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

WWW.SURVIVALEBOOKS.COMFM 100-5dimensions of combat, including time, tempo, depth,and synchronization.At the lower tactical levels, battle space is determinedby the range of direct fire systems and the terrainon which they are applied. The higher the echelon,the greater the complexity and number of variationsof battle space. A corps commander envisionsthe combined battle space of his divisions, long-rangeweapons, airborne and ground acquisition systems, andother assets given to him or used on his behalf (forexample, SOF, interdiction assets, and adjacent unitfires).Unity of effort is essential to operations within agiven battle space. Ownership of assets is less importantthan application of their effects toward an intendedpurpose. In that way, battle space can overlap, sharedby two adjacent commanders who perceive ways toemploy their respective assets to mutual advantage.Battle space must be used to every possible advantage.It is better to see, target, and hit the enemy ata distance from which he cannot hit back.Conversely, if the enemy has distinct advantages atlong range, the counter may be to move in closer todeter him from using firepower effects that may endangerhis own forces.Understanding battle space allows commanders tokeep their options open, protect and sustain their forces,synchronize combat power, and keep the enemy offbalance. As the commander considers his mission, hecan visualize how he wants his battle space to look atdifferent times as he moves against the enemy. Thishelps him determine how he might task-organize andposition his units during different phases.Effective commanders have always known howto use battle space. It was said of LTC CreightonAbrams in World War II that he knew the location ofevery tank and every piece of equipment and therebywas able to command, move his outfit, and alwaysdefeat the enemy in front of him. The tempo of operationstoday has accelerated to the point that all commandersmust learn to dominate their battle space. Thatspace has expanded dramatically as have events andcombat systems that can impact on it. The challengesto control battle space have increased as have the penaltiesfor failing to know what is where within thatspace and how those resources can be respectively protected,denied, damaged, or destroyed.Commanders use the concept of battle space tohelp determine how the terrain and all available combatpower can be used to dominate the enemy and protectthe force. Eventually, this vision becomes thebattlefield framework from which their intent and conceptof operation are derived. Understanding battlespace allows commanders to synchronize combatpower against the enemy and keep the enemy commanderfrom extending his own battle space to itsgreatest range. As commanders consider their mission,they visualize how they can make best use oftheir battle space. This helps them determine how theymight task-organize and position their units. By understandinghow to visualize operations in depth, commanderscan synchronize operations to disrupt theenemy in depth, to throw him off balance, to attackhis functions, and to set the conditions for decisivevictory.BATTLEFIELD ORGANIZATIONCommanders visualize their battle space to set therelationship of friendly forces to one another and tothe enemy in time, space, resources, and purpose. Oncecommanders decide the purpose and relationship ofbattlefield activities, they determine how to arrangethem within the breadth, depth, and space of the battlefieldto meet their considerations of METT-T. This,in turn, helps them relate their activities to those ofthe enemy over time.Three closely related sets of activities characterizeoperations within an AO—deep, close, and rearoperations. Army commanders fight deep, close, andrear actions simultaneously in a manner that appearsto the enemy as one continuous operation against him.They seek to attack the enemy simultaneously throughoutthe depth of the battlefield and mass both effectsand forces when and where necessary to accomplishthe mission.Consistent with the JFC’s plan, assets of othermembers of the joint team are used to accomplish theseattacks as well as operate outside tactical depths toachieve simultaneous attacks throughout the theater.Fighting within this framework thus requires constantsynchronization. The lines between these actions maybe transparent and will often shift. Sometimes timeand space are separated between these elements. Commandersarrange deep, close, and rear operations consistentwith orders they have received and in a waythat accomplishes the mission at least cost.6-13