Joint Doctrine for Amphibious Operations - Historic Naval Ships ...

Chapter VIICommanders determine how to shape the operational area with fires.rockets, guns, special operations forces(SOF), and nonlethal systems attackingtargets within the operational area mustbe coordinated through the senior firesupport coordination agency.3. Planning and Coordinationa. Fire Support Planning. The purposeof fire support planning is to optimize theemployment of fire support to achieve thedesignated commander’s intent by shapingthe operational area and providing supportto maneuver forces. Fire support planningis the continuous and concurrent process ofanalyzing, allocating, and scheduling of firesupport to integrate it with the forces tomaximize combat power.• Commander’s Guidance. Commandersdetermine how to shape the operationalarea with fires to assist both maritime andland maneuver forces and how to usemaritime and land maneuver forces toexploit fires. When developing the firesupport plan, the designatedcommander will formulate the“commander’s guidance for fires.” Itis from this guidance that supporting andsubordinate commanders and fire supportpersonnel begin to frame the role of firesupport in the plan. The commander’sguidance for fires should articulate theeffects desired on the enemy’scapabilities and how these effects willcontribute to the overall success of theoperation. The designated commanderidentifies targets that are critical to thesuccess of the operation (high-payofftargets), force protection issues, and anyprohibitions or restrictions on firesupport. A clear determination of theenemy’s COGs, decisive points, andcritical vulnerabilities is central to firesupport planning.• Basic Fire Support Tasks. Theeffectiveness of the fire support effort ismeasured by achieving desired effects onthe enemy, setting conditions for decisiveoperations, and providing support to theamphibious force. Effective fire supportdepends on planning for the successfulperformance of the following four basictasks.•• Support Forces in Contact. Theamphibious force provides responsivefire support that protects and ensuresfreedom of maneuver to forces in contactwith the enemy throughout theoperational area.VII-4JP 3-02