X
    (6) Write subunit paragraphs for each airspace user (fire support, Air Force, aviation, AD, ATS). Discuss for each user:

      (a) Type of control required (positive or procedural, when and where)



X


X


X


X
      (b) A²C² responsibilities not covered in SOP (such as peculiar information requirements, changes to responsibility for management of subsectors, weapon control orders/autonomous operation procedures (if changed), times of operation/restrictions)
X
X
X
X
    (7) Delineate information affecting more than two users:

      (a) All procedural A²C² control measures and restrictions (include fire support); information not included in the overlay(s)



X


X


X


X
      (b) Flight rules (IMC/VMC)

      (c) Airspace control order issuing times

      (d) High-use areas

      (e) Friendly EW operations which affect airspace users
X

X

X

X
X

X

X

X


X

X

X






X
      (f) FARP locations (active/preplanned)

      (g) Airfield locations/operations


      (h) NAVAIDs locations (active/preplanned time of operation)


      (i) FOC/FCC location/operations
X

X


X



X
X

X


X



X
X

If
Req

If
Req





If
in
bn
area
    (8) Address service support and command and signal as required.

e. Generate A²C² control measure requests to support the annex and forward for approval (theater requirements and means to accomplish this may vary).
X


X
X


X
X


X
X


X
*In those commands where a BCE does not exist due to command and control arrangements and organization, the functions performed by the BCE are performed by the appropriate staff element.

*Noted information should appear in brigade/battalion order as it affects brigade/battalion operations. Separate annexes are normally not required.

*Opt-optional

*Noted information should appear in brigade/battalion order as it affects brigade/battalion operations. Separate annexes are normally not required.



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