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

WWW.SURVIVALEBOOKS.COMFM 100-5The combination of increased tempo and simultaneousoperations dictates a need for tightly integratedoperations. Tactical commanders fight engagementsand battles, understanding their relevance to the higheroperation plan. Operational commanders conductmajor operations to achieve operational and theaterstrategicobjectives. Combatant commanders serve astheater strategists and campaign designers. At the sametime, they remain acutely aware of the impact of operationaland tactical events of the battlefield. Rapidlyunfolding operations of all types blur the linesamong the levels of war so that no commander canconcern himself only with the results of events at hisechelon.A world of instant communications has shrunk theglobe. The effect of information-age technology hasbeen not only to increase the tempo of operations butalso to provide images of operations that begin to conditionstrategic plans and define time limits of operations.This phenomenon must not be lost on tacticaland operational Army commanders. Reality on thebattlefield is reality in the household at almost the sametime. The commander considers this and reaches beyondhis immediate tasks to see the interrelationships,complexities, and opportunities offered by high-tempo,simultaneous operations. The commander’s job hasalways been to bring order out of chaos; he must nowdo it quicker, while on the move, and with practicedinsight.TOTAL MISSION AWARENESSFrom receipt of the mission to its accomplishment,Army commanders at all levels consider everythingthat affects their operation. Their thoughts, therefore,extend beyond the current moment and outside the AO.When deploying for combat operations, for example,a corps commander’s thoughts may focus on the immediatetasks -- tailoring his force for deployment andflowing it smoothly to the theater of operations. Byhaving a total mission awareness, he thinks simultaneouslyabout activities on both sides of the deployment:finding a place and time to train active and RCroundout and roundup units; accommodating late-arrivingunits; placing initial and subsequent forces onthe ground; adjusting task organizations; recoveringfrom setbacks; keeping the range of options open, andso on.Total mission awareness helps the division commander,for example, analyze his AO and mission withregard to his capabilities. Even as he approaches combatoperations, however, his total mission awarenessextends back into the COMMZ. Are his LOCs protected?Will late-arriving units be ready? Are unitspositioned to facilitate future operations? Are his keyrear area facilities adequately protected? Are deployingcivilian employees and contractor personnelequipped, trained, and ready? Then, after commandershave arrived in theater and have absorbed the bigpicture, their focus narrows, and they concentrate onthe immediate combat mission and future operations.TEAMWORKAn effective fighting force requires teamwork,which is based on individual trust and unit cohesion.In force-projection operations, the mix of deployedforces will be dictated by the need to maintain operationalversatility and teamwork. In many cases, deployingunits will find themselves assigned to an organizationthat has not previously trained or workedtogether. Additionally, many Army units will be operatingin a joint and interagency environment for thefirst time. Forging the team is one of the early challengesfacing commanders in a force-projection operation.Depending on time available and geographicseparation, team-building techniques could includecommanders meetings and leader reconnaissance tothe AOR, early and continuous emphasis on face-tofaceleadership, and liaison team exchanges. Theseare some of the Army’s team-building techniques unitscan use, whether operating with other members of theArmy’s combined arms team or participating in joint,combined, or interagency operations.FUNDAMENTALSArmy operational planning requires the completedefinition of the mission, expression of thecommander’s intent, completion of the commander andstaff estimates, and development of a concept of operations.These form the basis for a plan or order andset the conditions for successful battle. The initial planestablishes the commander’s intent, the concept of operations,and the initial tasks for subordinate units. Itallows the greatest possible operational and tacticalfreedom for subordinate leaders.It is flexible enoughto permit leaders to seize opportunities consistent withthe commander’s intent, thus facilitating quick andaccurate decision making during combat operations.The plan not only affects the current fight but also setsthe stage for future operations.6-5