The Decisive Step: Incorporation of Deception Into Tactical Mission Planning.
Abstract
Planning and executing deliberate deception is critical to an Army unit's success on today's battlefield as well as the battlefield of the future, Informational Warfare makes the concept of obscuration or concealment of tactical operations extremely difficult, if not impossible. Military doctrine, both at the operational and tactical levels, discusses this dilemma, and outlines the necessity for deception in the planning process Yet, U.S. Army units seem to be lulled into a belief that future adversaries will not possess informational warfare technology, and thus conduct planning as if they are invincible to the detection of opposing forces. Of greater significance is the fact that the typical operations order at tactical level seldom mentions the role or intent of deception as a means to achieve a given endstate. Reasons for failure to consider deception are many, ranging from lack of training about deception to a belief that tactical units do not possess the assets needed to conduct such operations. As a result, deception becomes an after-thought, with commanders placing little emphasis on the planning or execution of such operations. In reality, deception should not be divorced from the base operation, but rather an integral part of the operations order and commander's intent that focuses efforts against that individual (often the OPFOR commander) that is most likely to be influenced by the gamut of deception techniques. Deception provides the enemy a picture of what you want him to see, lulling him into a false sense of security or advantage. This "big lie" may lead the OPFOR to take a desired course of action, intimidate him in commitment of a chosen action, or contuse him, causing a delay in a decision. Thus, deception should be an integral part of the operations order, driven by commanders in their initial guidance to the staff The deception mission statem
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 18, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA339423
Entities
People
- Michael A. Scully
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College