L8: OP170 MDMP Step 4 Flashcards
Purpose of COA Analysis
COA analysis identifies difficulties or coordination problems as well as probable consequences of planned actions for each COA being considered. Includes rules and steps that help commanders and staffs visualize the flow of the operation. Consists of 8 actions.
COA analysis = war gaming
Inputs of COA Analysis (War Games)
- updated running estimates
- updated commander’s planning guidance
- COA statements and sketches
- updated assumptions
8 steps of COA analysis
- Gather the tools
- List all friendly forces
- List assumptions
- List known critical events and decision points
- Select the war-gaming method
- Select a technique to record and display results
- War-game the operation and assess the results
- Conduct a war-game briefing (optional)
Outputs of COA Analysis
- refined courses of action
- potential decision points
- war-game results
- initial assessment measures
- updated assumptions
Critical event**
Event that directly influences mission accomplishment. Includes events that trigger significant actions or decisions, complicated actions requiring detailed study, and the essential tasks.
Decision point**
Point in space and time when the CO or staff anticipates making a key decision concerning a specific course of action
What happens during step 1 of COA Analysis (Gather the Tools)
- COS/XO directs staff to gather the tools, materials, and data for the war-game.
- units war-game with maps, sand tables, computer simulations, or other tools that accurately reflect the terrain
- staff posts the COA on a map displaying the AO
What happens during step 2 of COA Analysis (List all Friendly Forces)?
-CO and staff consider all units that can be committed to the operation, paying special attention to support relationships and constraints.
what happens during step 3 of COA analysis (list assumptions)
The CO and staff review previous assumptions for continued validity and necessity
3 war-gaming methods
1) Belt Method (divides AO into belts (areas) running the width of the AO) preferred method
2) Avenue-in-depth (focuses on 1 avenue of approach at a time beginning with the decisive operation)
3) Box method (detailed analysis of a critical area ie. river crossing, appropriate when time is constrained)
How is the belt method modified during stability ops
during stability ops, the belt method can divide the COA by events, objectives (goals), or events and objectives in a selected slice across all lines of effort. It consists of war-gaming relationships among events or objectives on all lines of effort in the belt
How is the avenue-in-depth method modified during stability ops?
Instead of focusing on geographic avenue, the staff war-games a line of effort. This method focuses on one line of effort at a time, beginning with the decisive line.
How is the box method modified during stability ops?
may focus analysis on a specific objective along a line of effort such as development of local security forces as part of improving civil security
what do war-game results provide
- a record from which to build task organizations
- synchronize activities
- develop decision support templates
- confirm and refine event templates
- prepare plans or orders
- compare COAs
2 techniques that are commonly used to record/display results of war gaming:
1) Synchronization matrix (synch matrix): allows staff to synchronize the COA across time, space, and purpose
2) Sketch note (brief notes concerning critical locations or tasks and purposes)
What occurs during step 7 of COA analysis (War-game the operation and assess the results)?
CO and staff try to foresee the actions, reactions, and counteractions of all participants to include civilians
Actions = events initiated by the side w/ initiative Reactions = opposing side’s actions in response Counteractions = first side’s responses to reactions
what occurs during step 8 of COA analysis (Conduct a war-game briefing)?
Staff delivers a briefing to all affected elements to ensure everyone understands the results of the war-game. Briefing should include the HHQ mission, CO’s intent, and military deception plan. This includes an updated IPC, friendly and enemy COAs, assumptions, and war-gaming technique used
General War-Gaming Rules
War gamers need to remain objective, avoid defending a personally developed COA, record advantages and disadvantages of each COA accurately, continually assess feasibility, acceptability, and suitability of each COA and reject COAs that aren’t, avoid drawing premature conclusions and gathering facts to support conclusions, and avoid comparing one COA with another during the war game
General War-Gaming Responsibilities: CO, XO, S1, 2, 3
- CO has overall responsibility for the war-gaming process
- COS (XO) coordinates actions of the staff during the war game
- G-3 (S-3) portrays the friendly scheme of maneuver
- G-2 (S-2) role-plays the enemy commander, other threat organizations and critical civil considerations
- G-1 (S-1) assesses the personnel aspect of building and maintaining the combat power of units
General War-Gaming Responsibilities: Chief of Fires (FSO)
assess fire support feasibility of each war-gamed COA
General War-Gaming Responsibilities: Chief of Protection
assesses protection element requirements, refines EEFIs, and develops a scheme of protection
General War-Gaming Responsibilities: S-4
assesses the logistics feasibility of each war-gamed COA
General War-Gaming Responsibilities: S-6
assesses network ops, spectrum management ops, network defense, and information protectionn feasibility
General War-Gaming Responsibilities: S-9
ensures each war-gamed COA effectively integrates civil considerations
