ATP-5-0-2-1 Staff Reference Guide Volume 1 Download
Page 210 of 440
Appendix C 194 ATP 5-0.2-1 07 December 2020 opportunities to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative. The commander specifies different reconnaissance guidance for each phase of an operation and adjusts components of the guidance when appropriate. Reconnaissance and security guidance elements and purpose are similar with subtle variations. The commander's guidance consists of four elements— Focus Reconnaissance. Enemy or terrain and reconnaissance pull or push. Security. What to protect and why. Tempo Reconnaissance. Rapid, deliberate, forceful, and or stealthy. Security. Short duration or long duration. Engagement and disengagement criteria (if any), both lethal and nonlethal. Displacement criteria. Event, time, or threat driven. Focus C-3. Reconnaissance focus defines the reconnaissance unit’s area of emphasis and consists of four categories: enemy, infrastructure, terrain and weather effects, and society. The higher commander’s intent as well as the commander’s initial assessment of information requirements and information gaps serves as the basis for establishing the focus of reconnaissance tasks. Focus helps the reconnaissance organization narrow the scope of operations to get the information most important to developing the situation for future operations. C-4. Commanders and staffs can further focus reconnaissance efforts by assigning specific reconnaissance objectives. A reconnaissance objective is a terrain feature, geographic area, enemy force, adversary, or other mission or operational variable about which the commander wants to obtain additional information (ADP 3-90). The objective should directly support the end state defined in the commander’s intent. C-5. For example, during offensive operations, a brigade combat team’s cavalry squadron may conduct reconnaissance to locate an enemy's security force, to include its composition, disposition, and capabilities. At the same time, the squadron could also address information gaps concerning terrain-collecting information on key terrain features that might affect friendly forces, the enemy's disposition, and various courses of action the brigade combat team’s commander might develop during planning. The information developed by terrain- or enemy-focused reconnaissance helps update templated enemy courses of action as part of the continuous assessment of the tactical situation and the operational environment. C-6. Security focus defines what to protect and why. The focus describes the expected results of the security operation. Security tasks are threat, terrain, or friendly unit-oriented. This allows subordinate commanders to narrow their operations to protect the most critical activities and acquire the information most important to a higher headquarters. Tempo C-7. Tempo is the relative speed and rhythm of military operations over time with respect to the enemy. Reconnaissance tempo refers to the level of detail and covertness required of the reconnaissance organization. Reconnaissance tempo is described by four terms: rapid, deliberate, stealthy, and forceful. Rapid and deliberate are levels of detail and are mutually exclusive in all cases—tempo cannot be rapid and deliberate at the same time. Reconnaissance organizations can oscillate between the two from phase to phase and even within sub-phases of an operation. Stealthy and forceful indicate mutually exclusive levels of covertness. C-8. Rapid or deliberate operations describe the level of detail required by the commander. Rapid tempo dictates that the level of detail for the reconnaissance operation and is limited to a certain prescribed list of tasks or priority intelligence requirements (PIR). Rapid tempo is appropriate when time is of the essence and only a limited number of information requirements are necessary to accomplish the mission. Deliberate tempo implies all tasks of the mission must be accomplished to ensure mission success. Deliberate tempo allows the organization more time to answer all information requirements. Detailed and