ATP-3-09-90 Division Artillery Operations and Fire Support Download
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Division Fire Support ATP 3-09.90 2-15 Develop the Concept of Operations The division commander's intent, visualization, concept of operations and guidance for fires is critical to the development of the fire support plan. As a minimum, the scheme of fires supporting the concept of operations should establish the basis for the employment of fires. Using the outputs from the mission analysis, the division G-3, FSCOORD and fires cell planners consider what fires assets and resources to use and develop the supporting scheme of fires for each COA. A COA may include one or more ways to generate the division commander’s desired effects. The scheme of fires states how the division commander will integrate fires to accomplish the mission. The scheme of fires is linked to and is simultaneously developed with the COA for the overall operation. The scheme of fires identifies fires priorities by critical event, phase, or unit and area. The scheme of fires focuses fires on the COA’s decisive point, or on fire support to shaping operations that allow the division commander the freedom to effectively apply combat power at the decisive point. As the scheme of fires is developed, the division fire support staff determines how to best position and use fires assets throughout the operation. The objective is to ensure that fires priorities are consistent with the commander’s intent and resources are available when and where needed. The first priority of fires is to the decisive operation. The decisive operation determines the outcome of a major operation, battle, or engagement. It leads directly to the accomplishment of a commander’s mission. Commanders typically identify a single decisive operation, but more than one of the division’s subordinate units may play a role in a decisive operation. The decisive point may shift during the execution of the operation in order to exploit an enemy weakness. Tools such as the HPTL, TSS, attack guidance and target synchronization matrix link fire support assets through targeting to create effects. See chapter 3 for examples. Engagement Area Development Engagement area development occurs in the MDMP. Fire support planning is the continuous process of analyzing, allocating, and scheduling fires to describe how fires are used to facilitate the actions of the maneuver force (FM 3-09). Fire support planning within engagement area development is a critical supporting piece of the division OPLAN. The engagement area is an area in which the commander intends to trap and destroy an enemy force with massed fires of all available weapons. The fires planning during the development of an engagement area is vital to achieving the commander’s intent. The process compels the FSCOORD and fires cell planners to consider such factors as the number of indirect fire assets available, the training proficiency of the observer and firing unit, the enemy’s direction and rate of march, trigger and intercept points, terrain analysis, anticipated enemy actions, and the amount of time the enemy can be expected to remain inside the engagement area. The steps of the engagement area development process are listed in table 2-4. Table 2-4. Engagement area development Step 1 Visualize how the enemy will or might attack. Step 2 Select where and how to engage the enemy. Step 3 Position forces (aviation and indirect fire systems) to engage the enemy. Step 4 Position obstacles to support direct fire. Step 5 Plan indirect fires to support direct fire and obstacles. Step 6 Complete the plan, select and prepare final positions, site obstacles, and triggers. Step 7 Rehearse. Trigger Development Triggers are a physical point on the ground, or an action, or event. During the offensive tasks, a trigger is often a maneuver action or event. In the defense, a trigger is more often a physical spot on the ground. See table 2-5 for the suggested sequence for trigger development. 12 October 2017