Decision Making in Military Rescue Operations - Case Study Example

Running Estimate

The mission assigned is very critical. Because if there is a slip in the approach and the Japanese guards get to know of the rescue mission, they may kill the POWs or seek a way of relocating them. For instance, we do not know what the generals may have commanded the guards to do in case of an attack. Therefore, at least 24 hours is needed for the mission to be done effectively with less impact on the civilians and the POWs too. To ensure the movements are not dragged, there should be a calculated speed movement, which will ensure that execution of the mission is done in fast, but without increasing the risks. Thus, it is crucial to use all the information collected from the aerial view, from runners, local guerillas, civilians, and the military intel, so that each move will be made with minimal risk and high accuracy.

In the planning of the attack, the only reliable estimate of the Japanese soldiers will be those that can be seen in the prison camps. However, it can know how the reinforcement will be arranged or will have staged their counterattack. However, having understood that the possible way of the approach will be the Cabu bridge, Mucci should consider first clearing the area to ensure that the oncoming Japanese forces are encountered accordingly. By clearing the Cabu bridge highway, it will be possible to have the 6th Army battalion enter the camp, neutralize the available guards, and rescue the POWs. However, in order to reduce the counter time, there will be a need to use the data from the surveillance team. That is, there will be an established active link of communication between the battalion and the Alamo scouts who are supposed to give an aerial view of the compound. The aerial view will help in knowing how to arrange the attack on the Japanese guards. Equally, the aerial view will help in monitoring the movement of the guards as they seek a way to escape. After ensuring that the available battalion is able to handle the present Japanese guards effectively and efficiently, then the Guerilla squadron A and B will be obliged to clear the Cabu Bridge and sealing off the area for twenty-four hours.

When the Rangers enter the compound of the camp, they should shoot on sight any of the guards. This will help in ensuring that the available 24 hours are utilized effectively and that there will be no need to have an extension. Equally, the Mucci will have to move in early in the morning for easy monitoring of any incoming Japanese force. Equally, it has been found that the Japanese troops have some concealed location where they hide during the day as they withdraw towards north and east along the Cabanatuan City-Baloc-San Jose and Cabanatuan City-Cabu-Rizal highway. Therefore, initiating the mission early in the morning will be much easier because there will be an aerial view of the area, making it convenient for all squadrons to know and assess any possible hindrance. The precautions will be taken when evacuating the liberated prisoners. The available squadron will be segmented to ensure that the local Guerillas assist Mucci since they are well versed in the environment.

Considering that the preparation for the liberation of the POWs had taken a long time enough for the Japanese to know, that is, if they had some intel among the civilians, it is necessary to have up-to-date information about what is happening in the camps. Therefore, Mucci can rely on the information relayed by the runners concerning what is happening in the camp. Perhaps, suspicious activities are detected, the battalion must take action that will help in preventing the worst, which is the Japanese killing the POWs.

The disadvantage of the terrain will apply only if, after rescuing the POWs, there will be a circumstance that will force them to move on foot. The opposite side of the highway has a difficult terrain that may pose as a problem for weakened persons. Therefore, if, for instance, the carts to be used to transport the liberated POWs will not be sufficient, Mucci must be prepared for a way of catering for the movement of the POWs and any weakened soldier. The efficiency of the movements will also be facilitated by air surveillance, which will be able to monitor all the movements and ensure that they are safe.

The Problem

The primary problem that LTC Mucci may encounter in his mission is that there is a dependence on the civilians whose reliance may be low. The hazardous element of the problem is, what if the Japanese Army has some informants amongst the civilians, what if such civilians get the clue of the moves that the Rangers and all teams have? Having an informant may imply that the Japanese forces will be a step ahead of knowing what is going to happen before the 6th battalion actualizes it. Thus, as the Mucci pursue the goal of ensuring that the civilians do not cause an alarmIt is necessary to handle each of the civilians with suspicion as a control of the problem. The implementation of the control will be in case a suspicious move is detected among the civilians. In such a case, it will be necessary to control them by either locking them or isolating them after a search to ensure that they are not a threat and the duty that should be executed by the local guerillas and supervision of the 6th battalion Rangers. LTC Mucci may encounter the second problem if the reserved Japanese forces are greater than what is anticipated in the plan for the mission. Thus, the planning will have to accommodate reflex action that can be rewarded if such threats arise.

The Mission

Raid refers to the surrounding and seizing of a particular area with a defined aim. The aim may be to capture particular personnel, destabilizing the adversaries, or destroying a capability. However, it is withdrawn when the aim is achieved.

Liberation means the action of freeing the captives or prisoners. This may include actions such as unlocking the cuffs, removing blindfolds, or any other object the constraints the target.

Secure refers to the transition of the target to a safe place. For instance, POWs may be transported from the camps using carts and taken to the safe points. Safety means that they will not be under threat of being killed or relocated by the Japanese forces.

In the Rangers mission statement, the most crucial mission will be to secure. However, it will not be possible to secure if the area is not under control. Therefore, in the actualization of the mission, the Mucci will have to focus on how to control the area and achieve the ultimate mission of securing the POWs.

Purpose and Task

The main purpose of the Filipino Guerrillas will be to survey the area and give the appropriate information. The guerillas will be tasked with the role of guiding Rangers through establishing the routes to be used when attacking the camps.

The civilians will serve as assets of ensuring that the Japanese forces do not suspect the 6th battalion approaching. Thus, the civilians will be tasked with the role of acting normal while assisting the guerrillas and the Alamo Scouts in choosing the most appropriate routes that will have fewer hindrances of terrain or any other hindrance.

The Alamo scouts will be tasked with the role of conducting reconnaissance. Thus, Alamo scouts will have the primary purpose of providing up-to-date information on the environment. They can use tools such as the P-61 Black Widows to have an aerial view of the area. Equally, alongside the local guerillas, the Alamo scouts can offer reinforcement to the mission.

The 1st Platoon Charlie Company will serve the purpose of being on the frontline. Thus, they will be tasked with the role of storming the camp compound's gates, killing the Japanese guards, and opening the prisoner's section of the camp.

Firstly, the 2nd Platoon Charlie Company will have to partner with the Alamo Scouts and combat photographers to rescue the Japanese civilians held hostage in Maori. Secondly, the 2nd Platoon Charlie Company will be tasked with providing antitank protection for the guerrillas as the secure the Cabu bridge highway. Equally, they will be tasked with clearing the guards in the rear entrance of the stockade and preventing Japanese in the area occupied by the prisoners.

The 2nd Platoon Foxtrot Company will serve the purpose of liberating the POWs. Thus, they will be tasked with evacuating the prisoners while providing their own fire support.

Commander’s Critical Information Requirements

The success of the mission is tied to the coordination of all the teams. If the 6th battalion, the guerillas, local civilians, and the scouts will be able to coordinate, then the mission will be achievable in a more efficient way. Equally, if the guerilla squadrons will be able to seal the bridge for 24hours and the platoons manage to clear the guards, then the fatality of soldiers, civilians, and POWs will under control. However, if there happens to be a loose end in the passing information, and by chance, the Japanese Army gets the information before the actualization, then the mission will be sabotaged, and the results will not be much appealing. As per the FM 6-0 Chapter 9-46, it is very necessary for the commander to ensure that he/she caters for the gaps that may be present in the information provided. Negligence in the military can be costly because each of the moves relies on the success of others. Therefore, if success is to be attained, all entities should cooperate, and the plan should also cater to the identified possible threats. In such a way, the results of the mission will be as per the anticipations already made.

Commander’s Judgement

It is the role of the commander to ensure that his team will not be held back from achieving the set goal because of some arising issues. Equally, as stated by FM 6-0, the commander must ensure that information is well analyzed for timely and effective decision making. Therefore, the main motivation of prompting to delay the action until 30th January was after the evaluation of the possible threats. Firstly, the path followed was as per the directives of the civilians who were earlier identified to be a possible threat in case there was an informant amidst the civilians entrusted with guiding the troops. Perhaps the Japanese troops had the information of a possible attack to the camp; they would have staged the armies on 29th to counter the incoming battalion. Therefore, a delay served to reduce the risk of a possible leak of the information. With such considerations, the leader of e troops will also have time to assess the encounters they may have had while heading to a nearby guerilla camp, which was 75 miles away. Equally, the extension of the time will help the military commanders to assess the readiness of all the teams and the sufficiency of the items required in achieving the mission.

COA Analysis, Comparison & Recommendations

• Facts

The POWs will not be safe and secure if they will still be held in prison.

The Japanese troops have been moving over the night when they cannot be viewed through aerial sight.

Being in the prison cam means that the mission is halfway done because there can arise fresh attacks if the time taken in the camps is prolonged.

Assumptions

It is not very clear if the Japanese have another way of accessing the camp, or perhaps some remotely connected weapons may be present in the camp.

The mission was planned to take the utmost 24 hours; thus, the delays of waiting for the regimental combat may lead to a need for a change of plans.

• The Evaluation Criteria
• The safety of the liberated POWs.
• A possible counterattack by the Japanese forces.
• Covering the mission within the scheduled time – utmost 24 hours.
• Efficiency of handling emerging issues such as the need for medical attention for the POWs
• Potential risk to the civilians
• Evaluating the Options

Firstly, remaining in prison will require new plans of feeding and medical attention for the POWs and perhaps the troops depending on the actual time used to infiltrate the camp. The immediate change of plans may cause some inconveniences, which can lead to arising of some unpredicted problems. The same case applies to if the troops head to the mission with an understanding of the possible delay in securing the POWs. Secondly, accepting the possibilities of the delay should be accompanied by added measures such as increasing the number of squadrons. According to FM 6-0, all decisions made should rely on the available information. Since there are no such plans, the best option would be to evacuate from the prison to a safe and concealed location. Thirdly, the POWs may not have been kept in a healthy environment, and thus, as part of liberating them, there may be a need for services such as medical attention and perhaps feeding them. However, such may be hard if the POWs are made to remain in prison. Thus, taking them to a safer place can guarantee the efficiency of offering other subsequent services.

Recommendation

The mission will be initiated through sealing off the Cabu bridge highway. This will be in order to manage any incoming Japanese troops. However, the primary aim of covering the area for twenty-four hours is to ensure that the infiltration to the prison is smooth and that it does not raise an alarm that would lead to the killing of the POWs by the Japanese guards. Therefore, the lead mission is to secure the POWs by taking them to a safer place. In case a problem arises a problem that may cause halting of liberating and securing the POWs should be held with the possible urgency since it can invalidate the entire mission.

Having received information about the shortage of the carts to carry the POWs to a safe place, it is necessary to ensure that whatever the choice will be made to address the issue, it should ensure that the POWs are liberated and secured. Thus, the best option is to move away from the prison to a concealed location and establishing a defensive perimeter while the 6th Army sends a regimental combat team to link up with us.

When initiating the mission, it was clear that if the Japanese learn about the possible attack on the camp, they may kill the POWs. Thus, the lead mission was to secure them and save them from possible death that can be caused by the initialization of the attack to the prison. Secondly, the main aim of sealing off the Cabu Bridge Highway was to ensure that the Japanese troops to not enter the camp to reinforce the power of the guards. Thus, the primary aim of positioning the guerilla squadrons at the bridge was so that the guards can be neutralized and the prison accessed with ease. It can be of no use if, after all, such strategies the POWs are still kept in prison awaiting the link-up of the regimental combat. Thirdly, it will be more efficient to wait for the regimental combat outside the camp and in the path leading to Balincarin because it requires 14 hours to reach there but twenty-four hours to reach the prison camp. In order to cover the mission in the stipulated time, it is necessary to consider the route that will increase the efficiency of securing the POWs.