Unconventional Warfare Mission Planning Guide for the Special Forces Operational Detachment - Charlie Level

Book excerpt: Planning, Command and Control of Special Forces Unconventional Warfare Operations.TC 18-01.3 provides practical procedures and examples useful to mission planning of unconventional warfare (UW). This publication is designed primarily for use at national and international training centers and home station unit training events. It is intended to be used in conjunction with current relevant doctrine and supporting products. TC 18-01.3 is a UW mission planning guide designed specifically for the operational detachment-charlie (ODC) level. This ODC level incorporates all basic element functions that occur in or outside but in support of the unconventional warfare operating area (UWOA). It isbased on the traditional ODC, but is deliberately inclusive of any size element (including special activities elements) appropriate to this echelon and is based primarily not on specific units but on functions required (command, operational planning and support, joint and interagency coordination, military information support operations [MISO], Civil Affairs [CA], and so on). Planning guidance designed specifically for the operational detachment-alpha (ODA) may be found in TC 18-01.1, and guidance designed specifically for the operational detachment-bravo (ODB) may be found in TC 18-01.2.The principal audience for TC 18-01.3 is commanders, staff officers, and operational personnel at the ODA, ODB, and ODC levels, and all observers/controllers responsible for evaluation and training assistance to those units. TC 18-01.3 is also useful to conventional force commanders and staffs in better understanding the parameters of special operations forces (SOF) and conventional forces (CF) interdependence when SOF is engaged in UW.This publication is a collaborative effort between the Special Operations Training Detachment Joint Readiness Training Center cadre and the Special Forces (SF) Doctrine Division at the U.S. Army Special Operations Center of Excellence, USAJFKSWCS. It is intended to be revised on a regular basis based on interaction between observers/controllers, the using units, and the publication authors.