3AD HISTORY OF OPERATION DESERT STORM AND SPEAR

File: 081996_jul96_decls1_0020.txt
Page: 0020
Total Pages: 269

Subject: 3AD HISTORY OF OPERATION DESERT STORM AND SPEAR                 

Box  ID: BX001301

Document Number:          3

Folder Title: OPORDS AND  COMMAND AND CONTROL                                                                 

Folder Seq #:          4

Unit: 3D AD       

Parent Organzation: VII  CORPS  






               doctrine, FM 101-5.   on 17 - 19 Der 1990, MG Funk, alanc w:@' tnE
               Deputy Gl@, and a division plans office, flew to Dhahran, SA to attend
               a VII Corps planning conference a@ what was called "Hotel
               California." This was the firs' time LTG Frederick, Franks oat-ierec!
               his subordinate commanders, gave them their missions, and desc-i@,eC
               his intent. Once we returned to @rant:i--tr@, the battle staff
               immediately completed the mission analysis, the staff estimate
               process, developed courses of action, presented a decis@on br-.e@ing,
               and published an OPLAN by the book. With this plan in hand, we
               ventured to Saudi Arabia on 28 Dec !1?90. 'There the plannng effort
               continued.

                   LTG Franks held his own VII Corps War4ighter Seminar a@ Kng
               Khalid Military City, 6 - 8 Jan 91. Following the semina-, 3AD
               battle staff performed a mission analysis, completed s'la;-' est-frates,
               developed courses of action, presented a decision brief tc MG @unk,
               then published an OPORD.   On 11 Jan, we br4efed the order to all of
               our subordinate commanders, then gave them a weel. to develop their
               plans. The air war began on 17 Jan.

                   On IS Jan, we conducted a division rehearsal on a 25 meter n 50
               meter terrain board (1:10,000 scale) with the division staff, and all
               brigade and separate battalion commanders at the Division TAC CP,
               since our MAIN CP equipment had not arrived. Step-by-step,
               phase-by-phase, we went through execution of our plan, wargamed
               contingencies, and focused an synchronization of all battlefield
               operating systems.   This rehearsal proved invaluable, clarifying MG
               Funk's intent and exposing all the operational and logistical faults
        or disconnects in the plan. We rehearsed the plan again on 12
               February, and in hindsight, these rehearsals were the key to
               successful accomplishment of our mission.    Rehearsals hel@- overcome
               the inevitable friction on the battlefield.


                                   - COMMAND POST RE-ORGANIZATION -

                   As a product of our initial rehearsal, it became apparent our
               scheme of organizing and displacing command posts, the familiar way,
               was not going to work for this mission, when we compared the
               anticipated rate of division movement with the set up, tear down, and
               movement times of our command posts, MSE Node Centers, and the
              .Multi-channel TACSAT system.   The maneuver brigades of the division
               would quickly outdistance our  ability to sustain communications via
               FM Radio and MSE, our primary  means.   For example, if the division
               marched at a rate of 12 kph, the maneuver brigades would be out of FM
               radio range and MSE coverage in about 2 hours.     It was clear to us,
               we couldn't do business as usual.    We needed multiple command posts,
               with redundant capabilities which could "leap frog" behind the

               division, sustaining communications with VII Corps headquarters and
               all subordinate units.   Equally important, we needed additional FM
               retransmission teams.   Our goal was to have a DTAC, DMAIN, and DREAR
               set to function in stride with the division. Accordingly, we
               organized our command posts as follows:


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Document 269 f:/Week-28/BX001301/OPORDS AND COMMAND AND CONTROL/3ad history of operation desert storm and spear:0816961333481
Control Fields 17
File Room = jul96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-28
Box ID = BX001301
Unit = 3D AD
Parent Organization = VII CORPS
Folder Title = OPORDS AND COMMAND AND CONTROL
Folder Seq # = 4
Subject = 3AD HISTORY OF OPERATION DESERT STORM AND SPEAR
Document Seq # = 1
Document Date =
Scan Date = 18-JUL-1996
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 16-AUG-1996