ATP-4-90 Brigade Support Battalion Download
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Chapter 1 1-6 ATP 4-90 18 June 2020 Command Group and Personal Staff The brigade support battalion’s command group consists of the commander, command sergeant major, executive officer (XO), and unit ministry team (UMT). Commander The BSB commander is the senior logistician in a BCT and is responsible for commanding and controlling every aspect of the BSB to ensure it effectively supports the brigade commander’s mission and intent. The BSB commander will encounter a variety of situations that will require creative thinking to determine the best options to support the maneuver commanders. The commander drives the BSB operations process through understanding, visualizing, describing, directing, leading, and assessing operations. The commander understands the brigade’s mission as well as the brigade commander’s intent and desired end state. The commander also understands the current OE, capabilities, limitations, and problems the BSB may face during execution. The commander helps the staff and subordinate commanders visualize how the BSB will employ its capability to support the brigade’s mission to achieve the end state. This includes solutions to anticipated problems developed in terms of restated mission, intent, and desired end state. The BSB commander is not a brigade planner but does advise the brigade command and staff about sustainment. The commander provides information on BSB capability to the brigade commander, brigade logistics staff officer (S-4), brigade XO, and the brigade operations officer (S-3) so the BCT staff can develop a viable sustainment plan to achieve the brigade commander’s intent. The BSB commander is responsible for logistics synchronization and execution based upon the plan developed by the BCT staff. The BSB commander, supported by the staff, uses the operations process to drive the conceptual and detailed planning necessary to understand, visualize, and describe their OE, make and articulate decisions, and direct, lead, and assess military operations. As the senior logistician in the BCT, BSB commanders coach both the BSB and BCT staffs on the importance of synchronized logistics and of integrating medical support into the BCT operations concept. BSB commanders act as both a senior mentor and an advocate for logisticians and the sustainment warfighting function in the BCT. The BSB commander employs BSB capability to surge, mass, and reallocate logistics capabilities in accordance with the BCT commander’s intent, the concept and priorities of support, as well as the operational and mission variables. The BSB commander and staff must be thoroughly familiar with Army command and support relationships and be able to apply the relationships to different sets of conditions. Command Sergeant Major The BSB command sergeant major is the senior enlisted member of the BSB and a member of the commander's personal staff. The command sergeant major provides knowledge, experience, and judgment. The command sergeant major communicates with supported units’ sergeants major to verify the quality of support and to resolve issues for BSB Soldiers supporting other battalions in the BCT. The command sergeant major provides technical and tactical advice to the commander and staff on the planning, training, preparation, and execution of all BSB missions. The command sergeant major’s duties and responsibilities vary according to the commander’s desires or needs but include enlisted personnel management and base defense oversight. The command sergeant major is located wherever the duties require. Executive Officer The BSB XO is second-in-command of the battalion responsible for providing oversight to current operations in the command post (CP). The XO directs, coordinates, supervises, trains, and synchronizes the work of the staff and ensures effective and prompt staff actions. The XO implements the commander’s intent and ensures the BSB staff develops a viable plan to implement it. The XO establishes and monitors the headquarters battle rhythm for effective planning support, decision-making, and other critical functions. The BSB XO provides the commander with the tools to visualize, describe, direct, and assess operations. The XO monitors the status of all subordinate units and updates the BSB commander.