ATP-5-0-2-1 Staff Reference Guide Volume 1 Download
Page 15 of 440
07 December 2020 ATP 5-0.2-1 xiii Introduction Staff members are essential to the successful and efficient functioning of battalions and larger units. However, at any level, staff work can feel thankless and is often characterized by long hours, copious caffeine consumption, staring bleary-eyed at a white board or map, and endlessly fighting for information—only to have this hard work reversed by a commander’s instinct. If staff members do things right, the unit functions as it should and no one notices. If staff members do something wrong, the unit reacts and suffers. Unfortunately, this publication does not break these expectations. The staffs’ role is to assist commanders with understanding situations, making and implementing decisions, controlling operations, and assessing progress all while keeping units and organizations outside the headquarters continuously informed. Successfully accomplishing these actions is difficult even for a well-trained staff that has long worked together, let alone a newly formed staff working together for the first time. These difficulties limit leaders’ ability to train staffs on day-to-day unit operations and prepare them to execute large-scale combat operations. This experience gap increases a staff’s operational tempo, which is further amplified by constant personnel changes, competing demands for staff attention, and always-limited time resources. To comprehend how the various warfighting functions work together, leaders must read and understand the breadth of doctrine. This publication is not a replacement for current doctrine. It is a consolidated source of doctrine. This guide offers helpful techniques or “how’s” to the doctrinally described “what’s” for battalion, brigade, and division staffs. It provides a set of tools and planning factors to help with the “science of war.” Finally, it can be a starting point for solving any unit’s unique problem. This publication is organized slightly differently than other doctrinal publications with the assumption that staff members are already familiar with the topics herein. If unfamiliar, this publication lists references with each topic to enhance understanding. Planning resources included in this guide set conditions for subordinate unit success. For example, for a deliberate decontamination point, this publication describes the space needed, water requirements, and throughput times. Subordinate units are assumed to have the skills, knowledge, and experience to proficiently conduct this action. Some planning resources included in this guide come from obsolete doctrinal publications. While the art of war has changed over time, much of the science has not. The majority of these resources provide a starting point for planning that can be refined for each unique situation until updated planning factors are developed. Chapter 1 overviews assessments, describes how the Army conducts assessments from the tactical to the strategic level, and provides examples and discussions on topics such as the after action review. Chapter 2 overviews planning and provides techniques and resources for Army design methodology, the military decision-making process, intelligence preparation of the battlefield, information collection, and the targeting process. Chapter 3 overviews preparation, discusses various techniques to prepare for future operations, describes the transition from planning to operations, and how to conduct rehearsals. Chapter 4 overviews execution and offers techniques on creating shared understanding, developing a battle rhythm, and conducting the rapid decision-making and synchronization process. Appendix A through Appendix C provide tactics, techniques, procedures, and considerations for offensive, defensive, and enabling operations. Appendix D through Appendix I encompass the warfighting functions and provide detailed planning factors for each.