TROOP LEADING PROCEDURES

REFERENCES FM 7-8 FM 25-101

AGENDA Decision making TLP eight steps Conclusion RECEIVE THE MISSION ISSUE THE WARNING ORDER MAKE A TENTATIVE PLAN START NECESSARY MOVEMENT RECONNOITER COMPLETE PLAN ISSUE THE COMPLETE PLAN SUPERVISE Conclusion

DECISION MAKING Army leaders usually follow one of two decision making processes. Leaders at company level and below follow the troop leading procedures (TLP). The TLP are designed to help solve tactical problems. Leaders at battalion-level and above use the military decision making process (MDMP). For further discussion on the MDMP see FM 101-5 (Staff Organizations and Operations). Both TLP and MDMP are established, proven methods of problem solving and decision making. They save time and achieve parallel decision making and planning.

TLP EIGHT STEPS RECEIVE THE MISSION ISSUE THE WARNING ORDER MAKE A TENTATIVE PLAN START NECESSARY MOVEMENT RECONNOITER COMPLETE PLAN ISSUE THE COMPLETE PLAN SUPERVISE

RECEIVE THE MISSION The leader must understand the order and most importantly the commander’s intent. Analyze the order to determine what tasks must be accomplished whether they are specified in the order or implied by the mission. Also determine what resources, including time, are available to prepare and execute the mission. Receive the mission to be completed from command, whether it be a new mission or a change to a mission in progress. Leader must analyze the mission based on the factors of the Mission, Enemy, Terrain, Troops available, and Time available (METT-T). For the factor of time, the leader should use less than 1/3 of the time to the beginning of the mission to plan and issue the order so that his subordinates have 2/3 of that time to prepare (1/3 - 2/3 Rule).

ISSUE THE WARNING ORDER Provide a brief order outlining upcoming events to prepare subordinates for movement. This order provides initial instructions to allow preparation to begin as soon as possible (i.e. draw ammunition, rations, water, supplies. etc.). The warning order has no specific format. The leader must let his subordinates know that they are about to receive an order based on the order received from higher. Tell the subordinates what the expected mission is and any implementing and planning instructions they need to begin their preparations. Include a timeline in the warning order that covers all critical events (including OPORD issue time) prior to mission execution.

MAKE A TENTATIVE PLAN The leader develops an estimate of the situation to form the basis of a tentative plan. The military decision making process involved uses five steps: mission analysis, situation / course of action development, analysis of possible courses of action, comparison of each course of action, and the decision or tentative plan. Based on information supplied in the order that was received and the leader’s analysis of that order along with the unit’s current situation using METT-T, the leader must first clearly determine his unit’s mission. The unit mission simply answers the five Ws: Who, What, Where, When, and Why. Then the leader determines the concept or How his unit will accomplish the mission.

START NECESSARY MOVEMENT The unit may need to start movement while leaders are still planning or reconnoitering. Therefore, a delegated leader may bring the unit forward at any point during the troop-leading procedure. If the mission requires movement or repositioning of any element, this movement should begin as early as possible to make best use of the time available.

RECONNOITER Reconnaissance at company-level and below is generally conducted either on the ground or on a map. The leader should include key personnel on his reconnaissance. He should focus his reconnaissance on primary unit positions, alternate locations, critical routes, and possible threat locations and routes. There is nothing more effective than actual “eyes-on” reconnaissance to confirm routes and time critical movements. Nevertheless, if there isn’t enough time, leaders must at least conduct a map reconnaissance.

COMPLETE THE PLAN Platoon leaders already have a good format in place. Make necessary changes to the plan and prepare order. Leaders should review the mission to ensure that their plan is in compliance with the commander's intent. Leaders organize the information needed for their order in a standard coherent form. This may be the format designated in the unit SOP or the standard five-paragraph operations order format below: 1.  Situation 2.  Mission 3.  Concept of the Operation 4.  Service Support 5. Command and Signal Platoon leaders already have a good format in place.

ISSUE THE COMPLETE ORDER Provide a five paragraph Operations Order (OPORD) outlining the mission and how it will be completed. Subordinates should know who, what, when, where, and why of the mission so they understand their own tasks and how they fit into the entire mission. Leaders issue their order either on the ground they plan on operating, which is preferred, or with a map of the area of operations. They make sure all key subordinates are present to receive the order. If the order is issued verbally, leaders must present it clearly and deliberately enough to allow key subordinates time to write the important points down. Once the order is issued, leaders should use brief-back techniques to make sure the subordinate leaders understand the tasks and priorities assigned to them.

SUPERVISE The most important step but often the most overlooked is supervision. This means closing the loop to insure your subordinates understand the mission and are prepared to execute the mission through the use of conduct Pre Combat Inspections (PCI). Soldiers and their first line leaders conduct Pre Combat Checks (PCC). Commanders and other leaders conduct PCIs to insure the mission is understood and subordinate elements are prepared to conduct the mission they’ve been assigned. Finally, leaders at all levels conduct rehearsals to give everyone involved a thorough understanding of their tasks, how these tasks meet the commanders intent, and how they fit into the overall concept of the operation. Rehearsals also allow the leader to identify and examine actions or tasks that may require more coordination or preparation prior to execution of the plan.

Conclusion Planning, Rehearsals, and Inspections: Sergeant’s Business? You Bet! There it is! The pre-combat triad of planning, rehearsing, and inspecting is Sergeant’s business at the platoon level. As an NCO, your parallel mission in life is to train your platoon leader for higher command. If you don’t offer the platoon leader the benefit of your experience and training, the platoon leader has to learn in a vacuum. This leaves the Platoon Leader alone – usually by this time mentally exhausted – to plan for the operation. In combat that error will cost lives, perhaps your own.