Battle Staff Guide - Boot Camp & Military Fitness …

Battle Staff Guide

A Reference Tool for

Commanders and Battle Staffs

August 2010

Army National Guard Battle Command Training Center - Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 66027-2346

BATTLE STAFF GUIDE

PAGE 1

THE BATTLE STAFF GUIDE

Purpose. The purpose of this document is to provide Army National Guard (ARNG) commanders and staffs a ready reference to support execution of unit battle staff operations.

Preparation and Exception Authority. The authorship and construct of this document reside with the ARNG Battle Command Training CenterLeavenworth (BCTC-Lvn). Change authorization resides with the commander, BCTC-Lvn.

Commander`s Note.

One of the most important and most difficult tasks for unit commanders and staffs is participating in and supporting staff planning. In order to set the conditions for success on any battlefield the battle staff must be able to successfully plan. Planning is not just officer`s business. It is the business of all leaders and managers that contribute to, control, and execute the process. Successful planning is only as good as the sum of its parts, so whether you are at the forefront or behind the scenes during operational planning, you are a key participant.

This guide does not endeavor to solve operational planning, nor be a panacea for successful mission accomplishment. It does, however, provide unit commanders and staffs an efficient means to support and execute planning, keep pace with available time, enhance decision making, and appreciate the enormity of required staff collaboration. The Tips, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) presented in this publication were collected over the past seven years by Battle Staff Training Team (BSTT) trainers during more than three hundred, on-site MUTA-5 / -6 periods while conducting Military Decision Making Process (MDMP)-focused staff exercises (STAFFEX) / workshops, and JANUS simulation-supported, full-spectrum scenario training.

LTC Daniel Bilko Commander Battle Command Training Center Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 66027-2346

Battle Command Training Center - Leavenworth (BCTC-Lvn)

BATTLE STAFF GUIDE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE 2

THE BATTLE STAFF GUIDE .................................................................1

TABLE OF CONTENTS ..........................................................................2

FIGURES ............................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................14

ORGANIZATION ..................................................................................15

ACCESSIBILITY ..................................................................................15

PART 1 - PLANNING.......................................................................17

Section 1 - Staff Planning ....................................................................... 17 Staff Officer and Noncommissioned Officer Characteristics and Skills .................................................................................................... 17

Preparation ................................................................................................................. 17 Application .................................................................................................................. 17 Attitude........................................................................................................................ 18

Selected Command and Staff Duties and Responsibilities.............. 18

Commander Duties and Responsibilities.....................................................................18 Executive Officer (XO) Duties and Responsibilities .................................................... 20 Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Duties and Responsibilities ................................... 22 S-1 Duties and Responsibilities ................................................................................... 24 S-2 Duties and Responsibilities...................................................................................27 S-3 Duties and Responsibilities ................................................................................... 30 S-4 Duties and Responsibilities ................................................................................... 33 Engineer Duties and Responsibilities..........................................................................36 Fire Support Officer (FSO) Duties and Responsibilities ............................................. 39 S-6 (Signal Officer) Duties and Responsibilities ......................................................... 42 ADA Officer's (ADO) Duties and Responsibilities ...................................................... 45 Chemical Officer's (CHEMO) Duties and Responsibilities.........................................46 Chaplain's Duties and Responsibilities.......................................................................47

Sustainment Overview ....................................................................... 48

General ....................................................................................................................... 48 New Design and Changing Doctrine ........................................................................48 Sustainment Mission ................................................................................................... 49 Organization ............................................................................................................... 51 Sustainment Principles................................................................................................53 Sustainment Capabilities and Limitations ................................................................... 54 General Duties and Responsibilities of the Forward Support Company ...................... 63 Classes of Supply .......................................................................................................65 Battalion Sustainment Operations...............................................................................73 Battalion Sustainment Support .................................................................................83

Network Considerations, The Battalion S-6 .................................. 106

General ..................................................................................................................... 106 S-6 - Arriving at a New Unit ..................................................................................... 106

Battle Command Training Center - Leavenworth (BCTC-Lvn)

BATTLE STAFF GUIDE

PAGE 3

S-6 - First 30 Days .................................................................................................... 107 S-6 - 31 to 60 Days....................................................................................................108 S-6 - Prior to 90 Days ............................................................................................... 108 Duties and Responsibilities ....................................................................................... 108 BN S-6 Section Roles - A Way ................................................................................... 109 Duties and Responsibilities of the Communications Chief ........................................ 110 The S-6 and Planning................................................................................................111 The S-6 and Combat Net Radio ................................................................................. 112 The S-6 and Networks ............................................................................................... 112 Automation and Information Management................................................................112

The Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) ......................................... 116

General Duties and Responsibilities ......................................................................... 117 The Battle Staff NCO................................................................................................. 118 The Battle Staff NCO and the MDMP ....................................................................... 119

The XO and Synchronization .......................................................... 126

Primary Functions .................................................................................................... 126 The Executive Officer's Relationship with the Commander and Staff ....................... 126 The Executive Officer's Role in the MDMP .............................................................. 128 The Executive Officer and Staff Synchronization ...................................................... 128

The Commander............................................................................... 129

The Role of the Commander......................................................................................129 Creating a Positive Command Climate ..................................................................... 129 Training Subordinates in Command and Control ..................................................... 131 The Commander's Role in the MDMP ...................................................................... 132

Battle Staff Collaboration................................................................ 136

General ..................................................................................................................... 136 XO Collaboration with the Battle Staff...................................................................... 136

Section 2 - The Military Decision Making Process .............................. 148 General .............................................................................................. 148 MDMP Step 1 - Mission Receipt ..................................................... 151

Alert the Staff and Other Key Participants................................................................152 Gather the Tools ....................................................................................................... 154 Update Running Estimates ........................................................................................ 156 Conduct Initial Assessment ....................................................................................... 157 Issue the Commander's Initial Guidance .................................................................. 159 Issue the Initial Warning Order ................................................................................ 161

MDMP Step 2 - Mission Analysis ................................................... 165

Analyze the Higher Headquarters Order .................................................................. 166 Perform Initial Preparation of the Battlefield ........................................................... 167 Determine Specified, Implied, and Essential Tasks ................................................... 171 Review Available Assets and Identify Resource Shortfalls ........................................ 173 Determine Constraints .............................................................................................. 175 Identify Critical Facts and Assumptions ................................................................... 176 Begin Composite Risk Management .......................................................................... 177 Develop Initial Commander's Critical Information Requirements and Essential Elements of Friendly Information ............................................................................. 179 Develop Initial ISR Synchronization Plan.................................................................181

Battle Command Training Center - Leavenworth (BCTC-Lvn)

BATTLE STAFF GUIDE

PAGE 4

Develop Initial Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Plan ....................... 182 Update Plan for the Use of Available Time ............................................................... 184 Develop Initial Information Themes and Messages...................................................186 Develop a Proposed Mission Statement .................................................................... 187 Present the Mission Analysis Briefing.......................................................................188 Develop and Issue Initial Commander's Intent ......................................................... 190 Develop and Issue Initial Planning Guidance ........................................................... 191 Develop COA Evaluation Criteria ............................................................................ 193 Issue a Warning Order..............................................................................................196

MDMP Step 3 - Course of Action Development ............................ 200

Getting Started .......................................................................................................... 201 Assess Relative Combat Power ................................................................................. 202 Generate Options ...................................................................................................... 205 Array Forces ............................................................................................................. 208 Develop a Broad Concept ......................................................................................... 210 Assign Headquarters.................................................................................................212 Prepare COA Statements and Sketches ..................................................................... 214 Conduct a COA Briefing ........................................................................................... 216 Select or Modify COAs for Continued Analysis.........................................................217

MDMP Step 4 - Course of Action Analysis .................................... 221

Getting Started .......................................................................................................... 222 Gather the Tools ....................................................................................................... 223 List All Friendly Forces ............................................................................................ 224 List Assumptions ....................................................................................................... 225 List Known Critical Events and Decision Points.......................................................227 Select the Wargame Method......................................................................................228 Select a Technique to Record and Display Results....................................................231 Wargame the Operation and Assess the Results........................................................234 Conduct a Wargame Briefing....................................................................................240

MDMP Step 5 - Course of Action Comparison ............................. 244

Conduct Advantages and Disadvantages Analysis .................................................... 245 Compare Courses of Action ...................................................................................... 246 Conduct a Course of Action Decision Briefing ......................................................... 247

MDMP Step 6 - Course of Action Approval .................................. 251

Commander Selects COA .......................................................................................... 252 Commander Issues Final Planning Guidance ........................................................... 253 Issue a Warning Order..............................................................................................253

MDMP Step 7 - Orders Production ................................................ 256

Produce the Order and Conduct Confirmation Briefings..........................................257

Section 3 - Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB)............... 263 General .............................................................................................. 263 Step 1 - Define the Operational Environment ............................... 265

Identify Significant Characteristics of the Environment ............................................ 265 Identify the Limits of the Command's Area of Operations ........................................ 266 Establish the Limits of the Area of Influence and the Area of Interest.......................267 Evaluate Existing Databases and Identify Intelligence Gaps .................................... 268

Battle Command Training Center - Leavenworth (BCTC-Lvn)

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download