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

Constituent

Constituent units are those forces assigned directly to a unit and forming an integral part of it. They may be organic to the table of organization and equipment (TOE) of the administrative force structure forming the basis of a given unit, assigned at the time the unit was created, or attached to it after its formation.

Dedicated

Dedicated is a command relationship identical to constituent with the exception that a dedicated unit still receives logistics support from a parent headquarters of similar type. An example of a dedicated unit would be the case where a specialized unit, such as an attack helicopter company, is allocated to a brigade tactical group (BTG). The base brigade does not possess the technical experts or repair facilities for the aviation unit’s equipment. However, the dedicated relationship permits the company to execute missions exclusively for the BTG while still receiving its logistics support from its parent organization. In OPFOR plans and orders, the dedicated command and support relationship is indicated by (DED) next to a unit title or symbol.

Supporting

Supporting units continue to be commanded by and receive their logistics from their parent headquarters, but are positioned and given mission priorities by their supported headquarters. This relationship permits supported units the freedom to establish priorities and position supporting units while allowing higher headquarters to rapidly shift support in dynamic situations. An example of a supporting unit would be a multiple rocket launcher battalion supporting a BTG for a particular phase of an operation but ready to rapidly transition to a different support relationship when the BTG becomes the division tactical group (DTG) reserve in a later phase. The supporting unit does not necessarily have to be within the supported unit’s area of responsibility (AOR). In OPFOR plans and orders, the supporting command and support relationship is indicated by (SPT) next to a unit title or symbol.

Affiliated

Affiliated organizations are those operating in a unit’s AOR that the unit may be able to sufficiently influence to act in concert with it for a limited time. No “command relationship” exists between an affiliated organization and the unit in whose AOR it operates. Affiliated organizations are typically nonmilitary or paramilitary groups such as criminal cartels or insurgent organizations. In some cases, affiliated forces may receive support from the DTG or BTG as part of the agreement under which they cooperate. Although there will typically be no formal indication of this relationship in OPFOR plans and orders, in rare cases (AFL) is used next to unit titles or symbols.

Note. In organization charts, the affiliated status is reflected by a dashed (rather than solid) line connecting the affiliated force to the unit with which it is affiliated (see the examples in figures 2-1 and 2-2). This is not to be confused with dashed boxes, which indicate additional units that may or may not be present.

Tactical-Level Organizations

OPFOR tactical organizations fight battles and engagements. They execute the combat actions described in the remainder of this TC.

In the OPFOR’s administrative force structure (AFS), the largest tactical-level organizations are divisions and brigades. In peacetime, they are often subordinate to a larger, operational-level administrative command. However, a service of the Armed Forces might also maintain some separate single-service tactical-level commands (divisions, brigades, or battalions) directly under the control of their service headquarters. (See FM 7-100.4.) For example, major tactical-level commands of the Air Force, Navy, Strategic Forces, and the Special-Purpose Forces (SPF) Command often remain under the direct control of their respective service component headquarters. The Army component headquarters may retain centralized control of certain elite elements of the ground forces, including airborne units and Army SPF. This permits flexibility in the employment of these relatively scarce assets in response to national- level requirements.

For these tactical-level organizations (division and below), the organizational directories of FM 7-100.4 contain standard “TOE” structures of the AFS. However, these administrative groupings normally differ from the OPFOR’s go-to-war (fighting) force structure. (See FM 7-100.4 on task- organizing.)

Divisions

In the OPFOR’s AFS, the largest tactical formation is the division. Divisions are designed to be able to⎯

Serve as the basis for forming a DTG, if necessary. (See discussion of Tactical Groups, below.)
With or without becoming a DTG, fight as part of an operational-strategic command (OSC) or an organization from the AFS (such as army or military region) or as a separate unit in a field group (FG).
Sustain independent combat operations over a period of several days.
Integrate interagency forces up to brigade or group size.
Execute all of the actions discussed in this TC

Integrated Fires Command

The integrated fires command (IFC) is a combination of a standing C2 structure and task- organizing of constituent and dedicated fire support units. Division or DTG and above have IFCs. Brigades, BTGs, and below do not. All division-level and above OPFOR organizations possess an IFC C2 structure-staff, command post (CP), communications and intelligence architecture, and automated fire control system. The IFC exercises C2 of all constituent and dedicated fire support assets retained by its level of command. This includes army aviation, artillery, and missile units. It also exercises C2 over all reconnaissance, intelligence, surveillance, and target acquisition (RISTA) assets allocated to it. (See chapter 9 for more detail on the IFC.)

Note. Based on mission requirements, the division or DTG (or above) commander may also place maneuver forces under the command of the IFC commander. One possibility would be for the IFC CP to command the disruption force, the exploitation force, or any other functional force whose actions must be closely coordinated with fires delivered by the IFC.

Integrated Support Command

The integrated support command (ISC) is the aggregate of combat service support units (and perhaps some combat support units) organic to a division and additional assets allocated from the AFS to a DTG. It contains such units that the division or DTG does not suballocate to lower levels of command in a constituent or dedicated relationship. The division or DTG further allocates part of its ISC units as an integrated support group (ISG) to support its IFC, and the remainder supports the rest of the division or DTG, as a second ISG.

For organizational efficiency, combat service support units may be grouped in this ISC and its ISGs, although they may support only one of the major units of the division or DTG or its IFC. Sometimes, an ISC or ISG might also include units performing combat support tasks (such as chemical warfare, engineer, or law enforcement) that support the division or DTG and its IFC. (See chapter 14 for more detail on the ISC and ISG.)

Maneuver Brigades

The OPFOR’s basic combined arms unit is the maneuver brigade. In the AFS, maneuver brigades are typically constituent to divisions, in which case the OPFOR refers to them as divisional brigades. However, some are organized as separate brigades, designed to have greater ability to accomplish independent missions without further allocation of forces from higher-level tactical headquarters. In OPFOR plans and orders, the status of separate brigades may be indicated by (Sep) next to a unit title or symbol. Similarly, a brigade that is part of a division may be marked as (Div) in order to distinguish it from a separate brigade.

Maneuver brigades are designed to be able to⎯

Serve as the basis for forming a BTG, if necessary.
Fight as part of a division or DTG.
Fight as a separate unit in an OSC, an organization from the AFS (such as army, corps, or military district), or an FG.
Sustain independent combat operations over a period of 1 to 3 days.
Integrate interagency forces up to battalion size.
Execute all of the actions discussed in this TC.

Tactical Groups

A tactical group is a task-organized division or brigade that has received an allocation of additional land forces in order to accomplish its mission. These additional forces may come from within the Ministry of Defense, from the Ministry of the Interior, or from affiliated forces. Typically, these assets are initially allocated to an OSC or FG, which further allocates them to its tactical subordinates. The purpose of a tactical group is to ensure unity of command for all land forces in a given AOR. Tactical groups formed from divisions are division tactical groups (DTGs) and those from brigades are brigade tactical groups (BTGs). A DTG may fight as part of an OSC or as a separate unit in an FG. A BTG may fight as part of a division or DTG or as a separate unit in an OSC or FG. Figures 2-1 and 2-2 give examples of the types of units that could comprise possible DTG and BTG organizations.

In addition to augmentation received from a higher command, a DTG or BTG normally retains the assets that were originally subordinate to the division or brigade that served as the basis for the tactical group. However, it is also possible that the higher command could use units from one division or brigade as part of a tactical group that is based on another division or brigade.

Note. Any division or brigade receiving additional assets from a higher command becomes a DTG or BTG.

The division that serves as the basis for a DTG may have some of its brigades task-organized as BTGs. However, just the fact that a division becomes a DTG does not necessarily mean that it forms BTGs. A DTG could augment all of its brigades, or one or two brigades, or none of them as BTGs. A division could augment one or more brigades into BTGs, using the division’s own constituent assets, without becoming a DTG. If a division receives additional assets and uses them all to create one or more BTGs, it is still designated as a DTG. Within a DTG or BTG, some battalions and companies may become task-organized as detachments, while others retain their original structures. (See discussion of Detachments, below.)

Note. Unit symbols for all OPFOR units use the diamond-shaped frame. All OPFOR task organizations use the “task force” symbol placed over the “echelon” (unit size) modifier above the diamond frame. When there is a color capability, there are two options for use of red: all parts of the symbol that would otherwise be black can use red, or the diamond can have red fill color with the frame and other parts of the symbol in black. (See figures 2-3 through 2-5 and also figures 2-10 through 2-14 on pages 2-9 through 2-11 for examples.)

Unit symbols for tactical groups show the unit type and size of the “base” unit (division or brigade) around which the task organization was formed and whose headquarters serves as the headquarters for the tactical group. Figures 2-3 through 2-5 show examples of unit symbols for various types of OPFOR tactical groups.

Battalions

In the OPFOR’s force structure, the basic unit of action is the battalion. (See figure 2-6.) Battalions are designed to be able to⎯

Serve as the basis for forming a battalion-size detachment (BDET), if necessary. (See discussion of Detachments below.)
Fight as part of a brigade, BTG, division, or DTG.
Execute basic combat missions as part of a larger tactical force.
Plan for operations expected to occur 6 to 24 hours in the future.
Execute all of the tactical actions discussed in this TC.

Companies

In the OPFOR’s force structure, the largest unit without a staff is the company. In fire support units, this level of command is commonly called a battery. (See figure 2-7.) Companies are designed to be able to⎯

Serve as the basis for forming a company-size detachment (CDET), if necessary. (See discussion of Detachments below.)
Fight as part of a battalion, BDET, brigade, BTG, division, or DTG.
Execute tactical tasks. (A company will not normally be asked to perform two or more tactical tasks simultaneously.)

Detachments

A detachment is a battalion or company designated to perform a specific mission and allocated the forces necessary to do so. (See figures 2-8 and 2-9.) Detachments are the smallest combined arms formations and are, by definition, task-organized. To further differentiate, detachments built from battalions can be termed battalion-size detachments (BDETs), and those formed from companies can be termed company-size detachments (CDETs). The forces allocated to a detachment suit the mission expected of it. They may include⎯

Artillery or mortar units.
Air defense units.
Engineer units (with obstacle, survivability, or mobility assets).
Heavy weapons units (including heavy machineguns, automatic grenade launchers, and antitank guided missiles).
Units with specialty equipment such as flame weapons, specialized reconnaissance assets, or helicopters.
Interagency forces up to company size for BDETs, or platoon size for CDETs.
Chemical defense, antitank, medical, logistics, signal, and electronic warfare units.

BDETs can accept dedicated and supporting SPF, aviation (combat helicopter, transport helicopter), and unmanned aerial vehicle units.

The basic type of OPFOR detachment—whether formed from a battalion or a company—is the independent mission detachment (IMD). IMDs are formed to execute missions that are separated in space and/or time from those being conducted by the remainder of the forming unit. IMDs can be used for a variety of missions, some of which are listed here as examples:

Seizing key terrain.
Linking up with airborne or heliborne forces.
Conducting tactical movement on secondary axes.
Pursuing or enveloping an enemy force.
Conducting a raid or ambush.

Other types of detachments and their uses are described in subsequent chapters. These detachments include—

Counterreconnaissance detachment. (See chapter 5.)
Urban detachment. (See chapter 5.)
Security detachment. (See chapter 5.)
Reconnaissance detachment. (See chapter 7).
Movement support detachment. (See chapter 12.)
Obstacle detachment. (See chapter 12.)

Unit symbols for detachments show the unit type and size of the “base” unit (battalion or company) around which the task organization was formed and whose headquarters serves as the headquarters for the detachment. Figures 2-10 through 2-12 on pages 2-9 and 2-10 show examples of unit symbols for various types of OPFOR detachments.

Platoons and Squads

In the OPFOR’s force structure, the smallest unit typically expected to conduct independent fire and maneuver is the platoon. Platoons are designed to be able to⎯

Serve as the basis for forming a functional element or patrol.
Fight as part of a company, battalion, or detachment.
Execute tactical tasks. (A platoon will not be asked to perform two or more tactical tasks simultaneously.)
Exert control over a small riot, crowd, or demonstration.

Platoons and squads within them can be task-organized for specific missions. Figures 2-13 and 2-14 show examples of unit symbols for various types of OPFOR task-organized platoons and squads.