ATP-3-09-42 Fire Support for the Brigade Combat Team Download
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Chapter 6 6-20 ATP 3-09.42 1 March 2016 Table 6-9. BCT high-payoff target list (example) Phase of the Operation—1—Isolate the Enemy Unit: Priority Category High-Payoff Target 1 Fire Support Insurgent mortars 2 Maneuver Insurgent teams 3 Command and control Insurgent cell phone 4 Command and control Insurgent frequency modulation radio 5 Civilians Hostile civilian crowds* *A hostile crowd is defined as 25 or more people with leadership interfering or capable of interfering with BCT operations. BCT – brigade combat team 6-76. High-value targets include those capabilities, functions, or systems that are critical to the enemy in the context of an operation. High-payoff targets are those nodes within the enemy high-value targets that when eliminated cause the set to become dysfunctional, thus enhancing the likelihood of enemy failure and BCT success. Thus, if the BCT commander’s desired effect is to delay the enemy force’s ability to move mechanized forces across river Y to allow their destruction by air and artillery fires, then two target sets could be 1) the enemy’s ability to conduct a river crossing and 2) command and control of mechanized forces listing specific nodes or pieces of equipment to cause a specific effect at a specific time and place. Identify and prioritize target sets for each phase of the operation. Within the sets, rank-order individual targets by target value, sequence of appearance, importance, or other criteria that satisfy the targeting guidance to create the desired effects. In this way, the targeting working group reduces, modifies, and reprioritizes high-value targets while ensuring that high-payoff targets support the BCT commander’s concept of operations. For detail on high-payoff targets and the high-payoff target list, see ATP 3-60. Target Selection Standards 6-77. Target selection standards are criteria applied to enemy activity (acquisitions or combat information) and used in deciding whether the activity is a target. Effective target selection requires a thorough knowledge of enemy doctrine and tactics, an appreciation of the terrain, expertise with the available resources (lethal and nonlethal attack, sensor, and collection), and friendly force vulnerabilities and risk elements. The targeting working group predicts enemy actions following a successful attack. For example, the successful suppression of indirect fires directed against the BCT may require the elimination of a finite number of enemy firing batteries achieved either by destruction, the loss of communications, the abandonment of weapons by their crews, or a combination of effects. 6-78. Target selection standards (see table 6-10 and ATP 3-60) are usually disseminated as a matrix. Military intelligence analysts use target selection standards to develop targets from combat information. Once they are developed the analysts and pass them to fires cells for attack. Attack systems managers, such as fires cells and field artillery battalion fire direction centers, use target selection standards to determine whether to attack a potential target. Table 6-10. BCT target selection standards (example) High-Payoff Target Timeliness Accuracy Insurgent mortars ≤10 minutes ≤100 meters Insurgent teams ≤30 minutes ≤100 meters Insurgent cell phone Within 2 hours of H-Hour Placed/received within 12 km of (named) Airfield Insurgent FM radio ≤20 minutes ≤150 meters Hostile civilian crowds Within 6 hours of H-Hour Within 12 km of (named) village FM – frequency modulation H-Hour – The specific hour on D-day at which a particular operation commences. (JP 5-0) km – kilometer(s) 6-79. Fire support planners use targeting products in developing the fire support plan. These products include: