Engineer presents professional information designed to keep U.S. military and civilian engineers informed of current and emerging developments within their areas of expertise for the purpose of enhancing their professional development.
Issue link: https://engineer.epubxp.com/i/284727
January–April 2014 Engineer 37 Army Doctrine Publication (ADP) 5-0, The Operations Process, defnes a decision point as "a point in space or time the commander of staff anticipates making a key decision concerning a specifc course of action." 4 A decision support matrix describes those decision points and associated actions. The matrix is part of the template, and they work together to portray key decisions and potential actions that are likely to arise during execution. 5 Developing a matrix and template forces engineer and maneuver planners to anticipate any questions that may arise during a combined arms breach, such as where the point of penetration is, when the support force starts suppression, and when the support force starts obscura- tion fres. Once a decision is made, the next step is to develop a trigger to help the commander make the decision. The point at which the engineer reconnaissance team identifes obstacle and enemy positions would be the trigger to help decide where the point of penetration should be located. Below are additional recommended decisions with their respective criteria: ■ When does the support force occupy the support- by-fre position? The recommended criteria are when obscuration assets are set and the support force is set to move to the support-by-fre position. ■ When should the breach force be committed? The recommended criteria are when suppression and obscuration measures are adjusted and effective, engineer preparations are complete, fre control measures are in effect, air defense artillery is in position, and casualty evacuation assets are ready to accept casualties. ■ When should the reduction element be committed? The recommended criteria are when the breach force near side security is in position and the security element controls the reduction site by force. ■ When should the assault force be committed? The recommended criteria are when the lane is reduced, proofed, and marked and far side security is in position. Effective planning results when the staff develops an ESM and a decision support matrix and template. 6 These tools help commanders visualize key decisions and potential actions related to the combined arms breach. 7 They also help synchronize the support, breach, and assault forces. The ESM and the decision support matrix and template contain decisions and their related triggers, which contribute to the execution of subtasks that accomplish SOSRA. These triggers provide the basis for the execution checklist, another tool available for commanders and planners to synchronize efforts. The breach force marks a lane in support of an assault onto the objective. EN Law.1.indd 40 3/12/2014 1:27:09 PM