The Army Training System - AskTOP

Risk ManagementTroopsLeaders analyze the capabilities of available friendly troops.Associated hazards impact both the soldier and unit. Keyconsiderations are level of training, manning levels, the condition andmaintenance of vehicles and equipment, morale, availability ofsupplies and services, and the physical and emotional health ofsoldiers. Leaders and soldiers must be vigilant to the fact that hazardsin these areas can adversely affect a mission, even when all tacticalconsiderations point to success. Mission failure can be caused by—• Hazards to the physical and emotional health of soldiers. Inadequatesanitation facilities, water purification capabilities, medicalattention, and evacuation capabilities are key hazards that canarise from incomplete logistical planning. Care of troops requireslong-range projections of all classes of supply, with closemonitoring of mission changes that could impact availability ordepletion of supplies. When beginning an operation immediatelyupon arriving in theater, hazards include not implementingmeasures to help soldiers overcome fatigue or acclimatize them tothe geographical area and associated climate.• Hazards to task organization or units participating in an operation.Hazards include how long units have worked together under aparticular command relationship. During stability operations,task organizations may change often. Hazards include poorcommunication, unfamiliarity with higher headquarters SOPs,and insufficient combat power to accomplish the mission.• Hazards associated with long-term missions. Long-term missionsinclude nation building, peacekeeping, or insurgency/counterinsurgency operations. Hazards associated with thesemissions include the turmoil of personnel turnover, lack ofcontinuity of leadership, inexperience, and lack of knowledge ofthe situation and the unit’s operating procedures. An especiallyinsidious hazard is critical-skills atrophy that results from notperforming METL-related missions.Time AvailableThe hazard is insufficient time to plan, prepare, and executeoperations. Planning time is always at a premium. Leaders routinelyapply the one-third/two-thirds rule to ensure their subordinate unitsare given maximum time to plan. Failure to accomplish a mission on2-6