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COMBAT SERVICE SUPPORT BOS

There are currently no FMs in the field that adequately address reconstitution planning requirements. TRADOC Pam 525-51, 4 April 86, provides valuable broad guidance into reconstitution planning. CGSOC Student Text, 63-1, "AirLand Battle Sustainment Doctrine (Division and, Corps) ," addresses reconstitution planning in more detail and includes planning considerations for establishing a reconstitution program.

Detailed SOP Need

In recent exercises, reconstitution efforts have generally been accomplished. However, they have frequently been reactive in nature. They have usually been poorly planned and coordinated efforts, lacking in organization and efficiency. Reconstitution plans are often not addressed in the Division SOP. Morever, when the plans are addressed, the guidance is usually very general, stating only that reconstitution will occur. Many important issues are frequently not addressed such as:

• Who will be in charge overall of the reconstitution effort?

• Who is in charge at the reconstitution site?

• Will a reconstitution team be formed? If so, where will the personnel come from? Where will their equipment come from?

• Does the unit to be reconstituted, and all of the supporting units, have "the plan" including timelines, responsibilities, etc.?

• Has reconstitution been planned for Combat Support and Combat Service Support units?

• Have provisions been made for refresher training for units issued unfamiliar equipment in lieu of their normally supplied equipment (e.g., M1A1 tankers receiving M60A3s)?

• What are the trigger points for the reconstitution action?

• Have provisions been made for how ASLs and PLLs should be handled in reconstituted units?

Reconstitution Requirements

Reconstitution is a major mission for the CSS organization of a division/corps and it may be the most difficult mission they will be called on to accomplish. Some considerations are:

• It requires successful integration of almost all services and classes of supply.

• The unit must be brought up to strength, rearmed, refitted, refueled, rested, and retrained, all in an extremely short period of time.

• It must be thoroughly planned and understood by all involved in order to be accomplished smoothly.

• Detailed plans (including timelines, locations, sources of supplies, and responsibilities) must be prepared and included in all applicable SOPs and augmented by corps and division OPORDs.

• The Rear CP must establish a system to aggressively manage the reconstitution effort to ensure milestones on the timelines are met.

• The Rear CP must also keep the MAIN aware of progress against the timeline so the reconstituted unit can be included in plans for future operations.

TERRAIN MANAGEMENT

Terrain management consistently causes problems in the rear area. Frequently, several units plan to occupy a piece of ground in the division Rear and discover there is a problem only when the second or third unit arrives. The ground then has to be "deconflicted", a process which often involved several headquarters and the movement of several units.

Proactive Measures

Terrain conflicts have been reduced by some units in three ways. The Rear CP and MAIN CP continually update and exchange information on their terrain management maps on the location of units or projected units to be coming into the division area. This information is exchanged routinely during change of shift briefs and in Commander's SITREPs, and as events occur. Secondly, the DISCOM Movements Control Officer is located in the Rear CP and continually coordinates with transportation and movements officers in higher, lower, and adjacent units to ensure he is aware of unit movements planned through the Division area. Thirdly, the Rear CP establishes TCPs along major routes into the Division rear boundary. These TCPs monitor all convoy traffic, pass significant intelligence to units entering the division area, and issue instructions concerning CEOI and reporting requirements. The Rear CP then confirms or changes positioning plans as necessary after coordinating with the G3.

These simple, proactive measures significantly reduce the number of surprises in the rear. They eliminate a large amount of the reactive effort in the Rear CP and enables management by exception.

TACCS

Current software in the Tactical Army Combat Service Support Computer System (TACCS) does not meet the personnel requisitioning and replacement flow needs of habitually task organized units.

Software

TACCS software is currently programmed to track cross-attached companies only in terms of overall numbers. The information necessary to requisition personnel for a cross-attached company cannot be processed through the unit to which it is task organized. The cross- attached company and/or the gaining battalion must send the detailed loss information (name, rank, MOS) to the parent battalion. The parent battalion then must requisition replacements. Replacements are sent to the parent battalion which must then get the replacements to its detached company. This results in a degradation of combat power as it unnecessarily delays getting replacements to the right place in a timely manner.

TACCS Modification

In November 1988, the Soldier Support Center announced that the Command and Control Strength Reporting System (C2SRS) module currently in TACCS will be modified to incorporate the following changes:

• The Personnel Summary will be revised and renamed the Task Force Report. A "Required" column will be added which can be modified and updated. The task force commander will then have a report that reflects the required/ assigned/operating strength of each task force element.

• A Hasty Personnel Requirements Report will be added which will allow the task force commander to report up to fifteen officer/warrant officer/enlisted AOC/MOS without doing by-name transactions.

• The new software will allow commanders to task organize, report their required strengths, submit hasty personnel requirements reports through task force channels to Gl/AG and not have it double counted through their parent brigade.

The new software will be distributed Army-wide in Software Change Package 04 scheduled for release in January 1990.

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Air Support BOS
Command and Control BOS