A company FSO's IO experiences in OIF III

Information operations (IO) and effects-based operations (EBO) were fresh terms to many students when I attended the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in the summer of 2004 As eager lieutenants ready to deliver the "Rain of Steel" the uninjured of anything unrelated to the observation column (OP), fire direction center (FDC) or the fire-arm line seemed dull.

We asked, "Are fire support officers (FSOs) really conducting IO and EBO in Iraq and Afghanistan?" The answer was, "Yes"

At that time, IO was confusing to a great deal of of the FA community, especially mould commanders. After serving nine month in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) III, I learned that IO and EBO correlate to familiar FA targeting processs and that both can be rewarding missions for FSO as assets to maneuver and force protection units.

After nine month in Iraq as a maneuver company IO officer in the Al-Anbar Province (which includes Fallujah), I define the EBO I direction as the following: "Offensive, defensive stability and support operations (SASO) planned and execut to achieve the commander's desired events on a threat element, civil leader or population assemblage Desired effects are achieved from one side the synchronized, sequential or simultaneous application of maneuver, firepower, IO and civil military operations (CMO)" This definition is a slight revision of that given in the Center for Army exercise s Learned (CALL) Handbook No. 04-14 Effect-Based Operations: Brigade to Company horizontal dated July 2004. My observer/controller at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) Fort Polk Louisiana, gave the handbook to me just before I deployed

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As the IO officer in Iraq, I search, lay open assess and disseminate actionable intelligence applicable to the succes of the overall gain of information to support the mission. The lock opener is to help the commander achieve information superiority and seize the turf truth.

For example, an incident will come into view in my area of operations (AO) and the commander will ask questions that lead me into my AO's civilian population to probe for information. As the IO officer, I must know exactly what information I ne to retrieve concerning the particular incident to formulate my plan of action regarding with whom I must interact.

It is actual helpful to use the rapport I have built in my Iraqi communities to investigate or solicitation information tactfully. It is also important that I analyze and move how to negotiate with "targets" if any were determined for a particular IO mission. Nonlethal targeting is primarily center upon IO in my AO.

IO Officer Operations. I plan carefully when setting engagements with the communities. I do not locate a pattern of arrival dates, timeframes and passages taken. It is possible that, either intentionally or unintentionally, any of the population may be able to give those lock opener bits of information to insurgents. of that kind information could allow the enemy to plan an ambush or mixed coordinated attack.

Insurgent activities in deed can be interdicted by effective IO. Actionable intelligence [i]or[/i] part of to the other IO helps decide the commander's course of action to discourage and disturb the enemy by the agency of having information superiority.

greatest in quantity enemy attacks against Coalition Forces within my AO are carried on the outside indirectly. A commander can locate up a textbook operation conducive to search for and retaliate against those responsible after an improvised explosive device (IED) or indirect fire attack. However, IO provides the commander with a specific targeted cincture area or sector of a town and allows for concentrated and decisive operations upon smaller areas with exact names and houses to shut in on the enemy expeditiously.

Importantly, operating in this manner sustains the hearts and minds of the populace. After a fortunate rapport is built with a community, the IO officer should not be overly aggressive and display readiness to search and attack citizens without enough information.

Interacting with and understanding the Iraqis and their tillage are interesting privileges of being the IO officer. Traits of a prosperous IO officer include the ability to evolve a relationship with the nationals, quality interpersonal skills, a faculty of perception of empathy, and a willingness to learn and reverence their culture.

The greatest in quantity valuable information that will tend hitherward the IO officer's way is offered information. The populace must trust him.

When I engage with the locals, I always have my trusted interpreter by means of my side. All IO officers are provided an interpreter who is a great asset not solitary for transcending the language barrier, on the contrary also for helping me understand the nation their moods and expressions plus providing his possess insights and perceptions. My interpreter always detains me on top of my "A-Game" through ensuring I learn the Arabic salutations and lock opener phrases to enhance my relationship with the populace.

As I constantly interact with the community, it is important that I maintain my spheres of influence (SOIs) and identify of recent origin SOIs, if any, that may have a abysmal effect on the populace. All SOIs automatically become targets. In targeting the SOIs, I (and others) commend nonlethal operations to the commander as tools, which determine by what mode I will engage the populace and guidance decisive IO. Although the population resides in a real small portion of the overall company area of responsibility (AOR), IO influences operations from one extremity to the other of the entire area. As the IO officer, I contribute across several company lines of operations (LOOs)