Describe Target Vetting and Validation
Vetting assesses the accuracy of the supporting intelligence to establish a reasonable level of confidence in a target’s functional characterization
Validation ensures all vetted targets meet the objectives and criteria outlined in the commander’s guidance, and ensures compliance with the law of war (LOW) and rules of engagement (ROE)
Both are a key part of target development. Both reduce risk in identification of inappropriate/illegitimate targets.
Define and describe the purpose of BDA
BDA: the estimate of target damage or effect which is based on physical damage assessment, change assessment, functional damage assessment, and target system assessment, resulting from the application of lethal and nonlethal capabilities.
BDA is conducted post operations to evaluate the effects of the actions conducted on the target. It facilitates advising the CDR on the Measures of Effectiveness and the Measures of Performance.
Define and describe CDE. Why is it important at all levels?
CDE: unintended or incidental damage to persons or objects which are not lawful targets
Conducted before operations to prepare the CDR for all possible effects of potential COAs. This allows the CDR to plan for potential outcomes, prepare an Information Operation to mitigate effects, or plan alternative COAs.
Importance at varying levels:
- ODA: it allows the CDR to generate IO.
- Higher: allows for CDRs to predict effects of large signature strikes to predict blast radius and related damage.
- President: helps to determine if actioning a target is worth the predicted outcomes.
What are the responsibilities of the SOLE?
- Provide JSOTF/ARSOF combat plan to JFACC/JAOC.
- Coordinate JSOTF/ARSOF requests for air support.
- Synchronizes maneuver and fires by exchanging operational and intelligence data.
- De-conflict airspace requirements
- Integrate ADA with defensive counter-air
- Provide feedback on the air war to JSOTF
What are the roles of the SOLE?
- Critical to integrating the JSOTF/ARSOF commander’s targeting needs with the Joint Force
- ARSOFs LNO to the JFACC
- Located at Air Ops Center (AOC)
- Not a decision maker!
What are the positive effects of targeting management?
Offensive Operations
- Applies constant pressure on the Adversary Operational Cycle
- Neutralizes when necessary in order to achieve mid to long term affects
Precision Targeting
- Develops an adaptive offensive strategy that is effects based and applies operational patience for higher gains
- Minimizes collateral disruption among the populace and creates IO opportunities
- Demonstrates an offensive presence that demoralizes the enemy and discourages potential recruits
Other
- Identifies intelligence gaps
- Prioritizes and synergizes operational effort
**Long term implication: Allows forces to Identify, Target, and Destroy cells and networks.
What are the Army Targeting Guidelines?
- Focused on achieving the commander’s objectives.
- Fully developed TVA (Target Value Analysis)
- Collection Management that is developed in conjunction with friendly COA
- Creates specific desired effects through lethal and nonlethal actions. Effects Based
- Target Taxonomy
- CDE
- Incorporate IO planner into COADEV
- Targeting is a command function that requires the participation of many disciplines. Interdisciplinary
- Facilitated through FUSION meetings
- Fully understanding of available assets
- Fully developed collection management
- Targeting seeks to achieve effects through lethal and nonlethal actions in a systematic manner.
- Fully Developed TVA
- Fully developed Collection Management to include cueing, redundancy, mix and integration.
- Prioritized HPTL
- Targeting directs lethal and nonlethal actions to create desired effects.
- Synchronization of all available assets
- Facilitated through FUSION meetings
HPTs detected
Define TVA. What are the steps?
The Target Value Analysis process identifies potential HVT sets associated with critical enemy functions that could interfere with the friendly COA or that are key to enemy success.
- ID threat(s)
- Analyze the threat(s) – ID critical:
- Capabilities (CCs)
- Requirements (CRs)
- Vulnerable (CVs) - ID High Value Targets (HVTs) & develop the HVTL (1st CARVER)
- Conduct a detailed analysis of the friendly COA (COA Analysis)
- Analyze the HVTL & ID High Payoff Targets (HPTs)
- Develop HPT List (2nd CARVER)
Compare and contrast COG and TGT Taxonomy
COG analysis and TGT Taxonomy are alike in that they both break down the target down to its lowest component, CV for COG and Critical Element for TGT Taxonomy.Both produce HVTs during threat analysis.
They are different in that COG analysis is best used for conceptual targets/threats and TGT taxonomy is best used for Physical targets/threats.
What is TGT Taxonomy?
Establishes terms of reference to effectively deconstruct an adversary into its understandable (smallest) parts.
A TTTT C
- Adversary
- Target System
- Target System Component
- Target
- Target element/Critical Element
- Critical Damage Point
List and describe steps 1-3 of the Joint Targeting Cycle.
- End State and CDR’s Objectives
- Determines desired/undesired effects
- Sets targeting priorities
- Specifies damage criteria
- Sets collection requirements
- Establishes restrictions - Target Development and Prioritization
- Entails systematic evaluation of potential target systems (TSA)
- Entity-level target development
- Vetting and validation
- Target list management, starting with the CTL and moving to the RTL, NSL, and JTL>NTL>JIPTL - Capabilities Analysis
- Target Vulnerability Analysis: Produces CVs
- Capabilities Assignment: Produces Asset Target Interactions (ATI)
- Feasibility Assessment: Evaluates feasibility of ATIs
- Effects estimate: 1st-3rd order effects of feasible ATIs
List and describe steps 4-6 of the Joint Targeting Cycle.
- CDR’s Decision and Force Assignment: Integrates previous phases of JTC and fuses capabilities analysis with available forces, sensors, and weapons systems
- Consolidate Target Development and Capabilities Analysis Results
- Assemble Data on Friendly Force Status
- Assign Forces to Specific Targets and Supporting Missions
- Present Joint Targeting Recommendations to the JFC for Approval
- Issue Tasking Orders to Forces - Mission Planning and Force Execution: Performed at operational and tactical levels
- JFC’s staff maintains awareness of ongoing operations
- Component staffs conduct Mission Command and monitor execution
- Tasked units perform detailed mission planning and conduct their assigned missions
- Target Engagement Authority (TEA) is assigned to direct fires against approved targets. CDE level will dictate the appropriate TEA. - Assessment
MOP/MOEs allow CDRs to adjust operations to ensure objectives are met and end state is achieved. Includes BDA, Munitions effectiveness assessment, and, Re-attack recommendation
What are MOPs and MOEs? Give an example.
Measure of Performance:
- “Are we doing things right?”
- Measures task completion
- “What” in the mission statement
Measure of effectiveness:
- “Are we doing the right things?”
- Measures meeting intended purpose
- “Why” in the Mission Statement
Example: Dropping a bomb on an IED maker IOT disrupt IED attacks in a AO. MOP would use criteria for BDA and CDE to assess the success of the strike. MOE would use criteria to assess the reduction of IED attacks over time.
Define Deliberate Targets and list two types.
Targets known to exist in the operational environment, upon which actions are planned using deliberate targeting, creating effects which support commander’s objectives.
Scheduled targets are prosecuted at a specific time.
On-call targets are planned and initiated with a trigger, not at a specific time
What is a JTL?
A Joint Target List is a consolidated list of selected targets, upon which there are no restrictions placed, considered to have military significance in the joint force commander’s operational area
List and describe the Army Targeting Cycle
- Decide
- Provides the overall focus and sets priorities for intelligence collection and attack planning.
- Draws heavily on a detailed IPB and continuous assessment of the situation.
- Targeting priorities must be addressed for each phase or critical event of an operation. - Detect
- Determines accurate, identifiable, and timely requirements for collection systems
- Focus on HPTs and priority intelligence requirements (PIRs) - Deliver:
- Executes the target guidance and supports the commander’s battle plan once the HPTs have been located and Identified. - Assess
- Determination of the effectiveness of force employment during military operations.
Compare and contrast D3A and F3EAD.
D3A and F3EA are alike in that they both are an iterative and systematic targeting tool that share the same principles/guidelines.
They differ in that
- D3A is top down driven and F3EA is bottom up driven.
- The main effort of D3A is the Decide step and F3EAs main effort is the Exploit step.
- D3A is a excellent targeting planning tool but lacks agility while F3EA is more agile but lacks depth.
- D3A is a tool best used on conventional targets while F3EA is best used to on insurgent networks.
What is COG analysis?
Determines a source of power that provides moral or physical strength, freedom of action, or will to act. ID’s enemy’s Critical Vulnerabilities (CVs) for exploitation.
Steps:
1. Identify the end state
2. Define the primary Critical Capabilities (CC)
- Essential to objective accomplishment
- Usually a function expressed with a verb
- TGT Taxonomy: Target system components
3. Identify the COG.
- “Who possess the means to execute the primary CC that achieves the ES?”
4. Identify the Critical Requirements
- “What are the requirements for the COG to execute the CC?
- CRs may be internal or external
- TGT Taxonomy: Targets
5. Identify critical vulnerabilities (CV).
- “What CR, or components of a CR, are deficient or vulnerable to neutralization or defeat?”
- CVs may be internal (systemic weaknesses) or external (reliance on an external entity/condition)
- TGT Taxonomy: Critical Elements
Steps of F3EAD
- Find: Process of Establishing a start point for Intel collection
- Fix: There is enough information on the target that it can be executed
- Finish: Target isolated and engaged with lethal or non-lethal actions.
- Exploit: Process of examining, analyzing, interrogating, and processing captured enemy personnel, equipment, and materiel for intelligence purposes. Four goals, force protection, targeting, component and material sourcing, and prosecution
- Analyze: Information gained in the find, fix, finish, and exploit phases turns into intelligence which can be used to drive operations
- Disseminate: Spreading information/knowledge gathered resulting exploitation and analysis.
HVT vs HPT
HVT: A target the enemy commander requires for the successful completion of his mission.
HPT: A target whose loss to the enemy will significantly contribute to the success of the friendly course of action.
Define Targeting
The process of selecting and prioritizing targets and matching the appropriate response to them, considering operational requirements and capabilities.
The process of fusing ops and intel.
What is the challenge of targeting and how do you overcome it?
Sifting through massive amounts of intel, examining the adversary from a macro level, and characterizing vulnerabilities with enough detail to derive meaning.
Overcome it:
-Conduct IPB
-Strict adherence to various processes like TVA, COG Analysis, CARVER
-PIRs must be tied to a decision point
-(Fusion) S2 & S3 must coordinate the collection effort and targeting effort
-Update the collection plan, strict management of assets and disseminate information
Define Dynamic Targets and list two types
Targets identified too late, or not selected, for action in time to be included in deliberate targeting but when detected meet criteria specific to achieving objectives. When plans change and planned targets must be adjusted, DT can also manage those changes.
Unplanned and unanticipated
Define Target Development
Systematic examination of potential target systems to determine the necessary type and duration of action to achieve the desired results.
