OP110 Fundamentals of the Operation Process + Part of O110 Doctrinal Foundations Pt.1 Flashcards
Mission statement
The task, together with the purpose, that clearly indicates the action to be taken and the reason therefore
Commander’s intent
A clear, concise statement of what the force must do and the conditions the force must establish with respect to the enemy, terrain, and civil considerations that represent the desired end state
Concept of operations
A statement that directs the manner in which subordinate units cooperate to accomplish the mission and establishes the sequence of actions the force will use to achieve the end-state
Tasks to subordinate units
A clearly defined and measureable activity accomplished by individuals and organizations - who, what (task), when, where, and why (purpose)
Coordinating instructions
CCIRs, fire support coordination and airspace coordinating measures, rules of engagement, risk mitigation measures, and the time or condition when the operation order becomes effective
Control measures
A means of regulating forces or warfighting functions by assigning responsibilities, coordinate actions between forces, impose restrictions, or establish guidelines to regulate freedom of action
3 components/characteristics of the nature of operations
- They are human endeavors
- They are dynamic and uncertain
- They achieve a political purpose
Mission command definition (Army’s philosophy of command and control)
The approach to command and control that empowers subordinate decision making and decentralized execution appropriate to the situation.
-Mission command supports the Army’s operational concept of Unified Land Operations and its emphasis on seizing, retaining, and exploiting the initiative
What is ADP 6-0
Mission Command: Command and Control of Army Forces Field Manual
What is the Army’s framework for organizing and putting command and control into action called? **
Operations Process
-used to understand the operational environment, visualize and describe the operation’s end state, make and articulate decisions, and direct, lead, and assess operations**
Major command and control activities performed during operations:
1) Planning
2) Preparing
3) Executing
4) Continuously assessing the operations
3 principles of the operations process
1) Commanders drive the operations process
2) Build and maintain situational understanding
3) Apply critical and creative thinking
Study figure 1-2 (Commander’s Role in the Operations Process)
Soldiers and organizations lead through purpose, direction, and motivation and assess progress through continuous monitoring and evaluation.
Requires:
1) UNDERSTANDING the operational environment and problem
2) VISUALIZING the desired end state and operational approach
3) DESCRIBING the commander’s visualization in time, space, purpose, and resources
4) DIRECTING forces and warfighting functions throughout prep and execution
- Supported by running estimates
- Leads to mission accomplishment
What does the Operational Environment encompass?
Air, land, maritime, space, and cyberspace domains; the information environment and the electromagnetic spectrum
What helps commander’s develop an initial understanding of their OEs? (3)
Planning, intelligence preparation of the battlefield (IPB), and running estimates
What does it mean to take an operational approach?
CO’s conceptualize an operational approach to attain the end state based on their understanding of the current situation, mission, and desired end state
Study ADP 5-0 Figure 1-3
Current situation —> Operational Approach —> End State (desired future conditions)
ODIN =
Operational Data Integration Network
What happens in the “DESCRIBE” step of the operations process?**
- CO’s describe their vision to their staff to facilitate shared understanding and purpose**
- Give intent, planning guidance, critical information requirements, and essential elements of friendly information
What happens in the “DIRECT” step of the operations process?
CO’s make decisions and direct action based on their situational understanding maintained by continuous assessment. Includes:
- approving plans/orders
- est. command and support relationships
- assign tasks, control measures, and task organization
- positioning units to maximize combat power
- positioning key leaders at critical places and times
- allocating resources
- committing the reserve
What happens in the “LEAD” step of the operations process?
CO’s provide purpose, direction, and motivation to subordinate commanders, their staff and Soldiers
-physical presence needed
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: A
Army
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: MEF
Marine expeditionary force
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: DIV
Division
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: AAD
Air Assault Division
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: ABD
Airborne division
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: CD
Cavalry division
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: ID
Infantry division
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: MARD
Marine division
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: MD
Mechanized division
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: MND
Multinational division
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: BDE
Brigade
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: AAB
Air Assault Brigade
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: ABB
Airborne brigade
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: BCT
Brigade combat team
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: FB
Fires brigade
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: MEB
Marine expeditionary brigade
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: MNB
Multinational brigade
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: SAB
Separate armor brigade
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: SIB
Separate infantry brigade
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: REGT
Regiment
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: ABR
Airborne regiment
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: MEU
Marine expeditionary unit
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: GP
Group
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: BN
Battalion
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: CO
CO
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: PLT
Platoon
Abbreviations/acronyms for use with boundaries: TM
Team
Three types of boundary lines
- lateral
- rear
- forward
What is an area?
A control measure symbol that has multiple sets of coordinates that start and finish at the same point
PL
Phase line
HL
Handover line
FEBA
Forward line of troops (FEBA)
SP
Start point
RP
Release point
PP
Passage point
CKP
Checkpoint
Double headed arrow means:
Main attack
Single-headed arrow means
Supporting attack
RL
Release line
PLD
Probable line of deployment
LD
Line of departure
LOA
Limit of advance
FCL
Final coordination line
RFL
Restrictive fire line
FSCL
Fire support coordination line
CFL
Coordinated fire line
B
Biological
C
Chemical
N
Nuclear
R
Radiological
A specific activity performed by a unit while executing a form of tactical operation or form of maneuver; may be expressed as either an action by a friendly force or an effect on an enemy force
Tactical mission task
A composite of the conditions, circumstances, and influences that affect the employment of capabilities and bear on the decisions of the commander
Operational environment
Analysis of the OE that provides the relevant information that senior commanders require to frame operational problems
PMESII-PT (political, military, economic, social, information, infrastructure, phys environment, time)
A tool that enables Army leaders to synthesize operational information and local knowledge relevant to their missions and tasks in a specified AO
METT-TC: mission, enemy, terrain and weather, troops support available, time available, civil considerations
Simultaneous execution of offense, defense, stability, and DSCA across multiple domains to shape OEs, prevent conflict, prevail in large-scale ground combat, and consolidate gains as part of unified action
Unified Land Operations
-executed through decisive action (tasks), guided by mission command (philosophy)
Activities to make enduring any temporary operational success and to set the conditions for a sustainable security environment, allowing for the transition of control to other legitimate authorities
Consolidation of gains
Decisive action
The continuous, simultaneous combinations of offensive, defensive, and stability or DSCA
Tasks conducted to defeat and destroy enemy forces and seize terrain, resources, and population centers
Offensive tasks
Tasks conducted to defeat an enemy attack, gain time, economize forces, and develop conditions favorable for offensive and stability tasks
Defensive tasks
Military missions, tasks, and activities conducted outside the US to maintain or reestablish a safe and secure environment and to provide essential governmental services, emergency infrastructure reconstruction, and humanitarian relief
Stability task
The Army’s approach to command and control that empowers subordinate decision making and decentralized execution appropriate to the situation
Mission command
Tenets of operations
Flexibility
Simultaneity
Depth
Synchronization
The employment of a versatile mix of capabilities, formations, and equipment for conducting ops
Flexibility
Simultaneity
The execution of related and mutually supporting tasks at the same time across multiple locations and domains
Synchronization
The arrangement of military actions in time, space, and purpose to produce maximum relative combat power at a decisive place and time
Depth
The extension of ops in time, space, or purpose to achieve definitive results
Operations principles (6)
- Mission command
- Develop the situation through action
- Combined arms
- Adhere to Law of War
- Establish and maintain security
- Create multiple dilemmas for the enemy
The cognitive approach by commanders and staffs supported by their skill, knowledge, experience, creativity, and judgment to develop strategies, campaigns, and operations to organize and employ military forces by integrating ends, ways, and means. How COs balance risk and opportunity
Operational art
Elements of operational art
- end state and conditions
- centers of gravity
- decisive points
- lines of operations/effort
- operational reach
- basing
- tempo
- phasing and transitions
- culmination
- risk
Desired future conditions the CO wants to exist when an operation ends
End state and condition
Source of power that provides moral and physical strength, freedom of action, or will to act
Centers of gravity
Points that help COs select clear, conclusive, attainable objectives that directly contribute to achieving the end state
Decisive points
A line that defines the directional orientation of a force in time and space in relation to the enemy and that links the force with its base of ops and objectives
Line of operations
Distance and duration across which a joint force can successfully employ military capabilities. A function of intelligence, protection, sustainment, endurance, and relative combat power
Operational reach
Basing
Something that supports the military ops of a unit and provides the necessary support and services for sustained ops
Tempo
Relative speed and rhythm of military ops over time w/ respect to the enemy
A planning and execution tool used to divide an operation in duration or activity
Phase
A change of focus between phases or between the ongoing operation and execution of a branch or sequel
Transition
A point in time and space at which a force no longer possesses the capability to continue its current form of operations
Culminating point
The Army’s common construct for Unified Land Operations
Operations Structure
-allows leaders to organize effort rapidly and effectively in a manner commonly understood across the Army
A commander-led activity, consisting of the major mission command activities performed during operations: planning, preparing, executing, and continually assessing the operation
Operations process
The art and science of understanding a situation, envisioning a desired future, and laying out effective ways of bringing about that future
Planning
Army leaders employ 3 methodologies for planning after determining the appropriate mix based on the scope of the problem, their familiarity with it, and the time available:
1) army design methodology
2) MDMP
3) troop leading procedures
A dynamic process used by small-unit leaders and typically not employed in organizations with staffs
Troop leading procedures
activities that units perform to improve their ability to execute an operation
Preparing
the act of putting a plan into action by applying combat power to accomplish the mission and using situational understanding to assess progress and make execution and adjustment decisions
Executing
Continuously monitoring and evaluating the current situation and the progress of an operation
Assessing
3 main types of operational framework
1) deep/close/support
2) decisive/shaping/sustaining
3) main effort/supporting efforts
area of operations
an operational area defined by the joint force commander for land and maritime forces that should be large enough to accomplish their missions and protect their forces
operations that directly accomplish the mission
decisive operations
ops that establish conditions for the decisive operation through effects on the enemy, other actors, and the terrain
shaping operations
operations that enable the decisive operation or shaping operation by generating and maintaining combat power
sustaining operations
the designated subordinate unit whose mission at a given point in time is most critical to overall mission success
main effort
designated subordinate units with missions that support the success of the main effort
supporting efforts
combat power
the total means of destructive, constructive, and information capabilities that a military unit or formation can apply at a given time
8 elements of combat power
- leadership
- information
- mission command
- movement and maneuver
- intelligence
- fires
- sustainment
- protection
the science of tactics includes:
- the physical capabilities of friendly and enemy organizations and systems
- techniques and procedures used to accomplish specific tasks
- techniques and procedures for employing the various elements of the combined arms team to create or produce greater effects
Tactical fundamentals
- gain and maintain contact
- disrupt
- fix
- maneuver
- follow through
cuber electromagnetic activities in operations
- build, operate, and defend the network
- attack and exploit enemy systems
- gain situational understanding
- protect individuals and platforms
purpose of information operations
create effects in and through the information environment that provide commanders decisive advantage over enemies and adversaries
