text: Chapter 5
  • Plan for troop transportation assets to support the retrograde defense operation. This is required to
  move large numbers of personnel during the retrograde.
  • Plan for back-haul of equipment and supplies during the retrograde. This is for serviceable and
  unserviceable equipment and repairable Class IX items.
  • Echelon support for the retrograde task to ensure seamless movement from the main battle area to
  the support and rear areas.
  • Expect high demand for obscurant supplies and equipment.
  • Coordinate with the supporting DSSB to provide support to maneuver brigade units when the BSB
  is in retrograde movement.
  • Expect an increase in demand for Class VIII (medical materiel and blood products). Establish blood
  product inventory levels (to include whole blood and dried plasma) by role of care as appropriate to
  ensure distribution requirements are identified.
  • Plan for increased use of batteries for technologies that require them.
  • Plan for limited visibility and limited distribution routes.
  • Plan for maximum use of unit distribution for resupply.
  • Plan for reinforcing support to aviation brigades for downed aircraft recovery operations.
  • Expect increase in aerial delivery operations.
  • Anticipate mass casualties and large-scale personnel replacements to include potential reconstitution
  of severely degraded units.
  • Plan for continuous replacement operations, specifically the transportation and integration of
  replacement personnel into units in the tactical close area.
  • Plan for primary, alternate, contingency, and emergency communications plans to ensure effective
  personnel asset visibility and delivery of LOGSTAT reports.
  COMMAND AND CONTROL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS
  5-152. The planning considerations for command and control are listed below:
  • Expect enemy attacks in the space and cyberspace domains (to include the electromagnetic
  spectrum) that will degrade communications and digital information transmission. Attacks in these
  domains affect sustainment operations in terms of satellite communications, positioning, navigation,
  timing, information collection, internet operations, computer systems, and voice communications.
  Commanders must develop and execute a primary, alternate, contingency, and emergency
  communications plan to ensure redundancy. In addition, fast-paced offensive operations conducted
  prior to the defense may have prevented sustainment information systems from functioning for a
  period of time, creating a lag in requisitions and data exchange. Commanders capitalize on the time
  available during the defense to ensure all required sustainment information is passed.
  • Identify sustainment forces that will support the defense reserve force in all types of defense
  operations. Commanders will determine what risk is acceptable in attaching sustainment units to the
  reserve.
  • Understand how terrain may limit or degrade communications and force retransmission stations.
  This is important for Sustainment Transport System operations. Understanding terrain can also
  provide some degree of protection from electronic warfare by masking antennas from the enemy
  while still providing line of site to friendly forces.
  • Assess sustainment task organization frequently to ensure it is adequate and positioned properly to
  support the sustainment mission. Plan for replacement of units that are lost as a result of enemy
  attack.
  MOVEMENT AND MANEUVER PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS
  5-153. The planning considerations for movement and maneuver are listed below:
  • Expect sustainment resupply and support elements to operate outside the unit boundaries and beyond
  the forward line of own troops while supporting covering, guard, and screening forces and counter
  and spoiling attack forces. Sustainment units must understand tactical enabling tasks and operational
  control measures used by maneuver forces in perimeter defense.