Still More Ideas
The ideas that follow address the situation when you can't find eight or even four hours per week at one time. If you confront this situation, break training into one-or two-hour periods of time. Consider using some of the training techniques that follow. You can also use these techniques to supplement the suggestions made earlier in this article.
Remember, that most decisionmaking on the battlefield will be combat or quick. The deliberate process provides for decisionmaking when a lot of time is available. You rarely will enjoy a lot of time at the JRTC. Be thorough, but be fast.
1. Practice a mission analysis briefing.
- *
practice determining specified and implied tasks; risks; limitations.
- * develop a restated mission.
- * emphasize speed and accuracy.
- * develop a reference list of probable implied tasks.
- * develop a restated mission.
2. Determine probable requirements for the Commander's CCIR.
- *
commander's should consider the technique of asking no more than five important
questions
each day.
- * the XO and staff should determine how to track and answer these questions.
- * discuss essential elements of friendly information (EEFI)
- * the XO and staff should determine how to track and answer these questions.
- -what do we look like?
- * discuss priority information requirements (PIR)
- -most important questions currently unanswered by the IPB/estimate process.
- * determine what information the commander will always want available.
- -get it straight with the staff and nonorganic special staff before entering combat or rotating to the JRTC.
- *
determine requirements to monitor the status of TOWs, tanks and dragons.
- * determine requirements to monitor strengths and locations of companies and each of their platoons.
- * what about replacement numbers, and when replacements will arrive? etc.
- * what aids will you use?
- * Remember: we fight companies and special platoons, and battle-track their corresponding platoons and squads.
- * determine requirements to monitor strengths and locations of companies and each of their platoons.
3. Practice developing a situation template as a staff.
- *
ensure the template addresses all the Battlefield Operating Systems (BOSs).
- * have special staff officers think red for their BOS; e.g., ADA officer picks locations for enemy air defense weapons.
- * the template, as one product of the continuous, staff process of IPB, will require continual updating, which, in turn, requires
- * have special staff officers think red for their BOS; e.g., ADA officer picks locations for enemy air defense weapons.
- the entire staff's effort.
- *
determine how you will conduct a staff update of the situation template.
- * avoid the pitfall of considering IPB and its products as the S2's responsibility.
- -
IPB, with total
command and staff effort,
provides the best way for the task force to see the enemy.
Don't
just check the block here.
- - if you can't "see" the enemy, your plan - no matter how good - will focus the task force against nothing.
4. Practice a course-of-action briefing.
- *
determine who briefs.
- * standardize your way of sketching and the formatting of information.
- * do comparisons of courses of action against criteria; develop a potential list of criteria:
- * standardize your way of sketching and the formatting of information.
- -commander's
guidance
- -principles of war
- -combat fundamentals
- -decide whether to use a weighting technique
- -principles of war
- *practice issuing a warning order after completion of course-of-action selection.
5. Practice wargaming.
- *
wargame as part of the course-of-action development and analysis.
- * practice wargaming a friendly COA selected and amended by the commander.
- * ensure the wargaming of critical events:
- * practice wargaming a friendly COA selected and amended by the commander.
- -actions
on the objective
- -defeat of enemy dismounts
- -defeat of enemy tanks
- -defeat of enemy dismounts
- *
use the whole staff to wargame; include the ALO, ANGLICO, CA, PSYOP, CI, etc.;
frequently ask
them what they
- think
.- * practice the action - reaction - counter-reaction sequence essential to successful wargaming
- -determine and develop your recording technique: narrative worksheet or synchronization matrix
- * it should take you no more than 45-60 minutes to wargame one friendly COA against one enemy COA.
6. Practice warning order issuance.
- *
determine when you will issue warning orders during
the three decisionmaking processes:
deliberate,
combat and quick.
- * what format will you use?
- * who has the authority to issue?
- * determine how you make sure that all members of the task force will get the order, especially remembering the
- * what format will you use?
- nonorganic, non-habitually aligned elements that may be under the operational control of or attached.
7. Conduct an orders briefing.
- *
ensure briefers brief company commanders, not
the battalion commander.
- * ask company commanders if they are getting what they need in briefings and orders.
- * use standardized charts and overlays.
- * make everyone work off of one-scale map.
- * limit the briefing to one hour.
- * establish target times for each briefer; be ruthless on time.
- * ask company commanders if they are getting what they need in briefings and orders.
- - if they can't make the time, make them do it until they can!
- *everyone must conserve time, to include the commander.
- - discuss and direct; don't philosophize.
8. Produce a written order.
- *
assign every staff member a part of the order.
- * produce a second order, written by backups.
- *expect casualties, to include the XO and S3.
- * designate staff officers to practice doing the engineer and air defense parts if they aren't present.
- *standardize and pre-print certain parts of orders and annexes.
- * discuss how you will produce orders and annexes in a time-compressed environment.
- * produce a second order, written by backups.
- -preprinted?
- -fill in the blank?
- * discuss how you will distribute; don't forget the copy you must send to brigade
9. Review friendly and enemy capabilities.
- * have each staff officer develop and brief the capabilities of friendly and enemy weapons and equipment for his BOS.
10. Verify unit knowledge about the enemy.
- *
have the S2 test intel personnel on enemy tactics and organization.
- * send intel (S2) mobile training team (MTT) to companies and special platoons to teach how the enemy fights.
- -defense:
screening force; COP; main position; local and main counterattack
- -attack: sympathizers; stay-behinds; division and regimental reconnaissance; dismounts; tank and mechanized forces.
11. Practice battle tracking and moving information within a TOC.
- *
give incidents to the staff to practice using their tracking aids.
- * tracking friendly and enemy minefields and acting on them is among the toughest of battle-tracking tasks.
- * assess:
- * tracking friendly and enemy minefields and acting on them is among the toughest of battle-tracking tasks.
- -
how information is processed
- - how charts/maps are updated
- - how information is passed to the right people
- - how coordination is completed
- - how decisions are made
- - how charts/maps are updated
- * focus on actions by the Battle Captain and the shift NCO
12. Cross-train NCOs to perform staff officer actions.
- * let your staff NCOs run an entire combat decision process to include production of an order and briefings.
Table
of Contents
CP
Training
Mission/Task
Reviews
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