Now that you have evaluated reporting, assume that you have been able to answer your commander’s first PIR. The next logical step is for you to focus your R&S effort on answering the commander’s second highest PIR, then the third, fourth, and so on. Realistically, your R&S plan will probably address more than one PIR simultaneously. The point for you to remember is that R&S does not stop. Once you have satisfied a requirement, shift your attention to the next highest priority.
Many times you may have answered a PIR out of sequence. For example, you may be able to answer PIR 2 and 3 although you still have not been able to collect enough information to answer PIR 1. Or you may find the battlefield situation has changed so drastically your PIR 1 is no longer a valid concern.
These cases prove you must continually reevaluate the Priority of your commander’s PIR. If you have answered PIR 2 and 3, does PIR 4 become your second priority? If PIR 1 is no longer a valid concern, does PIR 2 become your top priority? You must support your commander. Knowing and understanding your commander’s intent will help you reevaluate priorities and anticipate possible changes, as will a solid relationship with your commander and S3.
One useful technique that will aid you in managing PIR priorities is to “time phase” your commander’s PIR based on how you anticipate events on the battlefield. Essentially, you tie each PIR to a phase in the battle through use of the DST.
Normally, each PIR has a time relative to a point in the battle when answering it will be important, and another time when the PIR will no longer be a valid concern. For example, let us suppose your unit’s mission is to attack. Initially, the most important thing your commander might need to know is the location of enemy reconnaissance and security zone units.
However, after a certain point in the attack (after you have penetrated the security zone), this question becomes meaningless. Now, the most important thing might be to locate the enemy’s main defensive area. Once you have consolidated on the objective, the most important thing might be locating any possible enemy counterattack. Therefore, before the attack, your commander’s PIR might look like this:
Once you have reached your intermediate objective, you might change your commander’s PIR priorities to look like this:
In fact, you might delete PIR 3 altogether. Later, as you consolidate on your subsequent objective, you may reprioritize like this:
Since PIR relate to events on the battlefield, you can anticipate them by war gaming; and enter these changes onto the intelligence BOS of your unit’s DST. Figure 7-2 shows the process of time phasing PIR.