Sound Military Decision Part 24

The commander will desire to draw up a Battle Plan as a provision for the situation which he believes most likely to eventuate. However, as he cannot be certain that this situation will occur, he may also desire to a.s.sume other situations, i.e., prepare in advance for other contingencies. It is then necessary for him to solve several problems, each differing from the others in the a.s.sumptions (page 155) as to the form the situation may take. The summary of the situation therefore requires a brief statement of the conditions which are a.s.sumed. In addition, such parts of the basic problem may be included as are deemed pertinent to the new problem in hand.

In his new problem the purpose of the (subsidiary) mission may readily be obtained from the basic problem. Suppose the a.s.signed task, motivating the estimate of the basic problem, to have been to "prevent enemy convoy from reaching destination". This, the motivating task of the basic problem, then becomes a suitable (subsidiary) purpose for the mission of the subsidiary problem.

For the mission of the subsidiary problem, a motivating task, suitable to the purpose thus determined, will be found in the Decision of the basic problem. Suppose the Decision in this case to have been "to destroy the enemy convoy". The task thus determined for the subsidiary problem becomes an a.s.signed task in the sense that it is a.s.signed by the commander to himself, instead of to a subordinate; however, it is also an a.s.signed task in the sense that it has been indirectly a.s.signed by the immediate superior, because it has been derived, in the basic estimate, from the motivating task which was directly a.s.signed by the superior.

The two elements, of task and purpose, when linked together, enable the commander to visualize the appropriate effect desired, as the basis for his subsidiary estimate,--a procedure identical with that followed in a basic estimate. As in the latter, the commander can now formulate his subsidiary mission, as:--

(Task) To destroy the enemy convoy,

(Purpose) in order to prevent it from reaching its destination.

The mission of the subsidiary problem is thus seen to be identical with the basic Decision linked to the purpose of that Decision.

However, this is not always the case. A subsidiary problem may merely involve the execution by the commander, i.e., under his own immediate direction, of a designated part of his general plan. Or, such a problem may involve execution, by the commander, of one or more of the detailed operations for the accomplishment of his general plan or of a part thereof. The commander may also find it necessary to solve numerous subsidiary problems of relatively restricted scope pertaining either to his general plan or to a part thereof or to the detailed operations involved.

In some of these cases the purpose of the subsidiary mission may be readily apparent. In others, its nature may become clear only after the application of considerable mental effort. In every case the determination of a proper (subsidiary) purpose involves visualization of a situation which the commander desires to bring about or to maintain. The (subsidiary) task, appropriate to the (subsidiary) purpose, will always necessarily be suitable to the latter. This task is then the motivating task for the solution of the particular subsidiary problem in hand. This will be the case whether the commander makes a simple mental solution or produces a more complex one in which the formal written estimate of the situation is employed.

In the former instance, the brevity of the mental process tends to obscure this fact.

An example might occur in a situation where the commander has received an order to "Protect the base at A". It is then supposed that, after estimating the situation, he has reached the Decision "to deny the enemy the use of base sites within effective bombing range of A", the purpose of the Decision being, of course, "in order to protect the base at A". The action required might then be undertaken in two stages. The first stage might be confined to the area ABCD. If, then, all available base sites in this area, except Y island, were already securely in friendly hands, the commander would find it necessary to make provision for an operation to deny the use of this island to the enemy. If this operation is of such a nature that the commander desires to execute it under his own direct control, instead of a.s.signing it to a subordinate, it presents a subsidiary problem which the commander, himself, has to solve.

The commander has now determined the necessity of solving a subsidiary problem relating to the accomplishment of a designated part of his general plan. He has also determined the necessity of solving another subsidiary problem presented by an operation pertaining to the first stage of the accomplishment of his general plan.

Each subsidiary problem requires an estimate of the situation although "the brevity of the mental process tends to obscure this fact" (page 172).

In making his basic estimate, the commander may have discovered the need for these subsidiary estimates. In this case, he may have included them in his estimate, as "estimates within the estimate"

(page 83), in his a.n.a.lysis of the operations involved in the various courses of action which he considered. For instance, his basic Decision may have included the capture of Y island, and he may have covered this feature by a corollary to that Decision, as follows:

Corollary: As a first stage, to deny the enemy the use of available base sites in the area ABCD, by capturing Y island.

However, the commander may not discover the desirability or need of solving these subsidiary problems until the second step, when resolving the basic Decision into the detailed operations required. In this case, he might make due provision at that time for the operations involved in the subsidiary problems. The mental procedure would be the same in either event.

The commander may find, however, that he prefers to make a separate, subsidiary estimate with respect to the determination of the stages of his operation, including the details as to the performance of the first stage. In this case he finds a proper mission for his subsidiary estimate in the basic Decision, linked to its purpose. This mission would be as follows:--

(Task) To deny the enemy the use of base sites within effective bombing range of A,

(Purpose) in order to protect the base at A.

During the subsidiary estimate the commander may discover, in his study of the area ABCD, the necessity for an operation to deny Y island to the enemy, and may even go so far, in this study, as to decide on the capture of this island. The decision, settling on this area as the scene of the first stage of his effort, may then include provision for the capture of the island, as follows:

Decision: To deny the enemy the use of base sites in the area ABCD as a first stage toward denying him the use of all base sites within effective bombing range of the base at A.

Corollary: To capture Y island.

However, the commander may not take up the matter of denying Y island, specifically, to enemy use until he studies the detailed operations required for the accomplishment of the action involved in his first stage. In such event, he may make provision for the capture of the island in his subsidiary plan for the execution of the first stage. He may find, on the other hand, that he prefers to make a separate, subsidiary estimate as to this feature. If so, the mission for this subsidiary estimate would be identical with the decision (less the corollary, but plus the purpose of the estimate), i.e.,--

(Task) To deny the enemy the use of base sites within effective bombing range of the area ABCD as a first stage

(Purpose) toward denying him the use of all base sites within effective bombing range of the base at A.

During this estimate the commander considers the various courses of action whereby he can deny to the enemy all bases in the area of the first stage. Concluding that Y island is the only base site not securely in friendly hands, and that the best method of denying it to the enemy is to capture it himself, he reaches a decision as follows:

Decision: To capture Y island, in order to deny to the enemy the use of the only available base site in the area ABCD.

In each of the foregoing cases, the commander is said to have "deduced" the mission for his subsidiary problem. As has been demonstrated, the process of deduction is merely the application of the natural mental processes through the use of the estimate of the situation. Whether the estimate is formal or informal, detailed or brief, written or mental, is immaterial; in any case, the estimate results in a decision which provides, with its purpose, a proper mission for the succeeding problem which has been presented by solution of its predecessors.

In logical sequence, from problem to problem, the procedure outlined in the preceding discussion enables the commander to derive a correct mission for the problem involving the capture of Y Island. Clear visualization of such a subsidiary mission is frequently of great importance, and may be difficult unless the procedure has been carefully traced from each problem to the next. In this particular example, if the commander finds that the capture of Y Island is of such a specialized and localized nature (page 170) as to call for a formal estimate (as may frequently be the case in capturing a well-defended island base), he will be especially desirious of deriving a correct (subsidiary) mission as a basis for this estimate.

In this instance a correct mission would be:--

(Task) To capture Y Island,

(Purpose) in order to deny to the enemy the use of the only available base site in the area ABCD.

This mission is identical with the decision, linked to its purpose, of the preceding subsidiary problem.

Subsidiary problems relating to training (page 160), when solved by the procedure distinctive of the first step, involve estimates of the situation very similar to those explained previously (Chapter VI).

Section I-A of such a training estimate will include a summary of the salient features of the existing situation, from the strategical or tactical viewpoint, together with a statement of the salient features of the operations to be carried out for which the projected training is designed. The incentive will be found in a previous decision calling for the operations which require the training to be given. The a.s.signed objective will be the making of adequate provision for training appropriate to the projected operations. The (subsidiary) mission will be:--

(Task) to provide appropriate training,

(Purpose) in order to contribute to freedom of action during the operations contemplated. (In each particular case the operations contemplated will be indicated by proper phraseology in the mission or by reference to the preceding summary of the situation.)

Section I-B of a training estimate will take account of the training factors cited in the Estimate Form (Chapter VI) for a basic problem, but will specify details with respect to both own and enemy forces.

This section will also cover existing facilities for training, as well as the characteristics of the theater which have now or may have a bearing on the training to be given.

Section II will discuss the various possible procedures for affording the appropriate training.

Section III will deal with any measures which may be adopted by the enemy (through actual attack, through propaganda, or any other methods) to hinder or prevent the desired training.

Section IV will be devoted to the selection of the best training procedure.

Section V will state the decision as to the essentials of the training to be given and as to the method of giving the training. The decision will be in such detail as to const.i.tute a general plan, or a proper basis therefor, from which a detailed plan may be developed.

A detailed training plan, developed from the foregoing decision, will a.s.semble the necessary information and a.s.sumptions, will state the general plan for training, and will prescribe the appropriate training tasks. It will also include any proper coordinating measures, make provision for the logistics of the training plan, and finally provide for the exercise of command and for supervision over the training.

A training plan may be briefed by annexing appropriate doc.u.ments,--e.g., a program and a schedule. The commander will ordinarily issue a schedule for training to be given under his own supervision; he will usually issue a program for training to be given by his subordinates, who will in turn prepare their own schedules.

Subsidiary problems involving intelligence (page 160), when solved by the procedure distinctive of the first step, call for an intelligence estimate along the lines indicated, in general, in Chapter VI.

Section I-A of the Estimate will include a summary of the salient features of the present situation and of the contemplated strategical and tactical operations. The incentive, to be found in a previous decision of the commander, will be noted. The a.s.signed objective will be the making of provision for adequate intelligence of the enemy and of the theater of operations. The mission will be:--

(Task) To make provision for adequate intelligence of the enemy and of the theater of operations,

(Purpose) in order to contribute to freedom of action in the operations contemplated.