ATP-5-0-2-1 Staff Reference Guide Volume 1 Download
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Chapter 2 24 ATP 5-0.2-1 07 December 2020 Mission. Concept of operations. Available assets. Timeline. Their assigned AO. Missions of adjacent, supporting, and supported units and their relationships to the higher headquarter's plan. Missions or goals of unified action partners that work in operational areas. 2-54. If the commander and staff misinterprets the higher headquarter's plan, time is lost. Additionally, when analyzing a higher order, the commander and staff may identify difficulties and contradictions in the higher order. If confused by the higher headquarter's order or guidance, commanders must seek immediate clarification. Liaison officers familiar with the higher headquarter's plan can clarify issues. Collaborative planning with the higher headquarters also facilitates this task. Staffs use requests for information to clarify or obtain additional information from a higher headquarters. Step 2.2. Perform Initial Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield 2-55. Intelligence preparation of the battlefield is the systematic process of analyzing the mission variables of enemy, terrain, weather, and civil considerations in an area of interest to determine their effect on operations (ATP 2-01.3). The IPB process identifies critical gaps in a commander's knowledge of an operational environment. As part of initial planning guidance, commanders use these gaps as a guide to establish their initial intelligence requirements. IPB products enable the commander and staff to assess facts about an operational environment and make assumptions about how friendly and threat forces will interact in an operational environment. The description of an operational environment identifies key aspects of, and constraints on, an operational environment—such as avenues of approach, potential engagement areas (EAs), and potential landing zones—which the staff integrates into potential friendly COAs and their running estimates. The intelligence staff, in collaboration with the rest of the staff, develops other IPB products during mission analysis. That collaboration results in draft initial priority intelligence requirements (PIRs), the production of a complete modified combined obstacle overlay (MCOO), a list of high-value targets (HVTs), and unrefined event templates and matrices (see paragraph 2-240 for additional details on IPB). Note. IPB is the fundamental assumption that the rest of a plan is based on. It becomes the main portion of the intelligence officer’s running estimate. To keep IPB current, intelligence sections rely on help and expertise from the rest of the staff. Step 2.3. Determine Specified, Implied, and Essential Tasks 2-56. Staffs analyze a higher headquarters' order and guidance to determine their specified and implied tasks. A task is a clearly defined action or activity specifically assigned to an individual or organization that must be done as it is imposed by an appropriate authority (JP 1). The "what" of a mission statement is always a task. From a list of specified and implied tasks, the staff determines essential tasks for inclusion in a recommended mission statement (see table I-5 on page 307 for a listing of tactical tasks and definitions). 2-57. A specified task is a task specifically assigned to a unit by its higher headquarters (FM 6-0). Paragraphs 2 and 3 of the OPORD usually list specified tasks, but they can be found elsewhere, such as Paragraph 4 or in an annex. A higher commander may assign specified tasks verbally or in written directives. Specified tasks may include a trigger such as "on-order" or "be-prepared." 2-58. An on-order mission is a mission to be executed at an unspecified time (FM 6-0). A unit with an on-order mission is a committed force. Commanders envision task execution in the concept of operations; however, they may not know the exact time or place of execution. Subordinate commanders develop plans and orders, allocate resources, task-organize, and position forces for execution.