Effects-Based Fires.

The Future of Fire Support Coordination and Execution

Effects-based fires is the overarching concept of the Field Artillery Vision. It has the potential to shape the Field Artillery's modernization efforts and the branch's contribution to the transformed Army well into the 21st century.

Effects-based fires is an innovative approach to coordinating and executing fires that focuses on the terminal effects of lethal and nonlethal capabilities against high-payoff targets (HPTs) to achieve a combined arms purpose supporting the commander's intent. The objective is to achieve a desired purpose (shaping, protective, decisive, etc.) in time and space vice simply servicing targets as acquired. This shifts the combined arms commander's focus from the delivery source to the results.

The term "effects" is not doctrinal. As defined in the "Fires and Effects" Chapter 8 of the Interim Brigade Combat Team Organizational and Operational Concept (O&O) written by the FA School, dated 6 June 2000: "Effects are the results of the directed application of lethal and nonlethal capabilities to achieve a desired purpose or outcome in support of the commander's intent. Effects are a component of the operations plan and must be fully integrated and synchronized with other elements of the plan, particularly the scheme of maneuver. Effects planning must include the control and management of unintended effects and their impact on the mission.

"Effects do not include subordinate maneuver forces or the direct fires organic to those forces. When fully integrated, effects and maneuver set the conditions for tactical success and combine to achieve the commander's intent."

Why Effects-Based Fires? The operational environment, now and in the near future, presents a complex and challenging set of conditions and adversaries distributed on a nonlinear, noncontiguous battlefield. The anticipated environments likely will include urban and complex terrain, large concentrations of civilians (local populace and refugees) and various noncombatants, such as local governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), interagency (IA) representatives and the media. These entities probably will be combined with an array of conventional and unconventional threats who employ both traditional and asymmetrical tactics in a less predictable manner than threats of the past.

Effects-based fires will improve the fire support system by capitalizing on information, sensors, weapons and munitions technologies while leveraging joint fires and by expanding to include nonlethal capabilities in the targeting process. Fire supporters will synchronize and integrate all effects in combined arms operations in real time.

These adversaries are expected to be equipped with information technologies and a combination of legacy and advanced weapons, potentially including weapons of mass destruction. Most potential adversaries will have a mix of heavy mortars, cannons and rockets that will challenge the survivability of our maneuver formations deployed in a contingency.

The various civilian and noncombatant entities represent a nontraditional "target set" that warrants a diverse suite of nonlethal effects provided by nonkinetic capabilities in addition to lethal fire support options. This combination of traditional military targets with nontraditional targets mandates a more versatile and responsive fire support coordination approach.

Technology is beginning to enable the effects-based fires paradigm. At the center of this concept is the requirement to provide highly responsive, accurate and lethal fires to meet the combined arms commander's intent-that is unchanged. However, nonlethal technologies are emerging as an alternative to lethal means. The integration and synchronization of these capabilities require an organization that brings lethal and nonlethal targeting together and uses a holistic approach to dynamically generating "multifunctional effects."

Technology also is emerging that allows our battle command systems to maintain real-time visibility of all sensors and effects providers within the battlespace and facilitates rapid (real-time) coordination for the use of those assets. By including the assets of other services, the commander can access a significantly broader spectrum of on-demand effects.

Effects Coordination Cell (ECC). The Field Artillery Vision ultimately envisions an ECC empowered by the successor to the advanced Field Artillery tactical data system (AFATDS), currently described as the effects coordination system (ECS). This ECS could well be a module or application embedded within the Army's future battle command system. The ECS will complete our transition to an effects-based force.

This effects-based fires concept argues for an organization that can integrate and synchronize all effects-an organization capable of "maneuvering effects" in support of the "maneuvering of forces." While the technology enablers are not yet mature, they are leading toward the objective effects-based fires capability.

The FECC Now. A fires and effects coordination cell (FECC) in the initial brigade combat team (IBCT) at Fort Lewis, Washington, is serving as the bridge or organizational carrier to the objective ECC. The ECC most likely will be nested in evolving force designs as the Army transforms into the objective force.

The design of the first IBCT includes an FECC capable of integrating both lethal fires and nonlethal effects. (See Figure 1.) At the brigade level, the FECC design incorporates an enhanced targeting cell combined with counterfire and nonlethal effects cells, making it significantly more capable than the fire support element (FSE) it replaces.

The addition of the nonlethal effects cell, with its diverse composition, is the most significant change. It includes information operations, electronic attack, psychological operations (PSYOP), civil affairs and legal assistance. It also includes a tactical intelligence officer who is a key contributor to the FECC's ability to perform target value analysis on nonlethal targets. The FECC has links to the common ground station (CGS) and all-source analysis system (ASAS). It is designed to exploit sensor technology and leverage organic, joint and national assets.

Introducing the FECC into the IBCT as a first of its type of organization in the transforming Army is providing the venue for the implementation of effects-based fires.

The Evolving FECC. The FECC as it evolves will be a combat multiplier for the commander, enhancing the combined arms team with digitized, execution-focused capabilities. Its multi-functionality will allow it to integrate fires and effects along with information operations in a complementary and reinforcing manner. These complementary capabilities will enable the force to mass fires and effects in time, space and purpose against multiple targets in a distributed fashion, simultaneously, in the close fight and at depth.

The decide-detect-deliver-assess ([D.sup.3]A) targeting process will remain relevant in the near term, and as it is enhanced by improved connectivity between the FECC and the full range of Army and joint sensors, it will take on a more "execution-centric" nature. The FECC will be force-oriented, attacking HPTs in the battlespace in near-real time or real time instead of having to plan targets that rarely affect the enemy in the manner intended by the time they're executed.

Effects-based fires expand the fire support coordinator's (FSCOORD's) traditional focus on lethal fires to include a diverse suite of nonlethal capabilities, including the potential future development of nonlethal indirect fire munitions. This expanded, holistic approach to effects evolves the role of the FSCOORD to that of effects coordinator (ECOORD).

As envisioned, direct support Field Artillery battalion commanders, division artillery (Div Arty) commanders and corps artillery commanders will serve as ECOORDs for their respective maneuver formations. The authority of command is essential to empower the ECOORD to responsively and effectively coordinate and orchestrate fires and effects to accomplish the combined arms commander's desired outcome. This concept remains relevant now and well into the 21st century.

To become reality, the implementation of effects-based fires requires a strategy of organizational change. This organization must be designed to provide fires and effects coordination (vertically and horizontally), precision target acquisition and the delivery of both lethal and nonlethal action to create the commander's desired effects against the full range of target sets. The Div Arty and corps artillery tactical operations centers (TOCs) and FSEs may merge and transform into digitized FECCs. In this redesign, the Div Arty or corps artillery headquarters establishes the FECCs when tactically employed and collocates them with the division or corps command posts. A conceptual division or corps FECC is portrayed in Figure 2 on Page 8.

The FECC will be a multifunctional command and staff element that performs command and control as the force FA headquarters, conducts targeting, coordinates lethal/nonlethal effects, plans future operations, supervises current operations, serves as the counterfire headquarters, coordinates deep strike operations and coordinates joint fires. The FECC will be able to receive "plugs" to facilitate access to joint fires and routinely will incorporate a tactical air control party (TACP) from the Air Force.

When properly documented, this organization will be a resourced solution to implementing effects-based fires instead of having to stand up an FECC on an "ad hoc" basis. Currently, the deep operations coordination cell (DOCC) has to be resourced "out of hide." The FECC design builds in the DOCC's functionality.

The division or corps FECC is envisioned to reduce the overall headquarters size yet increase organizational efficiencies with its digitized information technologies. By leveraging digitization, the FECC will serve as the "center of gravity" for a responsive and agile sensor-to-shooter network.

The transformation of the FECC into an ECC for the objective force requires a holistic, integrated strategy to synchronize doctrine, training, leader development, organization, materiel and soldiers (DTLOMS) to make our effects-based force a reality. The transformation is being "jump-started" by the creation of the first IBCT FECC at Fort Lewis. This provides an intermediate template for higher level FECCs, which will likely be nested into the interim force as it matures beyond the brigade level and, potentially, in the counterattack corps as well.

The effects-based fires concept is key to the Field Artillery's modernization strategy. The ECC will be able to respond rapidly and decisively to the near and distant-future threats and operational environments, realizing the potential of effects-based fires. In doing so, the combined arms commander and team will be able to dominate any future adversary in close combat or at depth, whether on a distributed or linear battlefield, and across the full range of operations.

Colonel Jerry C. Hill is the Director of Combat Developments at the Field Artillery School, Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Previously, he served as the Deputy Assistant Commandant for Futures, also at the FA School. He commanded the 1st Battalion, 12th Field Artillery (Multiple-Launch Rocket System), 17th Field Artillery Brigade, part of III Corps Artillery, Fort Sill. He commanded the first MLRS battery in the Army: C Battery, 3d Battalion, 6th Field Artillery, part of the 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Riley, Kansas. He also served as Editor of Field Artillery and as G3 Operations Officer for the VII Corps Tactical Command Post during Operations Desert Shield and Storm. He is a graduate of the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

Major Carl R. Trout, until recently, was the Fires and Effects Coordination Cell (FECC) Concept Officer in Task Force 2000 of the Field Artillery School. He is now the Executive Officer for the 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery, 214th Field Artillery Brigade, part of III Corps Artillery. He also served as an the Mechanized Infantry Fire Support Observer/Controller (O/C) and Field Trains O/C at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California. Major Trout commanded Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2d Battalion, 82d Field Artillery, and served as the Task Force Fire Support Officer for the 2d Battalion, 7th Cavalry, both in the 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. He's a graduate of the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.