ATP-3-09-42 Fire Support for the Brigade Combat Team Download
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Chapter 6 6-36 ATP 3-09.42 1 March 2016 6-135. This means that the brigade FSO and fires cell planners and affected battalion and company FSOs and fires cells must take each new or refined target and verify that line of sight to an observation post or that any risk to the observer assumptions based on the movement of the risk estimate radius are still valid. The FSCOORD, fires cell planners, and targeting officers must also revalidate risk estimate assumptions based on refined battery location data and update the risk estimate diagram to ensure that the refinement of targets or observation posts does not alter the efficiency of the observation plan. For example, if a battalion has requested to change the example Observation Post 301 to another grid that now causes the observer to only see the primary but not the alternate target, there may be a problem because this desynchronizes the observation plan. 6-136. Finally, as battalions or squadrons add targets, the FSCOORD, fires cell planners, and targeting officers must ensure that each target has an assigned observer (not already tasked as part of the existing observation plan) and is resourced with suitable observation posts. Even if the target is part of a contingency plan, the target must have an observation plan to go with it. A technique for tracking target and observation post refinement is to number targets in 5s (such as AE0005, AE0010), and then with each refinement add 1 number (AE0006, AE0011). The related observation posts can be named along with its corresponding target (such as Observation Post 051 becomes Observation Post 061). As units refine observation posts and targets, the FSCOORD, fires cell planners, and targeting officers must update the risk estimate diagram and ensure that risk estimate diagram is finalized after target refinement cut-off. The plan with the risk estimate diagram also must be distributed before the fire support and combined arms rehearsals. 6-137. The FSCOORD, fires cell planners, and targeting officers work with the commander, S-3 and staff to ensure fire support for shaping efforts creates the conditions for the decisive action to succeed. The primary forums to ensure the synchronization of fire support and observation are the combined arms; the fire support; and the information collection rehearsals. The rehearsals synchronize the target and observation plan refinement process. The fire support community’s first opportunity to verify synchronization is the information collection rehearsal. During this rehearsal, the fire support planners should verify that: No planned BCT information collection assets are within the projected risk estimate distances for each of the targets. Subordinate unit observation tasks and observer locations are in accordance with the observation plan and fire support plan. 6-138. Finally, the information collection rehearsal is a great opportunity to look at other assets that may be positioned in areas where they would have line of sight on a target and could provide alternate observation if necessary. 6-139. During the fire support rehearsal, the FSCOORD, brigade FSO, and BCT commander must ensure each subordinate unit understands techniques for fire support execution (TTLODAC or PLOTCR worksheets) plus rehearsals described for each fire support task. The associated observation plan should address where the observer needs to be, security, communications, how the primary and alternate observers get into position, what the observer is to accomplish, and disengagement criteria if necessary. 6-140. The BCT commander, FSCOORD, and brigade FSO verify that the tasked units not only understand they have an observation tasking, but also they understand and have synchronized observation post occupation and disengagement requirements. Under no circumstances should the tasked unit provide only a general response to how the unit plans to execute a target. The unit response must include the observation post specific location and must identify the observer down to call sign and bumper number if available. Merely stating that a company FIST is a primary observer with the company commander designated as an alternate may be insufficient. Unless these two personnel intend to physically occupy and observe the target, they have not developed their observation tasks in sufficient detail. In support of observer planning during the combined arms rehearsal, the FSCOORD and brigade FSO must identify any unresolved issues developed during the fire support and information collection rehearsals and verify that everyone understands target risk estimate distances and observer maneuver requirements. In the observation plan, the rehearsal is the last chance to synchronize observer actions. If the observation plan and the maneuver plan are not well understood during this rehearsal, the fire support plan is also in jeopardy, as the detect and assess functions of targeting have not been synchronized.