ATP-3-94-2 HIMARS Deep Operations Download
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Appendix A A-4 ATP 3-94.2 1 September 2016 employment of area munitions is an imperative. Similarly, nonlethal capabilities may be employed to achieve well-defined, measurable effects. A-19. The supported commander’s objectives, guidance, intent, and initiatives to establish conditions for decisive operations are the most important elements in planning and executing strike operations. The conditions that the supported maneuver commander establishes are equally important because they will make available joint or national systems, assets, and capabilities that commanders must incorporate to maximize execution of strike operations. A-20. Long range offensive and defensive fires provide the commander the capability to strike ground targets at extended distances. These fires contribute to shaping operations and defeating or denying enemy capabilities that threaten joint and multinational forces. Offensive fires strike enemy capabilities before they come in contact with or are employed against U.S. forces or populations, enabling commanders to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative. These fires present the enemy with multiple dilemmas, limit options, and destroy or degrade capabilities. FAB strikes may be used as separate attacks or with maneuver forces. For example, if the division, corps, joint task force, or other FAB supported commander is seeking to dislocate the enemy, a BCT may conduct a turning movement (shaping) to expose an enemy force to FAB strikes to defeat the enemy force (decisive). In another operation, the strike may attack an enemy headquarters to disrupt an enemy force (shaping) so that a BCT may close with and destroy the enemy force (decisive). SUPPRESSION OF ENEMY AIR DEFENSES A-21. SEAD is critical to the survival of aviation assets. It must be accomplished quickly and efficiently in support of aviation operations, particularly in the deep area. It is an integral part of aviation mission planning synchronized with and integrated into overall corps and division operations. Lethal friendly fires suppress, neutralize, and destroy known and suspected threat air defense weapons, radars, warning sites, and command and control nodes. A-22. SEAD must begin early to decrease the density of hostile air defense systems and make friendly aviation assets more effective and less vulnerable to enemy detection and engagement. Preemptive targeting against known and located threats is ideal, but the SEAD plan should also include provisions for reactive engagements against pop-up air defense threats as well. This is particularly critical since aviation assets are limited resources and will also be used and needed in support of the close fight. A-23. The primary SEAD role of field artillery systems is to conduct localized SEAD to open corridors or suppress specific attack objectives in cross-forward line of own troops operations. Suppression will begin prior to friendly aircraft arrival and should continue as long as the aircraft are within range. Field artillery fires, either separately or in conjunction with joint fires, assist in the SEAD. A-24. Egress routes are established and suppressed in a similar manner. Since the opening of corridors is a major operation requiring a heavy commitment of resources, only a limited number of corridors can be established in a given period of time. A-25. The FAB and DIVARTY commanders work closely with corps and division G-3s and G-2s throughout the planning, preparation, and execution phases of an operation. The schemes of maneuver and of fires are developed at the same time based on the commander’s intent. The corps fires cell passes this information to the supporting FAB and the division fires cell passes this information to the DIVARTY CP, which concentrates primarily on corps and divisional counterfires, other shaping fires, and SEAD. A-26. To support corps and division aviation elements, the G-3, based on fires cell recommendations, may change the artillery's task organization and priority of fires. This may include a mix of units with command and support relationships, or assigning the aviation brigade priority of fires for a specific mission. Field artillery units may also be relocated to support their primary mission and to provide SEAD support in the form of planned and on-call fires. A-27. The FAB or DIVARTY can suppress accurately located planned SEAD targets to the maximum range of indirect fire systems with unobserved fires. Fires must be coordinated with adjacent and subordinate units to ensure all suppression operations are mutually supportive along with joint efforts, where appropriate.