Sequencing the Flow of Deploying Forces: The Operational Risk in an Expeditionary Environment
Abstract
Combat operations require highly responsive and agile forces with capabilities tailored to meet the needs of a JFC. These capabilities must be ready at the right place at the right time to meet operational objectives. They must be delivered with maximum efficiency in the smallest footprint with the least amount of tail to preserve limited resources. To ensure this priorities are established and risk is incurred in the development of a sequence for arriving combat and support forces. During a crisis response, planners must make extremely quick assessments and assumptions concerning operating locations, local conditions, and required support functions to develop proposed courses of action for the Commander. These assumptions and the subsequent sequence of deployment by functions incur operational risk to forces, deployment efficiency, and the eventual effectiveness of a selected course of action. Operational planners must have a comprehensive picture of the operational area and a high degree of functional expertise in order to accurately assess the risk of sequencing combat forces in relation to combat support elements. Combat support functions enable combat power. Deploying tooth at the expense of tail risks degradation of total combat power and an increase of deployment inefficiency.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 04, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA402220
Entities
People
- Lucian L. Niemeyer
Organizations
- Naval War College