Chapter 4 Information Collection Tasking and Directing PDF

Chapter 4 Information Collection Tasking and Directing This chapter describes the importance of information collection tasking and directing. It discusses how the staff finalizes the information collection plan and develops the information collection overlay. Lastly...

Chapter 4 Information Collection Tasking and Directing This chapter describes the importance of information collection tasking and directing. It discusses how the staff finalizes the information collection plan and develops the information collection overlay. Lastly, this chapter discusses the development of the information collection scheme of support. IMPORTANCE OF TASKING AND DIRECTING 4-1. The operations staff integrates collection assets through a deliberate and coordinated effort across all warfighting functions. Tasking and directing information collection is vital to control limited collection assets. During tasking and directing information collection, the staff recommends redundancy, mix, and cue as appropriate. Planning information collection activities begins once requirements are established, validated, and prioritized. Staffs accomplish tasking information collection by issuing warning orders, fragmentary orders, and operation orders. They accomplish directing information collection assets by continuously monitoring the operation. Staffs conduct retasking to refine, update, or create new requirements. FINAL INFORMATION COLLECTION PLAN 4-2. To finalize the information collection plan, the staff must complete several important activities and review several considerations to achieve a fully synchronized, efficient, and effective plan. The information collection plan also applies to the rapid decisionmaking and synchronization process. Updating information collection activities during the execution and assessment activities of the operations process is crucial to the successful execution and subsequent adjustments of the information collection plan. The information collection plan is implemented through execution of asset tasking. The tasking process provides the selected collection assets with prioritized requirements. When collection tasks or requests are passed to units, the staff provides details that clearly define the collection requirements. These requirements identify—  What to collect—information requirements and essential elements of information.  Where to collect it—named areas of interest (NAIs) and target areas of interest (TAIs).  When and how long to collect.  Why to collect—answer commander’s critical information requirements (CCIRs). 4-3. The information collection plan is an execution order. It should be published in the five-paragraph operation order format as a warning order, an operation order, or a fragmentary order. Staffs use the information collection plan to task, direct, and manage collection assets (both assigned and attached assets) to collect against the requirements. The operations officer tasks and directs information collection activities. The intelligence staff helps the staff develop the information collection plan by providing the requirement planning tools. (See ATTP 2-01 for additional information on developing planning requirement tools). Staffs—  Integrate the information collection plan into the scheme of maneuver.  Publish annex L (information collection) to the operation order that tasks assets to begin the collection effort.  Ensure the information collection plan addresses all of the commander’s requirements.  Ensure assigned and attached assets have been evaluated and recommended for information collection tasks within their capabilities.  Ensure the collection tasks outside the capabilities of assigned and attached assets have been prepared as requests for information to appropriate higher or lateral headquarters.  Publish any fragmentary orders and warning orders associated with information collection. 3 May 2013 FM 3-55 4-1 Chapter 4 4-4. Appendix A contains examples of annex L and an information collection warning order. Figure 4-1 is a sample information collection matrix format to use as an appendix to annex L. (See chapter 3 of ATTP 2-01 for additional information and techniques on completing the information collection matrix.) requirement. intelligence priority sheet per Normally one requirement. intelligence priority Approved BCT AO Priority intelligence requirement brigade combat team area of operations requirement. intelligence a priority would answer related to and requirements a subset of information are elements of Essential Essential elements of information the AO that— or any characteristic of evidence of threat activity Positive or negative May influence the Points toward the Points toward course of action. selection of a commander’s particular activity. threat of a rejection by the adoption or vulnerabilities. threat Indicators XX R organic asset nominated to the operations staff for tasking requests for collection submitted by the intelligence staff to nonorganic assets to assets. requirement matching tasking by facilitate requirements Information Information requirement Named area of interest Start time End time XX Brigade combat team XX–primary 1st battalion 2d battalion 3rd battalion Q-36/Q-37 Engineer R–request Low-cost counter-mortar radar Reconnaissance Shadow full motion video BCT human intelligence BCT counterintelligence Prophet R Division and higher Full motion video R Human intelligence R Counterintelligence R Communications intelligence R Imagery intelligence R Moving target indicator Figure 4-1. Sample information collection matrix 4-2 FM 3-55 3 May 2013  Information Collection Tasking and Directing 4-5. An information collection plan is the primary means of tasking assets. Staffs can issue this plan as part of the completed operation order; however, the tactical situation may impose a limited time constraint. In such cases, staffs can issue the information collection plan as early as the initial warning order. This gives collection assets time to prepare for information collection activities. Staffs use fragmentary orders to retask assets already conducting operations and to adjust execution as requirements and priorities change. INFORMATION COLLECTION OVERLAY 4-6. The staff may issue an information collection overlay depicting the information collection plan in graphic form as an appendix to annex L to the operation order. Typical items on the overlay include the following:  Friendly boundaries and phase lines.  Reconnaissance handover lines.  NAIs and TAIs.  Limits of advance and limits of reconnaissance. Limits of reconnaissance are constraints derived from higher headquarters orders that may designate a limit of advance that impact reconnaissance units.  Counterreconnaissance areas.  Fire support control measures.  Graphics depicting zone, area, or route reconnaissance.  Route start points, release points, infiltration lanes, and checkpoints.  Primary and alternate observation post locations.  Ambulance exchange points and logistic release points.  Planned or existing obstacles.  Scanned sectors for sensors.  Unmanned aircraft system flight paths.  Retransmission locations. 4-7. Figure 4-2 on page 4-4 displays an example of an information collection overlay. INFORMATION COLLECTION SCHEME OF SUPPORT 4-8. The information collection scheme of support includes the planning and execution of operations and resources to support the Soldiers and units who perform information collection. This support includes fires, movement, protection, and sustainment (logistics, personnel services, health services support, and other sustainment related functions). The staff prepares the initial scheme of support. The operations officer approves the plan and tasks units. 3 May 2013 FM 3-55 4-3 Chapter 4 Figure 4-2. Example of an information collection overlay 4-9. The staff publishes the scheme of support in annex L. At a minimum, the scheme of support addresses the items shown in table 4-1. 4-4 FM 3-55 3 May 2013  Information Collection Tasking and Directing Table 4-1. Scheme of support Warfighting Items Addressed Functions Movement and Provide asset movement routes to and from mission execution location. maneuver Fires Call for fire. Request immediate attack helicopter support. Request immediate close air support. Protection Air defense. Sustainment Medical evacuation request. Casualty evacuation request. Landing zone and pickup zone procedures for rotary-wing aircraft to perform air-ground integration, casualty evacuation, or aerial resupply. Casualty reporting. Reconstitution. Postal and administrative support. Religious support. Resupply of classes I, III, and V. Field maintenance support, recovery, and evacuation of unserviceable equipment including vehicles, collection platforms, and systems. PROVIDE SUPPORT TO SITE EXPLOITATION 4-10. Site exploitation is systematically searching for and collecting information, material, and persons from a designated location and analyzing them to answer information requirements, facilitate subsequent operations, or support criminal prosecution (ATTP 3-90.15). (See ATTP 3-90.15 for additional information on site exploitation.) 4-11. Site exploitation consists of a related series of activities to exploit personnel, documents, electronic data, and material captured while neutralizing any threat posed by the items or contents. Units conduct site exploitation using one of two techniques: hasty and deliberate. Commanders choose the technique based on time available and the unit’s collection capabilities. MONITOR OPERATIONS 4-12. Staffs track the progress of the operation against the requirements and the information collection plan. The operation seldom progresses on the timelines assumed during planning and staff war gaming. The staff watches for changes in tempo that require changes in reporting times, such as latest time information is of value (LTIOV). The intelligence and operations staffs coordinate any changes with all parties concerned, including commanders and appropriate staff sections. Sometimes the staff’s assumptions about enemy courses of action (COAs) are not correct. This will result in a change in requirements and adjustments to the timelines. Staffs may initiate abbreviated versions of the intelligence preparation of the battlefield (IPB) and decisionmaking processes to accommodate changes in their assumptions. CORRELATE REPORTS TO REQUIREMENTS 4-13. Correlating information reporting to the original requirement and evaluating reports is important for effective requirements management. This quality control effort helps the staff ensure timely satisfaction of requirements. Requirements management includes dissemination of reporting and related information to original requesters and other users. 3 May 2013 FM 3-55 4-5 Chapter 4 4-14. To correlate reports, the staff tracks the collection task, where it originates, what the requirement is and ensures those who need the collected information receive it. For efficiency and timeliness, the staff links production tasks to requirements. The staff determines which requirements have been satisfied and which require additional collection. 4-15. The staff addresses the following potential challenges:  Large volumes of information that could inundate the intelligence analysis section. The intelligence staff may have trouble finding the time to correlate each report to a requirement.  Reports that partially satisfy a number of collection tasks. Other reports may have nothing to do with the collection task.  Reported information that fails to refer to the original task that drove collection.  Circular reporting or unnecessary message traffic that wastes valuable time. SCREEN REPORTS 4-16. The staff screens reports to determine whether the collection task has been satisfied. In addition, the staff screens each report for the following criteria:  Relevance. Does the information actually address the tasked collection task? If not, can the staff use this information to satisfy other requirements?  Completeness. Is essential information missing? (Refer to the original collection task.)  Timeliness. Was the asset reported by the LTIOV established in the original task?  Opportunities for cueing. Can this asset or another asset take advantage of new information to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the overall information collection effort? If the report suggests an opportunity to cue other assets, intelligence and operations staffs immediately cue them and record any new requirements in the information collection plan. 4-17. Information collection assets do not submit reports that state nothing significant to report. These reports may convey that collection occurred, but no activity satisfying the information collection task was observed, which may be an indicator. Indicating nothing significant to report is not a reliable indicator of the absence of activity. PROVIDE FEEDBACK 4-18. The staff provides feedback to all collection assets on mission effectiveness and to analytic sections on production. The mission command element of that unit usually provides this feedback. Feedback reinforces whether collection or production satisfies the original task or request and provides guidance if it does not. Feedback is essential to maintain information collection effectiveness and alert leaders of deficiencies to correct. 4-19. As the operation continues, the intelligence and operations staffs track the status of each collection task, analyze reporting, and satisfy requirements. They pay particular attention to assets not producing required results, which may trigger adjustments to the information collection plan. During execution, the staff assesses the value of the information from collection assets and develops and refines requirements to satisfy information gaps. 4-20. When reporting satisfies a requirement, the staff relieves the collection assets of further responsibility to collect against information collection tasks related to the satisfied requirement. The operations officer, in coordination with the intelligence staff, provides additional tasks to satisfy emerging requirements. The operations staff notifies—  Collection assets and their leadership of partially satisfied requirements to continue collection against collection tasks that remain outstanding and what remains to be done.  Collection assets of new tasks designed to exploit cueing and other opportunities. 4-21. By monitoring operations, correlating reports to requirements, screening reports, and providing feedback, the staff ensures the most effective employment of collection assets. 4-6 FM 3-55 3 May 2013  Information Collection Tasking and Directing UPDATE THE INFORMATION COLLECTION PLAN 4-22. Evaluation of reporting, production, and dissemination identifies updates for the information collection plan. As the current tactical situation changes, staffs adjust the overall information collection plan to synchronize collection tasks. This optimizes collection and exploitation capabilities. The staff constantly updates requirements to ensure that information gathering efforts synchronize with current operations and support future operations planning. As collected information answers requirements, the staff updates the information collection plan. 4-23. The steps in updating the information collection plan include—  Maintain information collection activities synchronized to operations.  Cue assets to other collection requirements.  Eliminate satisfied requirements.  Develop and add new requirements.  Retask assets.  Transition to the next operation. 4-24. Each step to update information collection taskings requires intelligence and operations staff to collaborate. Some steps predominately engage the intelligence staff and others engage the operations staff. Some steps require coordination with other staff sections, and others may engage the entire operations and intelligence working group. Maintain Information Collection Activities Synchronized to Operations 4-25. As execution of the commander’s plan progresses, the staff refines decision point timeline estimates used when the information is required. The staff stays alert to the need for recommending changes in the information collection plan because of these refinements. As the need for change arises, the intelligence staff coordinates with the appropriate staff sections to update products required to refine the information collection plan. This may be as simple as updating timelines or the staff may completely redo these products. Cue Assets to Other Collection Requirements 4-26. The intelligence and operations staffs track the status of collection assets, cueing and teaming assets together as appropriate to minimize the chance of casualties. For example, if a Soldier reports the absence of normal activity in a normally active market area, the staff could recommend redirecting an unmanned aircraft system or other surveillance means to monitor the area for a potential threat. Eliminate Satisfied Requirements 4-27. The staff identifies requirements that were satisfied during the evaluation of the information collection plan. The staff eliminates requirements no longer relevant, whether satisfied or unsatisfied. When a requirement is satisfied or no longer relevant, the intelligence staff eliminates it from the information collection plan and updates any other logs or records. Develop and Add New Requirements 4-28. As the operation progresses and the situation develops, commanders develop new requirements. Intelligence staff begins updating the requirements planning tools. The intelligence staff prioritizes new requirements against remaining requirements. The intelligence staff consolidates the new requirements with the existing requirements, reprioritizes the requirements, evaluates resources based upon the consolidated listing and priorities, and makes appropriate recommendations to the commander and operations officer. 3 May 2013 FM 3-55 4-7 Chapter 4 Retask Assets 4-29. The staff may issue orders to retask assets. This is normally in consultation with the intelligence officer and other staff sections. Retasking is assigning an information collection asset with a new task and purpose. It occurs—  Upon completion of the staff’s initial requirement.  On order, after the LTIOV and having not satisfied the original requirement. (Adjusting the LTIOV may be required.)  As planned to support a branch or sequel.  In response to a variance. TRANSITION TO THE NEXT OPERATION 4-30. A transition occurs when the commander decides to change focus from one type of military operation to another. Updating information collection tasking may result in a change of focus for several collection assets. As with any other unit, collection assets may require rest and refit—or lead time for employment— to transition from one mission or operation to another effectively. 4-8 FM 3-55 3 May 2013