ATP-5-0-2-1 Staff Reference Guide Volume 1 Download
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Planning 07 December 2020 ATP 5-0.2-1 47 Staffs' responses to commander's requests for information. Quick review of— Approved problem statement and mission statement. Commander's and higher commander's intents. Threat COA. Deductions resulting from the relative combat power analysis. For each COA statement and sketch, brief the following— Assumptions used. Task organization. Concept of operations briefed either chronologically or using the decisive-shaping-sustaining framework. Scheme of maneuver. Concept of intelligence. Concept of fires. Concept of protection. Concept of sustainment. Concept of command and control. Risk. Refined COA evaluation criteria. Commander's comments, decisions, or guidance. Decision Support Template and Matrix 2-148. This section is derived from ATP 6-0.5 and FM 6-0. 2-149. Several decision support tools assist the commander and staff during execution. Among the most important are the DST and DSM. Both the DST and DSM assist the commander and staff in determining execution decisions the commander must make. During planning, the staff develops a DST and DSM for each COA. Once the commander selects a COA, the selected DST and DSM are refined and then published. The commander and the current operations integrating cell use these tools to control operations and anticipate decisions. 2-150. A decision point is a point in space and time when the commander or staff anticipates making a key decision concerning a specific course of action (JP 5-0). The location of DPs depends on the availability and response time of friendly forces and the anticipated activity, capabilities, and movement rates of enemy and friendly forces. Execution decisions, normally tied to a DP, implement a planned action under circumstances anticipated in the order. 2-151. A decision support template is a combined intelligence and operations graphic based on the results of wargaming that depicts decision points, timelines associated with movement of forces and the flow of the operation, and other key items of information required to execute a specific friendly course of action. Also called DST (JP 2-01.3). A DST graphically represents DPs (by a star) and projected situations. It also indicates when, where, and under what conditions a decision is most likely required to initiate a specific activity or event. A DST may contain time phase lines, NAIs, targeted areas of interest (TAIs), and DPs. 2-152. A decision support matrix is a written record of a war-gamed course of action that describes decision points and associated actions at those decision points (ADP 5-0). A DSM lists DPs, locations of DPs, evaluation criteria at DPs, actions that occur at DPs, and units responsible for acting on the DPs. It also lists units responsible for observing and reporting information affecting the criteria for decisions (see table 2-16 on page 49 for an example of a DSM). 2-153. During COA development, planners note where the commander needs to make key decisions concerning the COA. A key decision is different from all the normal decisions that subordinates and staffs make as part of executing a plan. Key decisions are decisions that only a commander can make based on