Product 2 of 3

Decide: The Attack Guidance Matrix

You have decided what to attack. The second product says how each target will be attacked, and when.

Target	When	Effect	Preferred method
HPT X	Immediate As acquired Planned	Destroy Neutralize Suppress	OWA-UAS 105 mm howitzer battery 155 mm M109A2 battery

The last column is not one answer. It is these three assets written in the order we prefer them for that target.

When

The first column of the matrix says when a target is attacked. There are three answers:

Code	Meaning	What it does to the fight
I	Immediate	Preempts all other routine missions. The target is attacked as soon as it is positively identified, ahead of every as acquired target waiting, whatever its place on the HPTL.
A	As acquired	Engaged in HPTL order. When several targets are waiting, the one highest on the HPTL is engaged first, provided an asset is free and is not already committed to an immediate or a scheduled planned mission. Two targets of the same priority are engaged in the order they were acquired.
P	Planned	Scheduled. The target is attacked at a time we choose, as part of the scheme of fires. We choose the time so that the effect is present when the rest of the plan needs it.

Two questions decide which one a target gets:

Is the threat happening right now? If the target is killing the mission at this moment, it is Immediate.
If not — is the effect temporary, or would hitting it early reveal the plan? If either is true, it is Planned. Otherwise it is As acquired.

Task 1.4 — Set the timing

NOT DONE

Apply the two questions to each HPT.

1. Engineer obstacle team
Placing charges on the span at this moment. If they finish, the mission is over.

Commander agrees: this preempts every other mission. If the engineer team is not engaged immediately we risk losing the bridge.

Commander disagrees: if we wait, we risk losing the bridge. Fires on the engineer team take priority over anything else in the queue.

2. ATGM section
Dug in and going nowhere. Twelve hours of report life. Sits on the only high ground overlooking the crossing site.

Commander agrees: the section has been located and is unlikely to move, so we can schedule it. We will strike it in coordination with our movement, otherwise we risk the enemy sending another section that we have not located.

Commander disagrees: he worries that if we strike the ATGM section early, we risk the enemy sending another one before we clear the far side of the bridge.

3. 120 mm mortar platoon
Only findable while firing, and firing on our troops at the crossing. We must engage while we still have the tubes in sight.

Commander agrees: the mortars are an imminent danger to our soldiers at the crossing, and they can only be found while they fire, so they preempt every other mission. Waiting loses both the target and our soldiers.

Commander disagrees: the platoon moves after every mission, and it is firing on our soldiers now. Waiting in a queue means we never find the tubes again, and our soldiers stay under fire.

4. Battalion command post
Not located yet. Relocates every 24 hours. It is not stopping the crossing at this moment.

Commander agrees: the command post is not an imminent danger to our forces, and no friendly action waits on its destruction, so it does not warrant dropping a higher-priority task. We engage it in its turn on the HPTL, when an asset is free.

Commander disagrees: once we locate the command post we do not need to wait, as the enemy cannot easily regain this capability. No friendly action is contingent upon the command post being destroyed, and the commander would not risk it relocating while we wait.

Commander disagrees: the command post is mobile, and the enemy usually relocates it after 24 hours, but it is not an imminent danger to friendly forces, so it does not preempt our other missions.

What effect

The second column of the matrix says what the attack must do to the target. There are three answers. They are not three strengths of the same thing. Each one buys a different result, for a different length of time, at a different cost in ammunition.

Code	Meaning	What it does to the target	How long it lasts
S	Suppress	Limits what the target can do. The crews stay under cover and cannot fire accurately.	Only while our rounds are landing. It ends the moment we stop firing.
N	Neutralize	Disables the capability we care about and breaks the unit apart as a fighting team.	Temporary. The unit can recover if we give it time.
D	Destroy	Physical destruction of the target.	Permanent. The target must be replaced before it can work again.

Task 1.5 — Choose the effect

NOT DONE

Choose the desired effect for each HPT. Use the planning notes to guide you.

Priority / HPT	Planning notes	Effect
1. Engineer obstacle team	They are working on the bridge itself. The bridge must survive. Their primary function is to block or destroy it, and they must be stopped from completing it.
2. ATGM section	Dug in on high ground, looking straight down on the crossing. Commander's word: the ATGM team must not be able to affect our vehicles as they cross that chokepoint.
3. 120 mm mortar platoon	Deep behind the river, moves after each mission. The commander requires this enemy capability removed for the duration of the mission, about a day.
4. Battalion command post	4 km behind the river. Neutralize is enough to keep the defense from coordinating while we cross, and the commander's written requirement is only to “disrupt” his command and control. The commander has decided otherwise: if we are going to strike a command post, he wants it gone for good, not one staff officer missing and one radio replaced. He accepts what that costs in ammunition.

Preferred method of engagement

The last column of the matrix says what we will attack the target with. It is not one answer. It is a short list in the order we prefer it. The first choice is what we use when nothing prevents it. The second and third are there because the first will sometimes be firing another mission, out of range, or unable to fire where the target has appeared. The cell works down the list without going back to the commander.

What we have to attack with

	OWA-UAS	105 mm howitzer battery	155 mm M109A2 battery
Reach	About 1 km	Every target	Every target
Effect radius	5 m	30 m	50 m
Cratering	None	Yes	Heavy
Inside the RFA	May fire	May not fire	May not fire
We hold	10, single use	300 rounds	120 rounds
After it fires	Gone	20 min to displace	20 min to displace
The munition	Precision. One target.	Cheaper, easy to move	The expensive round

These figures are set for this scenario. They are not published doctrine.

There is no formula that produces the order for every target. It comes from what fires have to achieve against that particular target, and from what we can afford to spend doing it. The commander's fires guidance is therefore written for each high-payoff target, and it is given with the target below.

Task 1.6 — Choose the method

NOT DONE

Read the commander’s fires guidance above each target, then select the primary and alternate means of engagement. Whatever asset is left over is the tertiary means, so you do not have to record it. The engineer team is worked for you as an example. Check each target as you finish it, and the commander’s reasoning will appear beneath it.

Fires guidance. “Destruction of this target is vital to mission success. Do not risk missing. The target is likely on the road, and I would prefer less cratering for future friendly operations.”

Worked example — 1. Engineer obstacle team — Neutralize
A small team, unprotected, likely carrying explosives or mines.

PrimaryOWA-UAS

Alternate105 mm howitzer battery

Primary, OWA-UAS. I do not want to risk missing, since they are vital to friendly mission success. Likely a small team carrying explosives or mines.

Alternate, 105 mm howitzer battery. If I have to use indirect fire, I might as well use the cheapest and most abundant round, given the small and unprotected nature of the target.

Fires guidance. “We are targeting a small team with a missile. They may still be able to employ it under fire, especially if they are in a protected position.”

2. ATGM section — Suppress
A launcher crew in a prepared position.

Primary

Alternate

Primary, OWA-UAS. We are targeting a small team with a missile. They may still be able to employ it under fire, especially in a protected position.

Alternate, 105 mm howitzer battery. No reason not to use the cheaper and more abundant round, all things being equal.

Fires guidance. “This is an area target.”

3. 120 mm mortar platoon — Neutralize
Three tubes spread across a firing position.

Primary

Alternate

Primary, 105 mm howitzer battery. An area fire weapon against an area target. No reason not to use the cheaper munition.

Alternate, 155 mm M109A2 battery. Also an area fire weapon against an area target.

Fires guidance. “The enemy command post may be a single soft tent, or several tents and vehicles. I wish to minimize the risk of missing on the first salvo. If we do not meet the criteria on that first salvo, the enemy is likely to displace rapidly and we may lose the opportunity to attrite key communications equipment and radios.”

4. Battalion command post — Destroy
4 km behind the river. Not located yet, and it relocates every 24 hours.

Primary

Alternate

Primary, 155 mm M109A2 battery. I wish to minimize the risk of missing on the first salvo. The 155 covers a greater area.

Alternate, OWA-UAS. The drone buys precision and a guaranteed hit.

Attack guidance is not an exact science. The approved matrix may reflect the opinions of the commander.

The completed attack guidance matrix

This is the product you have just built. It goes to the fire support cell as part of the order, and it is read from left to right: what the target is, when it is attacked, what the attack must do, and what attacks it.

Priority / HPT	When	Effect	Primary	Alternate	Tertiary
1. Engineer obstacle team	Immediate	Neutralize	OWA-UAS	105 mm	155 mm
2. ATGM section	Planned	Suppress	OWA-UAS	105 mm	155 mm
3. 120 mm mortar platoon	Immediate	Neutralize	105 mm	155 mm	OWA-UAS
4. Battalion command post	As acquired	Destroy	155 mm	OWA-UAS	105 mm

105 mm is the 105 mm howitzer battery. 155 mm is the 155 mm M109A2 battery. OWA-UAS is the one-way attack UAS.

Finish all three tasks on this page and your completed attack guidance matrix will appear above.

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