ATP-3-09-12 Field Artillery Counterfire and Weapons Locating Radar Operations Download
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Chapter 1 1-4 ATP 3-09.12 26 October 2021 INFORMATION COLLECTION AND TARGET DETECTION 1-13. TA requirements often comprise a large portion of the overall information collection effort especially when conducting deep operations or employing sophisticated cross domain cyberspace operations. In some cases, especially during LSCO, units must be prepared to fight in order to acquire targets. The challenges to TA against a peer threat include integrated air defense systems, long-range fires, counter reconnaissance, cyberspace and electromagnetic warfare (EW) operations, deception operations, and camouflage. Electromagnetic warfare is military action involving the use of electromagnetic and directed energy to control the electromagnetic spectrum or to attack the enemy (JP 3-85). Commanders allocate maneuver, fires, and multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities to enable TA. For more information on how the staff and intelligence sections overcome collection gaps see FM 2-0. NAMED AREA OF INTEREST TO TARGET AREA OF INTEREST 1-14. A named area of interest is the geospatial area or systems node or link against which information that will satisfy a specific information requirement can be collected. Named areas of interest are usually selected to capture indications of adversary courses of action, but also may be related to conditions of the operational environment (JP 2-01.3). To effectively target the enemy, the intelligence and FS staffs develop named area of interest (NAI) and target area of interest (TAI) locations. 1-15. A target area of interest is the geographical area where high-value targets can be acquired and engaged by friendly forces (JP 2-01.3). Not all TAIs will form part of the friendly course of action (COA); only TAIs associated with high priority targets are of interest to the commander. These TAIs are identified by the targeting staff during wargaming and are recorded on both the targeting synchronization matrix and intelligence synchronization matrix. TAIs differ from engagement areas in degree. Engagement areas plan for the use of all available weapons; TAIs might be engaged by a single weapon and lead to the establishment of geographical targets, to include point, area, and linear. 1-16. The staff also develops a HPT list that can include geographic NAIs and TAIs as well as enemy organizations, networks, and individuals identified as key or critical to the OE and are taken into account in COA, branches and sequels. NAIs should not be tied to a specific terrain; rather, they should be based upon the enemy locations or suspected locations. NAIs are used both to confirm or deny an enemy COA and locate HPTs. TAIs cannot exist outside of an NAI as they are both inextricably linked to the commander’s priority information requirements and decision points. The operations officer tasks intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets to observe NAIs and TAIs. TARGET ACQUISITION ASSETS 1-17. TA can be accomplished by a wide range of capabilities, from visual identification to sophisticated electronic means. TA is most effective when comprised of complementary and unique collection assets and capabilities across echelons and warfighting functions. The expression of accuracy of TA assets is target location error and is criteria captured by the targeting team on the target selection standards. “Target selection standards are criteria applied to enemy activity (acquisitions and battlefield information) and used in deciding whether the activity is a target. Target selection standards put nominations into two categories: targets and suspected targets. Targets must meet accuracy and timeliness requirements for engagement. Suspected targets must be confirmed before any engagement. 1-18. Some of the many possible target detection assets include satellites and other national assets, joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems to include the United States Air Force distributed common ground system, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), weapons locating radars (WLRs), forward observers, scouts, and special operations forces. When planning the TA portion of information collection, it is useful to group those assets into the four primary information collection tasks and missions of reconnaissance, surveillance, security operations, and intelligence operations. For a complete listing of intelligence collection capabilities by command echelon, refer to FM 2-0.