CHAPTER
10 RISK
MANAGEMENT FOR THE AVIATION STAFF
RISK MANAGEMENT FOR THE AVIATION STAFF
by CW2 William Rains
 |  |  |
"Sizing up opponents to determine victory, assessing dangers and distances is the proper course of action for military leaders."Sun Tzu, The Art of War, "Terrain"
Risk management - we've all heard about it and write it off as just some of that "safety stuff." The risk management process is not some strange concept that a desk jockey devised while thinking of bullets to put on his support form. It is a deliberate process which allows commanders to categorize, process, and mitigate risks in any type of operation (including convoy operations, retrans operations, and FARPs). Fratricide is also a generally overlooked, and yet significant, hazard. We all conduct risk management in our everyday lives without thinking: while driving our cars, walking on wet pavement, or even playing with our children. Formalized risk management is merely taking this generally unconscious process and bringing it into the conscious portion of the brain. The desired result is that leaders understand the risk involved with each operation they undertake and reduce the risk to an acceptable level where the benefit of mission accomplishment outweighs the risk taken. This article will explain staff roles in risk management, how to integrate risk management into the Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP), risk assessment versus risk management, the role of the aviation safety officer (ASO), and how to disseminate control measures to the people who need them.
Risk Management in the MDMP
"Risk Management is integrated into the military decision-making process."FM 101-5, Staff Organization and Operations
Annex J - Risk Management
The commander, through his planning processes, must be able to quantify the risk he can reasonably expect during an upcoming operation. Only by doing this can a commander make calculated risk decisions based on tactical and accident hazards. Aviation staffs can recognize hazards during the MDMP and consequently control these hazards through risk reduction. Battle planners have, in the past, identified hazards in their planning and probably mitigated the risk by employing control measures, such as a fire support coordination line (FSCL), without a second thought. Staffs at the NTC are executing some risk reduction, but observers have seen some areas where improvement is possible. The risk management worksheet must be a by-product of the MDMP and outline all identified hazards as well as associated control measures. When performed correctly, this function allows commanders to recognize pertinent residual risk and accept or disapprove at the proper level. Commanders may also be able to determine whether or not to conduct the operation based on the benefit-to-risk ratio. If each developed COA has a related risk level associated to it, this becomes another decision aid for the commander.
"Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash."General George S. Patton, Jr.
Risk Assessment Versus Risk Management
We all do a risk assessment matrix as part of normal flight planning. This procedure is normally misconstrued as fulfilling the requirement of AR 95-1, Flight Regulations, to integrate risk management into all aviation operations. Risk assessment is only the first two steps of the process and does not fulfill the requirement. Risk assessment matrices are merely tools for the commander to identify potential hazards. Only by completing the process can a unit accomplish risk reduction through implementation of identified control measures.
How to Integrate Risk Management in the MDMP
"Every staff officer must integrate risk management into the planning and execution of training and operational missions."FM 101-5, Staff Organization and Operations
Chapter 4, page 4-7
All members of any planning cell must be able to recognize hazards inherent to their piece of the plan. The chief of staff /executive officer (XO) must reinforce this when they brief the staff before initiating their planning and the MDMP. A technique is to require each planning cell to identify all hazards associated with their portion of the mission during planning. Once they identify the hazard, that cell should also identify appropriate risk reduction measures since they are the subject matter experts in that area. Someone must consolidate these hazards and controls and give them to the person responsible for completing the risk management worksheet (generally the ASO). CALL Newsletter No. 99-5, Risk Management for Brigades and Battalions, Apr 99, outlines this process.
The following commander and staff responsibilities are recommended for risk management during operations. They are consistent with those outlined in FM 101-5.
The responsible individual can then insert the information into the worksheet to determine initial and residual risk levels for each hazard and choose the best way to implement each control. Standardized documents are generally the best form of implementation of controls. The OPORD is the ideal vehicle to disseminate the control measure(s) for specific missions, with the unit SOP being better for long-term implementation. The final step is to identify who will supervise the control measure and determine whether or not it was effective.
The Aviation Safety Officer's Role as Part of the Commander's Battle Staff
The ASO must be an active part of the commander's battle staff. A trend at the NTC shows that the ASO locates separately from the battle staff and functions autonomously. While there are functions of the ASO's job as the commander's direct advisor on safety and risk management that will take him away from the TOC, the ASO should be present for any mission planning and development. The ASO should be the primary conduit for any hazards identified in the planning process, as discussed earlier. Although completion of the risk management worksheet is not necessarily a responsibility of the ASO, he is the best person for this task. XOs and S-3s should ensure that the ASO is present during planning, or that someone will fill his shoes as the risk management liaison and worksheet preparer. Again, the risk management worksheet MUST be a product of the MDMP, or individual mission planning at company and lower. Unless developed out of mission planning, the worksheet merely becomes a piece of paper filled out in a dark corner somewhere. The result is the integration, as much as possible, of identified risk reduction measures into the orders preparation phase. Controls implemented through the OPORD carry greater weight and have the best dissemination. Attaching the risk management worksheet as an annex of the OPORD is a technique when time is critical; however, this reduces its effectiveness. Finally, the ASO should monitor the execution of the mission to determine whether controls are effective.
Conclusion
The outstanding trend is that risk management integration is incomplete and becomes an afterthought, or detached from any mission planning. NTC observer/controllers are continually coaching this process, which, like most tasks, becomes easier with practice. Staffs who conduct Home Station training to develop systems that ensure integration of risk management, and specifically their ASOs, are always more successful in the "heat of battle." ASOs need to be able to speak the same language as the rest of the battle staff and operate effectively in the MDMP. By integrating risk management into the planning of all military missions, the commander's situational awareness becomes greatly enhanced, allowing him to better protect his soldiers and preserve his combat power.
Tactics, Techniques and Procedures
1. XOs and S-3s must ensure their planners can comfortably integrate risk management into the planning process and understand how best to employ the ASO, or continue the risk management process in the ASO's absence.
2. ASOs need to be proficient in the tactical applications of their job according to the U.S. Army Safety Center, Aviation Safety Officer Course.
3. ASOs need to think beyond the cockpit and understand the big picture, i.e., the ground scheme of maneuver.
4. Senior ASOs need to mentor company-level ASOs who have not had the opportunity to work at battalion level and higher.
References
| | |
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
