ATP-3-94-2 HIMARS Deep Operations Download
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1 September 2016 ATP 3-94.2 3-1 Chapter 3 Staff Responsibilities and Planning Deep operations are part of the overall concept of the operation. As such, no single CP cell or staff section is exclusively responsible for the conduct of operations in the deep area. Various CP cells, staff sections, working groups, and boards assist the commander in planning, preparing, executing, and assessing deep operations. This chapter describes those staff duties and responsibilities and concludes with techniques for planning deep operations. Refer to FM 6-0 for a detailed description of the duties and responsibilities of the coordinating, special, and personal staff. INTRODUCTION 3-1. The deep area is the portion of the commander’s AO not assigned to subordinate units. The establishing commander (division or corps), supported by their staffs, is responsible for the planning, preparation, execution, and assessment of all operations conducted in the deep area. This requires commanders to continuously update their situational understanding and adjust their visualization of how they intend to shape the deep area in support of the close fight and to set conditions for transitioning to the next phase of the operation. 3-2. As the situation changes, commanders modify their visualization and issue guidance to the staff and subordinate commanders on ways to divert, disrupt, delay, and destroy enemy forces in the deep area. Commanders typically issue guidance concerning the deep area during plans update meetings, the targeting board, and commanders update briefs. The staff then incorporates the commander's guidance (to include targeting guidance) to adjust operations in the deep area to include modifying information collection plans and refining target nominations to the higher headquarters. If the commander directs a deliberate attack in the deep area (for example, an aviation attack, air assault, infiltration, or fires strike), the staff forms a planning team to develop a fully synchronized plan for the specific deep operation. COMMAND POST CELLS 3-3. A staff section is a grouping of staff members by area of expertise lead by a coordinating, special, or personal staff officer. Commanders cross-functionally organize staff sections into CP cells to assist them in the exercise of mission command. A CP cell is a grouping of personnel and equipment organized by warfighting function or by planning horizon. 3-4. There are two types of CP cells of functional and integrating. Functional cells group personnel and equipment by warfighting function. Integrating cells group personnel and equipment by planning horizon or long-, mid-, and short-range. Not all staff sections permanently reside in one of the functional or integrating cells. The G-6 (S-6) signal, G-9 (S-9) civil affairs, cyber electromagnetic activities, and staff judge advocate staff sections are examples. These staff sections provide representation to different CP cells as required and coordinate their activities in various working groups, boards, and planning teams. Figure 3-1 on page 3-2 shows the basic organizational structure of a CP. FUNCTIONAL CELLS 3-5. Staff sections and elements of staff sections (represented by gray boxes in Figure 3-1 on page 3-2) form functional cells. For example, the G-1 personnel, G-4 logistics, G-8 financial manager, and surgeon staff sections make up the sustainment cell. The functional cells (represented by the vertical ovals) are intelligence, movement and maneuver, fires, protection, and sustainment. There is no specific mission command cell because the entire CP assists the commander with exercising mission command.