Unified Land Operations Flashcards
Doctrine
A common professional language. (Tells us how)
Army Doctrine Publications (ADP)
Detailed Information on Fundamentals
Army Doctrine Publications (ADP) are published
armypubs.army.mil
Field Manuals
Tactics and Procedures
ULO is
The simultaneous execution of offense, defense, stability, and defense support of civil authorities across multiple domains to shape operational environments, prevent conflict, prevail in large-scale ground combat, and consolidate gains as part of unified action.
Principles of Unified Land Operations
Mission Command
Develop the situation through action
Combined Arms
Adhere to the Law of War
Establish and Maintain Security
Create Multiple Dilemmas for the Enemy
Mission Command
The exercise of authority and direction by the commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commander’s intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders in the conduct of unified land operations
Develop the Situation through Action
Commanders fight for information to develop the situation while in contact with the enemy and gain information through close association with the population.
Combined Arms
The synchronized and simultaneous application of all elements of combat power that together achieve an effect greater than if each element was used separately or sequentially.
Adhere to Law of War
The law of war is that part of international law that regulates the conduct of armed hostilities
Establish and Maintain Security
Army forces conduct area security to ensure freedom of movement and action and deny the enemy the ability to disrupt operations.
Create Multiple Dilemmas for the Enemy
Army forces present the enemy with multiple dilemmas because they possess the simultaneity to overwhelm the enemy physically and psychologically, the depth to prevent enemy forces from recovering, and the endurance to sustain operations.
Decisive Action
the continuous, simultaneous combinations of offensive, defensive, and stability or defense support of civil authorities tasks (DSCA)*
Commanders blank, blank, and blank the initiative to achieve decisive results
seize, retain, and exploit the initiative
Outside the United States and its territories simultaneously combine three elements
Offense, Defense, and Stability.
Within the United States and its territories
operations combine Offense, Defense, and Defense Support of Civil Authority (DSCA).
Elements of Decisive Action
Offense, Defense, Stability, Defense Support of Civil Authorities
Offense
Offensive operations are combat operations conducted to defeat and destroy enemy forces and seize terrain, resources, and population centers. They impose the commander’s will on the enemy. In combat operations, the offense is the decisive element of decisive actions.
Four operations of the offense are
movement to contact, attack, exploitation, and pursuit.
Characteristics of the offense include
audacity, concentration, surprise, and tempo
Defense
Defensive operations are combat operations conducted to defeat an enemy attack, gain time, economize forces, and develop conditions favorable for offensive or stability operations.
There are three primary defensive operations
area defense, mobile defense, and retrograde
Characteristics of the defense include
disruption, flexibility, maneuver, mass and concentration, operations in depth, preparation, and security
Stability
Stability tasks are conducted to maintain or reestablish a safe and secure environment and provide essential governmental services, emergency infrastructure reconstruction and humanitarian relief.
Defense Support of Civil Authorities Tasks
Provide support for domestic disasters
Provide support for domestic CBRN incidents
Provide support for domestic civilian law enforcement agencies
Provide other designated domestic support
Combat Power =
Warfighting Functions + Leadership + Information
Warfighting Functions
Command and Control, Movement and Maneuver, Intelligence, Fires, Sustainment, and Protection
Levels of War
Strategic, Operational, and Tactical
Strategic
Develops sets of ideas of the ways to employ the instruments of national power in a synchronized and integrated fashion to achieve national, multinational, and theater objectives.
Operational
Links the tactical employment of forces to national strategic objectives
Tactical
The employment, ordered arrangement, and directed actions of forces in relation to each other.
Combatant Command (Command Authority (COCOM)
COCOM is the nontransferable command authority*
Operational Control (OPCON)
OPCON is the command authority that may be exercised by commanders at any echelon at or below the level of CCMD and may be delegated within the command.
It does not include authoritative direction for logistics or matters of administration, discipline, internal organization, or unit training.
Tactical Control (TACON)
An authority over assigned or attached forces or commands, or military capability or forces made available for tasking.
TACON does not provide organizational authority or authoritative direction for administrative and logistic support.
Organic
Those assigned to and forming an essential part of a military organization. These assignments are based on tables of organization and equipment (TO&E) or tables of distribution and allowances (TDA).
Attached
The placement of units or personnel in an organization where such placement is relatively temporary
Assigned
To place units or personnel in an organization where such placement is relatively permanent, and/or where such organization controls and administers the units or personnel for the primary function, or greater portion of the functions, of the unit or personnel.
Three types of Brigade Combat Teams (BCT)
Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT)
Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT)
Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT)
Multifunctional Brigades (MB)
Provide a variety of functions in support of BCT operations
Area of operations (AO)
An area of operations is 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.
The AO(s) may be contiguous or noncontiguous
Area of influence
The geographical area wherein a commander is directly capable of influencing operations by maneuver and fire support systems.
Area of interest
The area of concern to the commander, including the area of influence, areas adjacent thereto, and extending into enemy territory. This area also includes areas occupied by enemy forces who could jeopardize the accomplishment of the mission.
Army leaders are responsible for clearly articulating their concept of operations in time, space, purpose, and resources. While not bound by any specific framework, three have proven valuable:
Deep - Close - Support (used to describe the operation in time and space).
Decisive - Shaping - Sustaining (used to articulate the operation in terms of purpose).
Main Effort- Supporting Efforts (used to designate the shifting prioritization of resources).
The BLANK-BLANK-BLANK framework has historically been associated with a terrain orientation but can be applied to temporal and organizational orientations as well.
deep-close-support
Deep Area
A deep area is the portion of the commander’s area of operations that is not assigned to subordinate units.
Close Area
The close area is the portion of a commander’s area of operations assigned to subordinate maneuver forces.
Support Area
The support area is the portion of the commander’s area of operations that is designated to facilitate the positioning, employment, and protection of base sustainment assets required to sustain, enable, and control operations.
Decisive operations the operation that directly accomplishes
the mission.
Shaping operations are the operations that establish conditions for the decisive operation through
effects on the enemy, other actors, and the terrain
Sustaining operations enable the decisive operation or shaping operation by
generating and maintaining combat power.
The main effort is the designated subordinate unit whose mission at a given point in time is most critical to overall mission success.
It is usually weighted with the preponderance of combat power.
Typically, the main effort shifts one or more times during execution.
Supporting efforts are designated subordinate units with missions that support
the success of the main effort.
