Military

SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES (SIG-ACTS) BOARD: This chart chronologically displays enemy and friendly activities that impact on the mission. They reflect the Commander's Critical Information Requirements (CCIR) and improve situational awareness for the platoon. The CCIR has three building blocks: the Priority Intelligence Requirements (PIR), the Friendly Forces Intelligence Requirements (FFIR), and the Essential Elements of Friendly Information (EEFI).

It should include activities within the platoon's area of operation and the surrounding areas. Keeping this chart up to date ensures interaction between the S2 and S3 sections of the higher command and the MP platoon as a whole. One technique is to post a tracking number for each incident on the map to show trends and possibly predict enemy or civilian activity.

MATRIX OR MISSION BOARD: Who gets what mission and when they rest.

ENEMY PRISONER OF WAR (EPW) TRACKING CHART: Who is in your EPW cage, where and when they were captured. Who has departed for the rear to be interned, when and how were they transported.

STAFF DUTY JOURNAL: All message traffic coming in to TOC is logged in. The operative word is ALL. The staff duty journal is the platoon's master archive. It is used to update, confirm, or deny information. If it is not on the journal, it did not happen.

SITUATION/MAP BOARD: This is the most important HUD, the nucleus of the TOC. It should contain at a minimum:

It should be apparent that in order to have a CP, the platoon must establish one, that is, the physical setup of the facility. At the JRTC, light MP platoons are often slow in setting up their CPs. It is usually a question of time and space. Even the standard GP small is often too bulky to be useful to a division MP platoon. While commercial tents and shelters are available, they are not made for hard military use. The trick is to balance size and ease of use. Remember that desire does not equate to need. Platoon sergeants should be the institutional memory for what the platoon NEEDS. A platoon needs the space to establish its HUD as a baseline operational requirement. Anything beyond that is a luxury determined by desire. Light MP platoons cannot afford luxuries.

Here is a possible answer to the need for an MP platoon CP: convert the M101A2 ¾-ton trailer. The trailer is six feet high and waterproof, providing space for radios, a small work area, and a HUD for the platoon. Space is limited, however. That can be improved by building an "apron," which when positioned properly over the exterior of the trailer, will double working space. It can be disassembled for storage.

The technique is simple. Lightweight screening system (LSS) poles can be used to support the four corners of the apron. Dig a two-foot trench four feet around the trailer base. Use the dirt from the two-foot trench to build a small berm surrounding the CP. This will enhance survivability without limiting the ability to depart quickly. The apron walls are then anchored in the berm to allow rain to run off. With the trailer walls actually acting as the primary means of supporting the CP, the setup is very stable, even in high winds. This exterior area allows storage for equipment previously inside the trailer.

With the interior work area ready and the trailer ready, personnel are the last element needed to pull it all together as a functional CP. Unfortunately by MTOE, MP platoons do not have soldiers who can be dedicated to this mission. The platoon sergeant is the best one to manage personnel to keep the CP manned. Options are to have the mechanic or driver serve as a radio telephone operator (RTO). A division MP company is authorized medics or communication specialists, but not enough to assign one for each platoon. Another option may be to incorporate members of the squad co-located at the CP during their rest plan.

Once the CP is up and running, the platoon sergeant is its overseer, supervising the flow of information in and out. Working closely with the platoon leader, he monitors the incoming information, processes it, and decides what to do with it. That demands a quick and thorough analysis of the information before passing it further. The platoon sergeant may have to question the source of information to obtain factual data. Reports must be accurate. That means that they are based on facts, not assumptions or guesses. An effective platoon sergeant will make sure his CP gets the facts. The platoon sergeant also ensures squads execute missions in accordance with the operations order. This means setting the tone everyday in sensitive item reports or gleaning information from SITREPs as early as possible. For example, a late, incomplete, or inaccurate route reconnaissance overlay may mean the difference between success or failure at the brigade level.

In summary, it is true that platoon sergeants are responsible for the beans and the bullets in combat operations. It is equally true that a platoon sergeant's responsibility also covers the platoon's command post. Getting the CP "right" should call on the platoon sergeant's experience and his grasp of the TTPs involved. Each individual platoon sergeant sets the standards for the platoon. Command post operations are just another facet of the job.