tactical
Introduction:
Success in an operation is reflective of a leader's ability to make tactically sound decisions in a time
constrained and everchanging environment. Success in this time compressed environment is based on the
ability for our leaders to conduct detailed analysis (analytical decision making) of the complex
information prior to entering that environment. Only with the application of that analysis as a foundation,
will the leader be able to apply the continuous analysis (recognitional decision making) necessary to make
tactically sound decisions in the time compressed environment. As a leader, you must be familiar with the
Team-Leading Steps and the associated analysis that occurs to facilitate orders creation. The analysis is
critical to overall mission accomplishment. It shapes the development of a tactically sound plan,
communicated in the operations orders format, and shapes your decision-making process during mission
execution. The process taught in this class is lockstep only in sequence; the depth and detail by which the
analysis is conducted is based on time and available information.
Objectives:
BAMCIS- Begin Planning, Arrange for Reconnaissance, Make Reconnaissance, Issue the Plan,
Complete the Plan, Supervise. The receipt of a mission triggers the BAMCIS cycle.
Begin Planning
To make effective use of available time, the leader issues a Warning Order (an abbreviated set of
instructions to inform of an impending action) to his subordinates; this allows his subordinates to execute
the Warning Order while the leader conducts a detailed analysis, which we call the Tactical Thought
Process (described in detail later in this handout). Here, unit leaders will develop questions and therefore
will have to make assumptions about the opposition to continue planning. The level of risk the leader will
have to assume is directly related to the depth of analysis they perform during the Tactical Thought
Process. At the end of this step, you will emerge with an initial plan that you expect to execute, pending
the answers to your questions, and the validation of the assumptions you made about the opposition. To
begin answering these questions you will move to Arrange for Reconnaissance.
Arrange for Reconnaissance
Based on the detailed analysis (Tactical Thought Process) performed during Begin the Planning, the
leader must ask, "What information am I lacking in order to achieve success?" To get this information to
further mitigate risk assumed during the Tactical Thought Process, the leader must arrange for a
reconnaissance of the opposition and area. First, the commander must determine the most effective means
of available reconnaissance. Frequently, this is a physical reconnaissance in which the commander visits
the area on which they will conduct their operation. Second, the commander must determine their priority
of reconnaissance, or what order they will try to fulfill the information gaps. The priority must be the gaps
regarding the opposition; focusing on confirming or denying any assumptions made about his location,
orientation, or current tactical activity. The second priority is to identify elements: such as the route,
assault position, or defensive positions. Finally, the leader must determine which subordinate leaders will
accompany them during the collection of information. The personnel will vary according to the tactical
situation. The leader should take only as many subordinate leaders as necessary, while others remain
behind to supervise mission preparation.
Make Reconnaissance
The commander now acts to answer his questions and validate any assumptions based on his priorities of
reconnaissance and time available. Every effort must be made to conduct a physical reconnaissance of the
opposition. This means "eyes on the opposition" must be the focus. In addition to a physical recon, the
commander should also look to use other assets (imagery, air reconnaissance, etc.) available to help fill
information gaps. The reconnaissance is only successful if it answers those questions needed to
successfully accomplish the mission.
Complete the Plan
The unit leader must now take the information gained during the reconnaissance and validate his initial
plan made during Begin the Planning. This is done by conducting the Tactical Thought Process again,
now armed with the answers to our questions. This analysis must be conducted again to ensure necessary
changes are ultimately reflected in our plan to our subordinates. A common problem occurs when leaders
receive updated information that conflicts with their previous analysis or established plan but fail to
update their MOTT-TBT (Mission • Opposition • Terrain & Weather • Team • Time Available • Bystander
Considerations and Tactical Priorities) or amend their scheme of maneuver. Do not fall in love with your
plan. At the conclusion of your second conduct of the Tactical Thought Process, you will write an order
(Five Paragraph Order) to communicate to your subordinates.
Issue the Order
Here, leaders verbally communicate their analysis and scheme of maneuver using proper order-issuing
techniques. Without coherent communication, the leader's decisions will never successfully be turned into
action.
Supervise
The leader ensures compliance with the details of his plan until the mission is accomplished. This
includes the timeline the commander set forth (non-negotiable), the mission rehearsals defined (as
operation realistic as possible), the inspections of personnel prior to execution, and the complete
execution of the mission. Delegation to subordinate team leaders is utilized, however check, do not
assume, that your plan is being executed by subordinates to your standards.
Tactical Thought Process
When it comes to making the plan, one must consider a great many things to ensure that the best course of
action is taken, with the highest probability of accomplishing the designated mission with the fewest
casualties. MOTT-TBT (Mission • Opposition • Terrain & Weather • Team • Time Available •
Bystander Considerations and Tactical Priorities) consists of the following elements.
Mission
Opposition
Terrain & We a t h e r
• Team Available
• Time
• Bystanders
• Tactical Priorities
Being familiar with MOTT-TBT will help guide your mental planning process and remind you of all the
key things you should be considering in each plan.
Once the operation is underway, you (and your subordinates) frequently reevaluate the MOTT-TBT
considerations as they change, issuing new orders as appropriate to guide your teams towards success,
exploit opposition weaknesses, and conduct the operation to its conclusion. Bear in mind that you should
be looking at MOTT-TBT from the opposition's perspective as well, to help give you insight into what
the opposition might do with the situation as you believe they see it. Being able to "visualize yourself in
the oppositions position" can be a powerful tool to use when planning for your own teams' actions.
Breakdown :
Mission
As in the "5 paragraph order" described below, this deals with what your team is tasked with
accomplishing. Tactical priorities will determine many aspects of how you craft your plan.
The mission considerations include:
• What task do you need to do for the operation to be a success?
Why do you need to complete the task?
• Who is involved?
• Where is it being done?
• When is it being done?
Opposition
Next up we cover the opposition. Understandably, the opposition is a tremendously significant aspect of
how you plan a mission. You must consider every tactically relevant aspect of them, such as:
A. SALUTE:
This acronym is an established method to remember how and what to report about the opposition. The
purpose of SALUTE is to focus thinking to identifying and locating opposition weaknesses that can be
exploited.
• Size - How many are involved?
• Activity - opposition barricading, traps, fighting, burning, flooding etc.
• Location - The area/ areas and size of the area/ areas, in which the opposition are.
• Unit - Names and designations of Inmates such as race and or gangs, history.
• Time - When the opposition was last observed.
• Equipment - Equipment they possess. Such as weapons, keys and radios.
B. DRAW-D:
"This acronym used to assist the leader in determining the oppositions capabilities and limitations.
EMICOA - Enemies most likely course of Action
•
•
•
•
Defend
Reinforce
Attack
Withdraw
Delay
C. Friendly Forces
Contains essential information concerning the mission of other units or support staff, location and
mission of adjacent units, and mission of non-organic supporting units. Information in this
subparagraph can be remembered with the acronym HAS:
Higher
Adjacent
Supporting - Attachments and Detachments - Units attached or detached from a squad by higher
headquarters, including the effective time of attachment or detachment.
When put together, these form a paitial "threat assessment" for the mission.
Terrain and Weather
Terrain and weather come next. Used to remember the factors used in evaluating terrain is "OCOKA-W".
Observation and Fields of Fire
Areas in which munitions or less than lethal could be deployed effectively.
• Areas where the operation can be best observed.
Danger areas or likely combat areas
Defensible terrain
Cover and Concealment
Walls/ Corners
Hiding places
Obstacles
• Barricades
• Traps
• Natural Obstacles
Key or Decisive Terrain
• Any terrain that gives some kind of significant advantage to any who control it.
• Avenues of Approach.
Avenues of Approach
Movement routes to an objective. A viable avenue of approach usually offers mobility corridors. These
are areas within the avenue of approach that permit movement and maneuver. They permit friendly and
enemy forces to advance or withdraw and to capitalize on the principles of mass, momentum, shock, and
speed. When friendly forces are attacking, friendly avenues of approach to the objective must be
identified. Enemy avenues of approach that could affect friendly movement — i.e., counterattack avenues
- must be identified.
Weather
Weather ultimately means visibility. There are several things that influence visibility, including:
• Time of day
• Moon phase (if night)
• C l o u d cover
• Rain
• Fog
• Chemical Agents
Weather can change over the course of a mission, too - just because it starts off with a clear sky does not
mean that it will stay that way. Likewise, if it is near dusk or dawn, visibility conditions can change
dramatically over the duration of a mission as it gets darker or brighter due to the setting or rising of the
sun. Note too that moonsets and moonrises at night can play a role, particularly on clear skies with full
moon
Team & Support Available
Specifically, this also includes all assets available in the mission. Not only are your own team included,
but any special attachments are detailed, as are vehicles that may be supporting you, and munitions or
other assets that might be available for addition on-call support. In short, this details everything you have
at your disposal to get the mission done, whatever the mission may be.
Time available
Knowing the amount of time available in the mission helps a leader to plan out how rapidly the different
phases of the mission must be carried out; this can have a significant impact on the tactics employed.
Bystander Considerations
This includes knowing if there are Hostages, other Officers, employees, contract workers or inmates that
may be trapped or secure in other areas that are not a part of the incident.
Who are they?
Where are they?
How many are there?
Any injuries or medical concerns?
How do you tactical prioritize them?
Tactical Priorities
Universal Tactical Priorities
• Life Safety
Incident Stabiliz'ion
Property Couservation
Correctional Tactical Priorities
• Provide for the safety, accountability, and welfare of the public, personnel, and inmates. This
priority is ongoing throughout the incident.
• Stabilize, isolate, and contain the incident and provide for preservation of life, property, and
Remove endangered persons and obtain treatment for the injured.
Conserve expenses and damage to property.
• Resolve the incident and return institution to normal operations. FIVE PARAGRAPH OPERATION ORDER
1. SITUATION:
Enemy Forces: Situation, capabilities, Indications
Friendly Forces: Mission and location of higher, adjacent, and supporting units. State the higher
units POME.
Mission of units in direct support
Attachments and Detachments: Units attached to or detached from your unit by higher
headquarters, and effective time.
2. MISION:
• Simply state the mission
3. EXECUTION:
• In the first subparagraph give general summary of the tactical plan or operational concept in
succeeding subparagraph assign missions to each organic and attached unit in the next to last
subparagraph designate and assign missions to reserve (not normally used at platoon level)
Assign a POME
4. ADMINISTRATIVE AND LOGISTICS:
• Supply, evacuation, transportation, service, personnel and miscellaneous
5. COMMAND AND SIGNALS:
• Signal Instructions and information
• Command posts, location of commander