Reconnaissance and Surveillance Principles

Now that we have defined the terms, let us discuss the two principles of R&S. They are:

• Tell commanders what they need to know in time for them to act.
• Do as much as possible ahead of time.

Tell Commanders What They Need to Know in Time for Them to Act

This principle is of paramount importance. You must develop the R&S plan so that it directly addresses what the commander wants to know. In essence, the R&S effort (as with the intelligence effort in general) is commander-oriented and commander-directed. Therefore, you cannot develop a successful R&S plan until you know exactly what the commander needs to know.

The commander’s questions which positively must be answered in order to accomplish the mission are PIR. They are the start point for the R&S plan. The clearer and more precise the commander’s PIR, the better you will be able to develop the R&S plan to answer them.

How do PIR come about? As part of the mission analysis process, you and your commander study the mission given to you by higher headquarters. You develop specified, implied, and essential tasks. As you do this, you should also be able to identify gaps in your understanding of the battlefield situation.

The following are examples of possible gaps:

• Which avenue of approach (AA) will the enemy use, and when?
• Which fixed-and rotary-wing air AAs will the enemy use?
• How will the enemy deploy in their attack?
• Where will the enemy commit their second echelon forces?
• What are the enemy reconnaissance forces, tactics, and capabilities?
• Where is the enemy main supply route (MSR)?
• Under what circumstances will the enemy use NBC weapons? How will they be employed?
• What are the enemy subsequent and fallback positions, and routes from their main defensive positions to the fallback positions?
• In what strength will the enemy counterattack, and where are the armor counterattack forces?
• Where are the enemy observation posts (OPs) and listening posts (LPs)?
• Where are the enemy antitank (AT) helicopters?
• Where are the enemy TOCs and tactical command posts, relays, and communications sites?
• Where are the enemy logistic and support areas?
• What effects of weather provide a key advantage or disadvantage to you or the enemy?
• Where are the enemy obstacles and fire sacks?
• Where are the enemy main defensive positions?
• Where and when will the enemy counterattack, and how will they counterattack?
• Where are the enemy AT weapons?
• Where is the enemy artillery?

Essentially, you and your commander try to zero in on exactly what will determine the outcome of the battle. Many times, the commander will tell you what is of the most concern. It is the responsibility of the commander to state PIR. However, the S2 and the S3 can assist in this process by presenting their own analyses of the mission.

Remember, PIR drive your R&S efforts so it is critical that you understand just exactly what your commander needs to know in order to fight.

Try to keep the commander’s PIR as specific as possible. The more general the question, the harder it is to answer. Instead of asking, “With what force will the 34th Motorized Rifle Regiment attack?”, try to discern exactly what it is your commander is looking for. If the commander wants to know how the 34th will initially deploy, it is better to ask, “Will the 34th attack in column, with two battalions leading, or with three battalions on line?”

Similarly, is the commander concerned with finding the enemy’s main defensive area, or is he really worried about locating company and platoon positions within the main defensive area? How you phrase the PIR has a direct bearing on how you answer those PIR.

To better focus R&S efforts, keep PIR down to a manageable number. Normally, you will only be able to concentrate on three or four at any one time. Of course, the mission and the commander’s needs may sometimes dictate more. Having a large number of priorities defeats the purpose of having PIR in the first place.

Other questions the commander may have regarding the enemy, weather, and terrain of a lesser priority than PIR are called IR. Examples of IR are:

• Where or what is the enemy’s immediate objective?
• Will the enemy employ smoke?
• Where are the usable river fording points?

Answers to these questions may not be critical to the immediate success of the mission, but they will certainly help provide answers to those critical questions. Keep in mind that IR may at some point become PIR, and vice versa, depending on the situation.

Once developed, PIR should be disseminated to subordinate, adjacent, and higher units. In this way, you inform everyone of the questions you need answered. Remember, although you may not be able to answer a specific PIR at your level, our higher headquarters may be able to. Disseminating your PIR also tells everyone what you are most interested in.

Use the intelligence annex and intelligence summaries to disseminate PIR. Your PIR and IR also determine your request for intelligence information (RII). The RII is the best way to let your higher headquarters know your information needs. Your higher headquarters does not always know what specific information you may need.

Your commanders PIR give you a direction in which to start your R&S planning. Subsequently, most of your time will be spent doing detailed planning and analysis, all focused on answering those PIR. Essentially, you will study the effects of enemy, weather, and terrain on the battlefield and the mission.

The best way to study the enemy, weather, and terrain is through the IPB process. IPB:

• Enables you to focus analytical efforts on a specific part of the battlefield.
• Gives you a way to systematically examine the terrain and weather effects on enemy and friendly actions.
• Helps you determine the effects on R&S activities.
• Gives you an in-depth view of how the enemy fight, how they reconnoiter, and where they may be most vulnerable.

Most importantly, IPB gives you a way to synchronize your R&S plan with the general battle plan. Figure 2-1 illustrates the commander’s decision-making process (supported by IPB). If it is done right, IPB is people-intensive and time-consuming. This brings us to a second principle of R&S.

Do as Much as Possible Ahead of Time

The first four functions of the IPB process are homework functions. That means you build a database on terrain and weather conditions and enemy order of battle (OB) before hostilities. For example, your

Figure 2-1. Commander’s decision-making process (supported by IPB).

unit has received a new contingency mission for some part of the world. Given this mission, begin collecting information on terrain features and conditions for the area your unit is responsible for. You might get this information from existing maps, area studies, or special engineer products. Then build a database on the people, customs, culture, and other demographics of the region.

Also, collect information on historic weather patterns and conditions for your area. Develop a database that includes how the weather influences the terrain and the people of that region.

Finally, learn as much as you can about the potential threat in that region. Depending on how much time you had and how much information were available, you would:

• Find out individual unit identifications, unit organization, and garrison locations.
• Determine the status of unit training and overall combat readiness.
• Study threat tactics, both doctrinally and historically.
• Build a database containing all this information.
• Update your database as more recent information becomes available. (Don’t forget to ask higher headquarters for database information already obtained.)