Military

a.   Determine what hazards can be eliminated or avoided.

b.   Assess each hazard that cannot be eliminated or avoided to determine the probability that the hazard will occur.

c.   Assess the severity of hazards that cannot be eliminated or avoided. Severity, defined as the result or outcome of a hazardous incident, is expressed by the degree of injury or illness (including death), loss of or damage to equipment or property, environmental damage, or other mission-impairing factors (such as unfavorable publicity or loss of combat power).

d.   Take into account both the probability and severity of a hazard and determine the associated risk level (extremely high, high, moderate, or low). Table B-3 summarizes the four risk levels.

e.   Based on the factors of hazard assessment (probability, severity, and risk level, as well as the operational factors unique to the situation), complete risk management worksheet. (Refer to Figure B-1, for an example of a completed risk management worksheet.)

a.   Develop Controls. Controls are the procedures and considerations the unit uses to eliminate hazards or reduce their risk. After assessing each hazard, develop one or more controls that will either eliminate the hazard or reduce the risk (probability, severity, or both) of potential hazardous incidents. When developing controls, consider the reason for the hazard, not just the hazard itself.

b.   Make Risk Decisions. A key element in the process of making a risk decision is determining whether accepting the risk is justified or, conversely, is unnecessary. The decision-maker must compare and balance the risk against mission expectations, then decide if the controls are sufficient and acceptable and whether to accept the resulting residual risk. If the risk is determined unnecessary, the decision-maker directs the development of additional controls or alternative controls; as another option, he can modify, change, or reject the selected COA for the operation.

a.   Supervision. Leadership and unit discipline are the keys to ensuring implementation of effective risk management controls. All leaders are responsible for supervising mission rehearsals and execution to ensure standards and controls are enforced. In particular, NCOs must enforce established safety policies as well as controls developed for a specific operation or task. Techniques include spot checks, inspections, SITREPs, confirmation briefs, and supervision. During mission execution, leaders must continuously monitor risk management controls to determine whether they are effective and to modify them as necessary. Leaders must also anticipate, identify, and assess new hazards. They ensure that imminent danger issues are addressed on the spot and that ongoing planning and execution reflect changes in hazard conditions.

b.   Evaluation. Whenever possible, the risk management process should also include an after-action review (AAR) to assess unit performance in identifying risks and preventing hazardous situations. Leaders should then incorporate lessons learned from the process into unit SOPs and plans for future missions.

c.   Commanders Guidance. The company commander gives the platoon leaders direction, sets priorities, and establishes the command climate (values, attitudes, and beliefs). Successful preservation of combat power requires him to imbed risk management into individual behavior. To fulfill this commitment, leaders must exercise creative leadership, innovative planning, and careful management. Most importantly, the commander must demonstrate support for the risk management process within the troop-leading procedures. The commander and others in the chain of command can establish a command climate favorable to risk management integration by—

d.   Leader Responsibility. For the commander, his subordinate leaders, and individual soldiers alike, responsibilities in managing risk include the following:

a.   Confirmation briefs and rehearsals ensure subordinates know where fratricide risks exist and what to do to reduce or eliminate them.

b.   Briefbacks ensure subordinates understand the commander's intent. They often highlight areas of confusion or complexity or planning errors.

c.   The type of rehearsal conducted determines the types of risks identified.

d.   Rehearsals should extend to all levels of command and involve all key players.

e.   The following factors may reveal fratricide risks during rehearsals:

a.   The following are factors to consider when assessing fratricide risks:

b.   Maintaining a COP of friendly forces at all levels and at all times is another key to fratricide avoidance as an operation progresses. Units develop and employ effective techniques and SOPs to aid leaders and crewmen in this process, to include—

a.   Identify and assess potential fratricide risks in the estimate of the situation. Develop a simple, decisive plan and express these risks in an order (WARNO, OPORD or FRAGO).

b.   Focus on areas such as current intelligence, unit locations and dispositions, denial areas (minefields and FASCAM), contaminated areas such as improved conventional munitions (ICM) and NBC, SITREPs, and METT-TC factors.

c.   Ensure positive target identification. Review vehicle and weapon ID cards. Know at what ranges and under what conditions positive identification of friendly vehicles and weapons is possible.

d.   Establish a command climate that stresses fratricide prevention. Enforce fratricide prevention measures and emphasize the use of doctrinally sound techniques and procedures. Ensure constant supervision in the execution of orders and the performance of all tasks and missions.

e.   Recognize the signs of battlefield stress. Maintain unit cohesion by taking quick, effective action to alleviate battlefield stress.

f.   Conduct individual, leader, and collective (unit) training covering fratricide prevention, target identification and recognition, and fire discipline.

g.   Use SOPs that are consistent with doctrine to simplify mission orders. Periodically review and change SOPs as needed.

h.   Strive for maximum planning time for your subordinates.

i.   Use doctrinally correct standard terminology and control measures, such as fire support coordination line and restrictive fire lines.

j.   Ensure thorough coordination is conducted.

k.   Plan for and establish effective communications (to include visual).

l.   Plan for collocation of command posts whenever it is appropriate to the mission, such as during a passage of lines.

m.   Ensure ROE are clear.

n.   Include fratricide risk as a key factor in terrain analysis (OAKOC).

o.   Conduct rehearsals whenever the situation allows time to do so.

p.   Be in the right place at the right time. Use position location and navigation devices (GPS and POSNAV); know your location and the locations of adjacent units (left, right, leading, and follow-on). Synchronize tactical movement.

q.   Plan and brief OPSEC (challenge and password, sign and countersign).

r.   Whenever possible, the risk management process should also include AAR to assess unit performance in identifying risks and preventing hazardous situations. Leaders should then incorporate lessons learned from the process into unit SOPs and plans for future missions.

s.   Stress the importance of the chain of command in the fire control process (see Appendix C); ensure soldiers get in the habit of obtaining target confirmation and permission to fire from their leaders before engaging targets they assume are enemy elements.

t.   Ensure fire commands are accurate, concise, and clearly stated. Make it mandatory for soldiers to ask for clarification of any portion of the fire command that they do not completely understand.