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

Fire Support Planning and Coordination•• Support the Concept of Operations.Shaping the battlespace and setting theconditions for decisive action aresuccessfully accomplished by achievingthe commander’s stated effects andattacking HPTs in order to exploit criticalvulnerabilities. The destruction orneutralization of these vulnerabilitiessignificantly contributes to the successof the amphibious operation by defeatingthe enemy’s COGs. The focus of effortremains on enemy capabilities, notindividual targets.•• Synchronize and Integrate FireSupport. Fire support is synchronizedand integrated through fire supportcoordination, beginning with thecommanders’ estimate and concept ofoperations. Fire support must be plannedfor continuously and concurrently withthe development of the scheme ofmaneuver. Synchronization andintegration enable the synergisticcombination of all types of fires andmaneuver to achieve the commander’sobjectives.•• Sustain Fire Support Operations.Fire support planners formulate realisticand achievable fire support plans toachieve the commander’s stated effectsby exploiting logistic capabilities toovercome logistic limitations.• Apportionment and Allocation. Inorder to develop the fire support plan,limited attack resources may beconsidered for apportionment andallocation to the amphibious force. Inthe general sense, apportionment is thedistribution for planning of limitedresources among competingrequirements. Specific apportionments(e.g., air sorties and forces for planning)are described as apportionment of airsorties and forces for planning, etc. Forexample, air apportionment is adetermination and assignment of the totalexpected air effort by percentage and/orpriority that should be devoted to thevarious air operations and/or geographicareas for a given period of time. Theamphibious force could use this toinfluence and shape the conduct of theoperation. Allocation, in a general sense,is the distribution of limited resourcesamong competing requirements foremployment. Specific allocations (e.g.,air sorties, nuclear weapons, forces, andtransportation) are described as allocationof air sorties, nuclear weapons, etc. Forexample, air allocation is the translationof the air apportionment decision intototal numbers of sorties by aircraft typeavailable for each operation or task. Theapportionment and allocation processrequires input from the subordinatecommands within the amphibious forceto ensure that their requirements areaddressed.•• Direct support air requirements andany excess sorties (ALLOREQs) areidentified to the establishing authority forfurther tasking.•• Normally, the JFC will apportionassigned air assets (by priority orpercentage) to support the amphibiousforce. The JFC may also task supportingcommands for air support as required.• Wargaming Process. Fire supportpersonnel are key players in step threeof the amphibious planning process foramphibious operations and COAwargaming. They advise on the firesupport assets available and the mosteffective use of these assets against theprobable enemy COAs. The finishedproduct is a fire support plan integratedand synchronized with the scheme ofmaneuver.VII-5