ATP-3-94-2 HIMARS Deep Operations Download
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Chapter 2 2-2 ATP 3-94.2 1 September 2016 and assessed within the unit’s overall operations process. See ADRP 5-0 for a detailed discussion of the operations process. COMMANDER’S ROLE 2-3. Commanders are the most important participants in the operations process. While staffs perform essential functions that amplify the effectiveness of operations, commanders play the central role in the operations process by applying the art of command and science of control to understand, visualize, describe, direct, lead, and assess operations. Through leadership—the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation—commanders drive the operations process. 2-4. Commanders rely on their education, experience, knowledge, and judgement as they make decisions and lead subordinates through the conduct of operations. For example, as commanders develop their situational understanding, they see patterns emerge, dissipate, and reappear in the operational environment. These patterns help them direct their own forces’ actions with respect to other friendly forces, civilian organizations, the enemy, the terrain, and the population. 2-5. Additionally, commanders are required to take prudent risks, exercise initiative, and act decisively. Because uncertainty exists in all military operations, commanders incur risk when making decisions during the conduct of operations. The final decision, as well as the final responsibility, to execute operations remains with the commander. UNDERSTAND 2-6. Success in operations demands timely and effective decisions based on applying judgment to available information and knowledge. Commanders, supported by their staffs, develop and improve their understanding of the situation throughout the operations process. Situational understanding is the product of applying analysis and judgment to relevant information to determine the relationships among the operational and mission variables to facilitate decision-making (ADP 5-0). Building and maintaining situational understanding is essential to developing the commander’s visualization of an operation and making effective decisions during execution. Commanders continually strive to maintain their situational understanding and work through periods of reduced understanding as the situation evolves. 2-7. Developing and maintaining situational understanding of the deep area is challenging. The deep area is not assigned to a subordinate unit and is the responsibility of the establishing headquarters. As such, division and corps commanders dedicate significant resources to information collection (integrated with joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities) to build and maintain their situational understanding of the deep area (see paragraphs 2-49 to 2-50 for a discussion of information collection). VISUALIZE 2-8. Commander's visualization is the mental process of developing situational understanding, determining a desired end state, and envisioning an operational approach by which the force will achieve that end state (ADP 5-0). Commander’s visualization begins in planning and continues throughout the operations process until the force accomplishes the mission. During planning, commander’s visualization provides the basis for the concept of operations and developing plans and orders. During execution, it helps commanders determine if, when, and what to decide as they adapt to changing conditions. As the situation changes, commanders modify their visualization to include how they intend to shape the deep area. 2-9. In developing their visualization, commanders use the operational framework to relate activities in time, space, and purpose as described in paragraphs 1-3 to 1-15. They visualize the types of forces necessary to allocate toward accomplishing envisioned tasks within the deep, close, and support areas and a general sequence for executing those tasks. Division and corps commanders envision operations in the deep area to set conditions for subordinate units conducting operations in the close area. They also visualize how to shape the deep area for follow-on phases of the operation. Commanders do not restrict their visualization to the employment of assigned or attached units and capabilities. Division and corps commanders visualize how to integrate joint capabilities, such as air interdiction and joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, to shape their deep area.