Chapter 2: Command and Control (TC 7-100.2)

This chapter focuses on tactical command and control (C2). It explains how the OPFOR expects to direct the forces and actions described in other chapters of this TC. Most important, it shows how OPFOR commanders and staffs think and work. In modern war, the overriding need for speedy decisions to seize fleeting opportunities drastically reduces the time available for decisionmaking and for issuing and implementing orders. Moreover, the tactical situation is subject to sudden and radical changes, and the results of combat are more likely to be decisive than in the past. OPFOR C2 participants, processes, and systems are designed to operate effectively and efficiently in this environment.

Concept and Principles

The OPFOR defines command and control as the actions of commanders, command groups, and staffs of military headquarters to maintain continual combat readiness and combat efficiency of forces, to plan and prepare for combat operations, and to provide leadership and direction during the execution of assigned missions. It views the C2 process as the means for assuring both command (establishing the aim) and control (sustaining the aim). The OPFOR’s tactical C2 concept is based on the following key principles:

MIssion Tactics

OPFOR tactical units focus on the purpose of their tactical missions. They continue to act on that purpose even when the details of an original plan have become irrelevant through enemy action or unforeseen events.

Flexibility Through Battle Drill

True flexibility comes from soldiers in tactical units understanding basic battlefield functions to such a degree that they are second nature. Battle drills are not viewed as a restrictive methodology. Only when common battlefield functions can be performed rapidly without further guidance or orders do tactical commanders achieve the flexibility to modify the plan on the move.

Accounting for Mission Dynamics

The OPFOR recognizes that enemy action and battlefield conditions may make the originally selected mission irrelevant and require an entirely new mission be acted upon without an intermediate planning session. An example would be an OPFOR fixing force that finds itself the target of an enemy fixing action. To continue solely as a fixing force would actually assist the enemy in achieving his mission. In this case, the OPFOR unit might choose to change its task organization on the move and allocate a part of the fixing force to the exploitation force and use a smaller amount of combat power to keep the enemy fixing force from being able to influence the fight. OPFOR tactical headquarters constantly evaluate the situation to determine if the mission being executed is still relevant and, if not, to advise the commander on how best to shift to a relevant course of action. Each situation requires the commander at each level of command to act flexibly, exercising his judgment as to what best meets and sustains the aim of his superior.

Command and Support Relationships

OPFOR units are organized using four command and support relationships, summarized in table 2-1 and described in the following paragraphs. These relationships may shift during the course of an operation in order to best align the force with the tasks required. The general category of subordinate units includes both constituent and dedicated relationships; it can also include interagency and multinational (allied) subordinates.

Table 2.1. Command and support relationships

Relationship	Commanded by	Logistics from	Positioned by	Priorities from
Constituent	Gaining	Gaining	Gaining	Gaining
Dedicated	Gaining	Parent	Gaining	Gaining
Supporting	Parent	Parent	Supported	Supported
Affiliated	Self	Self or "Parent"	Self	Mutual Agreement