In general, campaign projects have to be adjusted to conditions (time, weather), the number of the enemy. …The more one foresees obstacles to his plans, the less one will find of them later in the execution. In a word, everything must be foreseen; find the problems and resolve them.
Frederick the Great
2-56. Command and control is the exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission (JP 1). Commanders exercise their authority and direction through the command and control warfighting function —the related tasks and a system that enable commanders to synchronize and converge all elements of combat power (ADP 3-0). The command and control tasks are—
Command forces.
Control operations.
Drive the operations process.
Establish the command and control system.
2-57. The command and control system is the arrangement of people, processes, networks, and command posts that enable commanders to conduct operations (ADP 6-0). The command and control system supports the commander’s decision making, disseminates the commander’s decisions to subordinates, and facilitates controlling forces. Commanders employ their command and control system to enable th e people and formations conducting operations to work towards a common purpose. (See ADP 6-0 for a detailed description of the command and control tasks and the command and control system.)
2-58. Mission command and its principles guide commanders and staffs in the exercise of command and control. Mission command is the Army’s approach to command and control that empowers subordinate decision making and decentralized execution appropriate to the situation (ADP 6-0). Mission command requires an environment of trust and shared understanding among commanders, staffs, and subordinates. It requires building effective teams and a command climate in which commanders encourage subordinates to accept risk and exercise initiative to seize opportunities and counter threats within the commander’s intent. Through mission orders (what to do, not how to do it), commanders focus leaders on the purpose of the operation rather
than on the details of how to perform assigned tasks. Doing this minimizes detailed control and allows subordinates the greatest possible freedom of action to accomplish tasks. Finally, when delegating au thority to subordinates, commanders set the necessary conditions for success by allocating appropriate resources to subordinates based on assigned tasks. (See ADP 6-0 for a detailed description of the mission command approach and its principles.)
2-59. Similar to the leadership levels (direct, organizational, and strategic) d escribed in paragraph 2-47, the exercise of command and control varies by echelon. Higher echelons ge nerally have longer planning timelines and often must anticipate and make decisions concerning operations well in advance of execution.
The scale and scope of authority and direction required is also significantly different among echelons.
Delegating authority and empowering subordinate commanders and leaders to accomplish tasks and mission s is essential at higher echelons.
2-60. The tasks and subtasks associated with command and control are numerous , ranging from planning operations to establishing communications networks. In addition to developing an operational approach, two related command and control tasks set the framework for echelons above brigade operations . They are—
Organize the force.
Establish an operational framework.
O
RGANIZING THEF
ORCE2-61. Organizing the force, including establishing command and support relationships, is essential for establishing unity of effort. How commanders organize their force affects how they generate and apply combat power. Commanders organize their force through two methods, each of which considers the appropriateness of means at echelon based upon the operational and mission variables. The methods of organizing the force are—
Force tailoring.
Task-organizing.
Force Tailoring
2-62. Force tailoring is the process of determining the right mix of forces and the sequence of their deployment in support of a joint force commander (ADP 3-0). Force tailoring combines two complementary requirements—selecting the right forces and deploying the forces in the optimal sequence. The first—
selecting the right force—involves identifying, selecting, and sourcing required Army capabilities and establishing their initial task organization to accomplish the mission. The result is an Army force package matched to the needs of the combatant commander. The second requirement of force tailoring establishes order of deployment for the force package, given the available lift and the combatant commander’s priorities.
Principles of Mission Command
Tailoring the force is a complicated and intensely managed Army -wide process, and the theater army plays a critical role in it.
2-63. Most Army conventional operating forces are designated as “Service Retained” forces in the Global Force Management Implementation Guidance assignment tables and are primarily based in the continental United States. United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), the largest of the Army commands, commands Active Component conventional forces (Regular Army, mobilized Army National Guard, and mobilized Army Reserve), executes training and readiness oversight of Army Na tional Guard forces under state command, and it does the same for non-mobilized Army Reserve units.
2-64. Based upon requirements developed by the theater armies and validated by the combatant commander and the joint staff, the Department of the Army and FORSCOM develop force packages for deployment and employment into an AOR. This includes forces for contingencies and forces needed to support security cooperation activities. A tailored force package is task-organized by FORSCOM to facilitate strategic deployment and support the gaining JFC’s operational requirements. FORSCOM is not the sole provider of Army forces; other supporting ASCCs may contribute forces as directed by the Secretary of Defense. The result is a set of trained and ready Army forces intended either for contingencies or for planned deployments, such as a rotation of forward-based forces.
2-65. The theater army recommends the optimum deployment sequence for Army forces to the GCC’s staff.
The GCC’s staff may modify this recommendation in coordination with FORSCOM and United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) based upon factors such as available lift, location , and readiness of deploying forces, and surface transportation requirements. The theater army adjusts support provided by theater assets to match the requirements of the joint and Army forces on the ground. Figure 2-6 shows an example of force tailoring.
Figure 2-6. Force tailoring
Task-Organizing
2-66. Task -organizing is the act of designing a force, support staff, or sustainment package of specific size and composition to meet a unique task or mission (ADP 3-0). It includes providing forces to subordinate commanders and establishing their command and support relations hips. This occurs in tailored force packages as commanders organize subordinate units for specific missions and employ doctrinal command and support relationships. As task-organizing continues, commanders reorganize units for subsequent missions. The ability of Army forces to rapidly task-organize gives them extraordinary agility. It lets commanders configure their units to best use available resources. It also allows Army forces to match unit capabilities to tasks. The ability of sustainment forces to tailor and task-organize ensures commanders have freedom of action to change with mission requirements.