ATP-5-0-2-1 Staff Reference Guide Volume 1 Download
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07 December 2020 ATP 5-0.2-1 137 Chapter 4 Executing This chapter defines, describes, and offers guidelines for effective execution. It discusses the common operational picture (COP), battle rhythms, battle drills, the rapid decision-making and synchronization process, and meetings. OVERVIEW OF EXECUTION 4-1. Execution is the act of putting a plan into action by applying combat power to accomplish the mission and adjusting operations based on changes in the situation (ADP 5-0). In execution, commanders, staffs, and subordinate commanders focus their efforts on translating decisions into actions. They apply combat power to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative to gain and maintain positions of relative advantage. This is the essence of unified land operations. 4-2. Commanders fight the enemy, not the plan. A plan provides a reasonable forecast of execution, but it is a starting point, not an exact script. 4-3. During execution, a situation may change rapidly. Operations the commander envisioned in the plan may bear little resemblance to actual events in execution. Subordinate commanders need maximum latitude to take advantage of situations and meet the higher commander's intent when the original order no longer applies. Effective execution requires leaders trained in independent decision making, aggressiveness, and risk taking in an environment of mission command. During execution, leaders must be able and willing to solve problems within the commander's intent without constantly referring to higher headquarters. Subordinates need not wait for top-down synchronization to act. Guides for effective execution include- Seize, retain, and exploit the initiative. Accept risk to exploit opportunities. 4-4. With action, commanders and their subordinate commanders create conditions for seizing the initiative. Without action, seizing the initiative is impossible. Retaining the initiative involves applying unrelenting pressure on the enemy. Commanders gain and retain the initiative by synchronizing the warfighting functions to present enemy commanders with continuously changing combinations of combat power at a tempo they cannot effectively counter. Exploiting the initiative means following through on initial successes to realize long-term decisive success. Once friendly forces seize the initiative, they immediately plan to exploit it by conducting continuous operations to accelerate the enemy's complete defeat. 4-5. Success during operations depends on a willingness to embrace risk as opportunity rather than treating it as something to avoid. By its very nature, military activity is about understanding, balancing, and taking risks. Risk is the probability and implication that an activity or event, with its associated positive or negative consequences, will take place. Risk is neutral. It is a measure of the likelihood of something going right or wrong, and its associated impact, good or bad. Commanders and subordinate commanders should not avoid risk or simply apply a process to it, but rather accept risk as a part of the essence of military operations. COMMON OPERATIONAL PICTURE 4-6. A common operational picture is a display of relevant information within a commander's area of interest tailored to the user's requirements and based on common data and information shared by more than one command (ADP 6-0). Commanders choose any appropriate technique to develop and display the COP, such as graphical representations, verbal narratives, or written reports. A COP develops throughout the