text: Mission Command
  3-8. Based on their initial understanding of the operational environment and the tactical situation, BCT and
  squadron commanders generate information requirements for the BCT and its organic Cavalry organizations.
  Commanders visualize how the Cavalry squadron and other reconnaissance and security capabilities or units
  (including national-level intelligence assets, surveillance assets, joint enablers, and SOF) can work together
  to contribute to the overall success of the mission. The Cavalry squadron is the BCT commander’s primary
  unit to develop the situation and provide the combat information that ultimately refines subsequent courses
  of action for the BCT’s decisive operations. As a result, the BCT commander, working with the staff, the
  BCT S-3 (see chapter 1), and the Cavalry squadron commander, directs reconnaissance and security
  operations to address information requirements and intelligence gaps.
  3-9. Effective reconnaissance and security operations create opportunities that allow commanders to
  confirm or deny assumptions, make decisions, and take action. Commanders establish the CCIRs, and
  continuously update information requirements based on changing battlefield conditions. Commanders and
  their staffs first identify information gaps and continuously assess, adapt, add, and delete requirements
  throughout the operation. As staffs identify requirements necessary for successful execution, they
  recommend and assign tasks for Cavalry units to conduct reconnaissance and provide answers that allow the
  commander to make timely and effective decisions. As commanders and staffs continuously plan, task, and
  employ collection assets to answer the commander’s CCIRs and other information requirements, they must—
  * Develop and continuously update a list of intelligence requirements.
  * Identify and update the CCIRs.
  * Tie the CCIRs directly to the scheme of maneuver and decision points.
  * Limit the CCIRs to only critical intelligence and combat information needs.
  * Seek higher echelons’ collection of and answers to information requirements.
  * Ensure CCIRs include the latest time information is of value (LTIOV) to aid timely reporting and
  decision-making.
  3-10. The commander sets reconnaissance and security priorities early, as reconnaissance and security
  operations precede main body movement, which minimizes the Cavalry unit’s time available for troop
  leading procedures, including planning and rehearsal times, precombat checks and inspections, and
  maintenance. The commander sets priorities in the warning order (WARNORD), establishing the focus,
  reconnaissance tempo, security duration, and engagement and disengagement criteria. Missions without focus
  degrade the collection capabilities of the Cavalry unit. Improper utilization of assets can leave the force
  vulnerable or a catastrophic threat undiscovered.
  3-11. Reconnaissance and security operations are most effective when command and control elements
  integrate multiple combined arms and air-ground teams. Reconnaissance and security operations require
  quick dissemination and execution of orders. Reconnaissance leaders must be decisive, make plans quickly,
  pass information available to subordinates, report to higher headquarters accurately and rapidly, and be
  responsive to changing conditions on the battlefield.
  3-12. The following historical example illustrates the value of a flexible Cavalry force that directly
  contributed to effective mission command. The operations of Napoleon’s cavalry corps during the
  1806 campaign against the Prussian Army demonstrate how cavalry, particularly when operating in close
  contact with the enemy and civilian populations, were essential in Napoleon’s successful campaign.
  Napoleon’s Cavalry and Mission Command
  On October 12, 1806, the French Cavalry swept through the little Saxon village of Zeitz,
  25 miles south of Leipzig. Napoleon’s light cavalry, which was his principal cavalry force,
  was executing an advanced guard forward of the lead corps of the Grande Armée. As the
  cavalry secured the town, scouts and commanders immediately collected critical combat
  information for their emperor. Marshal Joachim Murat, Napoleon’s chief of cavalry, and his
  staff halted temporarily to interrogate the local postmaster, priest, mayor, and essential
  civilians concerning the location and disposition of the Prussian Army, key terrain features,
  and critical civilian activities. In Zeitz, a French spy emerged from the crowd of onlookers
  and reported that the enemy lay to the west and south, near Erfurt.