FM 100-5 Operations - Survival Ebooks Military Manuals Survival ...

WWW.SURVIVALEBOOKS.COMOPERATIONSeffective in reducing casualties and enhancing fairtreatment of combatants and noncombatants alike solong as trained leaders ensure those laws are obeyed.The commander ensures the proper treatment of prisoners,noncombatants, and civilians by building goodtraining programs that reinforce the practice of respectingthose laws and ROE.Commanders build good training programs thatforce the practice of law-of-land warfare and ROE.ROE specify the circumstances and limitations inwhich forces may engage the enemy. Many factorsinfluence ROE, including national command policy,mission, operational environment, commander’s intent,and law-of-land warfare. ROE always recognize thesoldier’s right of self-defense. Properly written ROEare clear and tailored to the situation. ROE may changeover the duration of a campaign. A force-projectionarmy tends to face a wide array of ROE. For example,ROE during Operations Just Cause, Desert Shield,Desert Storm, and Provide Comfort were widely diverse;within each operation, the ROE were differentand changed over time.The commander’s understanding of his missionand his higher com-mander’s intent will help protectthe force and decrease the chance of unnecessary casualties.Every soldier is responsible for preventingviolations of the law-of-land warfare. Success resultsfrom leadership, discipline, esprit, and professionaltraining.THE FOUNDATIONSOF ARMY OPERATIONSFundamental to operating successfully across thefull range of military operations is an understandingof the Army’s doctrinal foundations—the principlesof war and the tenets of Army operations.THE PRINCIPLES OF WARThe nine principles of war provide general guidancefor the conduct of war at the strategic, operational,and tactical levels. They are the enduring bedrockof Army doctrine. The US Army published itsfirst discussion of the principles of war in a 1921 Armytraining regulation. The original principles adopted bythe Army, although slightly revised, have withstoodthe test of time. Today’s force-projection Army recognizesthe following nine principles of war.ObjectiveDirect every military operation toward a clearlydefined, decisive, and attainable objective.The ultimate military purpose of war is the destructionof the enemy’s armed forces and will to fight.The ultimate objectives of operations other than warmight be more difficult to define; nonetheless, theytoo must be clear from the beginning. The linkage,therefore, between objectives at all levels of war iscrucial; each operation must contribute to the ultimatestrategic aim.The attainment of intermediate objectives must directly,quickly, and economically contribute to the operation.Using the analytical framework of mission,enemy, troops, terrain, and time available (METT-T),commanders designate physical objectives such as anenemy force, decisive or dominating terrain, a junctureof lines of communication (LOCs), or other vitalareas essential to accomplishing the mission. Thesebecome the basis for all subordinate plans. Actionsthat do not contribute to achieving the objective mustbe avoided.OffensiveSeize, retain, and exploit the initiative.Offensive action is the most effective and decisiveway to attain a clearly defined common objective.Offensive operations are the means by which amilitary force seizes and holds the initiative whilemaintaining freedom of action and achieving decisiveresults. This is fundamentally true across all levels ofwar.Commanders adopt the defensive only as a temporaryexpedient and must seek every opportunity toseize the initiative. An offensive spirit must thereforebe inherent in the conduct of all defensive operations.The side that retains the initiative through offensiveaction forces the enemy to react rather than act.MassMass the effects of overwhelming combat powerat the decisive place and time.Synchronizing all the elements of combat powerwhere they will have decisive effect on an enemy forcein a short period of time is to achieve mass. To massis to hit the enemy with a closed fist, not poke at himwith fingers of an open hand. Mass must also be sustainedso the effects have staying power. Thus, massseeks to smash the enemy, not sting him. This resultsfrom the proper combination of combat power withthe proper application of other principles of war.2-4