ATP-3-09-90 Division Artillery Operations and Fire Support Download

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Division Fire Support ATP 3-09.90 2-35 Implement fire support plans or adjusting for an evolving situation through the G-3's fragmentary orders. Validate and refine targeting products on the basis of more accurate or additional information (HPTL, TSS, AGM) and passing the latest information between tactical and main CPs. Respond to information requests. Continue to develop targets for division, corps or other higher headquarters, supporting FAB units, and any allocated DIVARTY FA battalions; ensuring information is passed to firing units. Participate in combined arms, fire support and information collection rehearsals. Verify: Specific command and support relationships. The information collection plan. The fire support plan, and the movement, positioning, and protection of fire support assets. Synchronization and integration of fire support with other warfighting functions. Fire support tasks (including appropriate aspects of information operations and cyberspace electromagnetic activities) and friendly and enemy locations. FSCMs, rules of engagement, clearance of fires, and airspace coordinating procedures. HPTs, HPTL, TSS, AGM, and execution responsibilities. The TA plan requirements. Fragmentary order changes have been passed to higher, lower, and adjacent units. Fires in support of offensive, defensive, and stability tasks apply from tactical to strategic levels, and are employed in decisive, shaping, and sustaining operations. In Joint and Army doctrine, the effects of fires on a target may be lethal or nonlethal. Fires should be planned whenever possible. FIRES IN SUPPORT OF OFFENSIVE TASKS An offensive task is a task conducted to defeat and destroy enemy forces and seize terrain, resources, and population centers (ADRP 3-0). The preferred method of conducting offensive operations is to find and destroy the enemy at a distance in order to set the conditions for decisive maneuver. The commander must leverage every available technological advantage to gain intelligence and to create lethal and nonlethal effects to enable decisive maneuver. Supporting the offense involves engaging targets throughout the AO with massed fires or precision- guided munitions, mortars, rotary and fixed-wing air support, electronic attack, and other joint fires assets. Offensive operations are conducted to gain and maintain the initiative. Fires are delivered to support the critical characteristics of offensive tasks: surprise, concentration, tempo, and audacity enable the supported force in seizing, retaining, and exploiting the initiative. Achieving surprise requires the division to develop detailed and timely intelligence about the enemy, weather, terrain, and civil considerations. Fire support planners concentrate fire support assets by assigning priorities, focusing on HPTs, and massing fires. The inherent flexibility of the fire support system, allows the commander to dictate the tempo of operations. Fire support planners can apply the concept of audacity by aggressively applying firepower and making well- thought-out, risk-taking decisions in the use of fire support assets. For more information on fires in support of offensive tasks see FM 3-09. GENERAL FIRE SUPPORT CONSIDERATIONS FOR OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS Fire support must be responsive and timely in rapidly moving and often uncertain situations to help achieve and sustain the initiative. Strikes by fire support assets are one of the commander’s principle means of influencing ongoing action. Fire support provides friendly formations with a force multiplier to enhance force survivability, fix enemy forces, and secure flanks. Fire support may also be used to neutralize and fix bypassed pockets of resistance until follow-on friendly forces can consolidate gains. Decentralized execution during the offense allows maneuvering elements direct access to sufficient firepower to support the operation. However, the FSCOORD must also retain sufficient assets to mass effects 12 October 2017