ATTP 5-0.1 Commander and Staff Officer Guide - Army Electronic ...

Troop Leading Procedures
and status of their equipment. It also includes understanding the full array of assets in support of the unit.
Leaders know, for example, how much indirect fire will become available, and when it is available, they
will know the type. They consider any new limitations based on the level of training or recent fighting.
Time Available
5-36. Leaders not only appreciate how much time is available, they understand the time-space aspects of
preparing, moving, fighting, and sustaining. They view their own tasks and enemy actions in relation to
time. They know how long it takes under such conditions to prepare for certain tasks (such as orders
production, rehearsals, and subordinate element preparations). Most important, leaders monitor the time
available. As events occur, they assess their impact on the unit timeline and update previous timelines for
their subordinates. Timelines list all events that affect the unit and its subordinate elements.
Civil Considerations
5-37. Civil considerations are the influence of manmade infrastructure, civilian institutions, and activities
of the civilian leaders, populations, and organizations within an area of operations on the conduct of
military operations (FM 6-0). Rarely are military operations conducted in uninhabited areas. Most of the
time, units are surrounded by noncombatants. These noncombatants include residents of the AO, local
officials, and governmental and nongovernmental organizations. Based on information from higher
headquarters and their own knowledge and judgment, leaders identify civil considerations that affect their
mission. (See FM 6-0 and FM 3-05.401.) Commanders analyze civil considerations a using the six factors
known by the memory aid ASCOPE: areas, structures, capabilities, organizations, people, and events.
Course of Action Development
5-38. Mission analysis provides information needed to develop COAs. COA development aims to
determine one or more ways to accomplish the mission. At lower echelons, the mission may be a single
task. Most missions and tasks can be accomplished in more than one way. Normally, leaders develop two
or more COAs. However, in a time-constrained environment, they may develop only one. Leaders do not
wait for a complete order before beginning COA development. Usable COAs are suitable, feasible,
acceptable, distinguishable, and complete. Leaders develop COAs as soon as they have enough information
to do so. To develop COAs, leaders focus on the actions the unit takes at the objective and conduct a
reverse plan to the starting point.
Analyze Relative Combat Power
5-39. During COA development, leaders determine whether the unit has enough combat power to defeat
the force (or accomplish a task in stability or civil support operations) against which it is arrayed by
comparing the combat power of friendly and enemy forces. Leaders seek to determine where, when, and
how friendly combat power (the elements of intelligence, movement and maneuver, fires, sustainment,
protection, and mission command) can overwhelm the enemy. It is a particularly difficult process if the unit
is fighting a dissimilar unit. For example, if the unit is attacking or defending against an enemy mechanized
force as opposed to a similarly equipped light infantry force. Below battalion level, relative combat power
comparisons are rough and generally rely on professional judgment instead of numerical analysis. When an
enemy is not the object of a particular mission or tasks, leaders conduct a troop-to-task analysis to
determine if they have enough combat power to accomplish the tasks. For example, a company commander
assigned the task “establish civil control in town X” would need to determine if they had enough Soldiers
and equipment (to include vehicles and barrier materials) to establish the necessary check points and
security stations within the town to control the population in town X.
Generate Options
5-40. During this step, leaders brainstorm different ways to accomplish the mission. They determine the
doctrinal requirements for the operation, including the tactical tasks normally assigned to subordinates.
Doctrinal requirements give leaders a framework from which to develop COAs.
14 September 2011 ATTP 5-0.1 5-7