Focusing Intelligence

Part 1 - Formulating useful PIR

In the investigation of scientific phenomenon you can't ascribe the cause of an event to supernatural
or divine origins. This doesn't mean that all scientists are atheists or agnostic. On the contrary, the
more you know about the fantastic complexity of our universe the less likely you are to ascribe it all
to chance! But explaining the motion of a falling object with "God makes it do that" doesn't lead to
laws of motion, formulae for calculating ballistics, and hence to an accurate rifle that enables you to
bring home the venison.

In the same way, ascribing the focusing of intelligence to "The commander does that" doesn't lead
to an understanding of the details of the process. Without an understanding of these details the
process becomes little more than a collection of war stories about that last NTC rotation or
memorable tour in Kosovo. Further, watching a contractor write code to try to automate an ill-
defined process is like watching an Alchemist try to make gold by combining earth, air, fire, and
water. A rigorous understanding of the underlying principles of physics transformed Alchemy into
Chemistry, and Astrology into Astronomy.

What IS "Focused Intelligence" anyway?

Our profession exists to produce intelligence to support decision making related to battle planning
and execution. Is it possible to produce intelligence that has no bearing at all on decision
making? Yes. . . given the current definition of intelligence: "Information or knowledge about an
adversary obtained through observation, investigation, analysis or understanding" (FM 101-5-1, Sep
1997). So, until we can fix the definition, I'll define "Focused Intelligence" as. . .

"Intelligence required to support decision making related to battle planning and execution"

Since we never have sufficient collectors or analysts to produce all the intelligence that might be
produced, it becomes important to focus the few that we have in order to ensure we can at least
produce what is required. This article hopes to provide you with some mind tools to assist in this
effort.

CCIR

The focusing effort begins when the commander and staff huddle to evaluate together all that they
know and do not know about the current situation. This process is called the Common
Understanding of the Battlefield (CUB). Since most things are NOT known, the staff starts identifying
which unknowns are the most important to their specialties. The commander identifies which
unknowns are most important to him based on his judgment and experience, and thus formulates
his Commander's Critical Information Requirements (CCIR). Before we continue with the CCIR, it is
important to note that there is currently no doctrinal identification for those unknowns which didn't
make the CCIR varsity team. I'll simply refer to them as information requirements. Like CCIR they
have two basic flavors: those asking about the enemy, and those asking about ourselves. They are
important because they also help focus the staff effort.

Doctrinally, there are three categories of CCIR: Priority Intelligence Requirements (PIR), Friendly
Force Information Requirements (FFIR), and Essential Elements of Friendly Information
(EEFI). Logically there are only two, as EEFI are not an information requirements at all. They are a
series of assumptions about the most dangerous PIRs the enemy might have once we have decided
on the specifics of our operation. For instance, if we are conducting an amphibious landing in
Normandy, then an EEFI might be "Are the Americans conducting an amphibious landing in
Normandy". EEFI help focus deception planning and force protection efforts, but they are
NOT requirements for information. The name "EEFI" reflects the old term for PIR, "Essential
Elements of Information", so logically they should be called EPIR: Enemy Priority Intelligence
Requirements.

Once the CCIR are formulated, the staff begins to work on their Staff Estimates. These might be
formal multi-page volumes, a tactical internet web page, or they might just be quick notes in a Palm
Pilot. Intelligence Professionals use a process called Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB)
to create their Intelligence Estimate. As many CCIR as possible are answered and passed to the rest
of the staff via the Estimates.

During the staff wargame, those CCIR that remain

unanswered are transformed into either PIR or
FFIR. Many different analogies could be drawn,
but the Coffee Pot in Fig 1 seems most
appropriate for a long article on Intelligence
Theory! In fact, I'll pause for a minute while you
refill your cup!!

Note that prior the wargame there are many

Fig 1 - The Coffee Pot Analogy
CCIR. Some of these can be answered, and
those answers are incorporated into the
formulation of Enemy and Friendly Courses
of Action, and thus included in the
wargame. When the operations order is
published, there are no questions called
"CCIR". Instead, you have a paragraph in
Coordinating Instructions labeled CCIR, and
under that you have a list of PIR, FFIR, and
(unfortunately!) EEFI. Since we have all
recaffeinated, let's look at this process in
detail!
 Tools for Uncertainty

The wargame will identify CCIR that cannot be answered at the time the Operations Order is
written. Maybe it will take more time to get the information, or maybe we can't know until some
event occurs in the future. These CCIR are resolved using one of four uncertainty tools.

The Assumption � If we are certain of the answer, and the consequences of being wrong are
minimal, we can just specify what the answer will be. Assumptions can be powerful focusing
devices! "Assumptions are the mother of all Folly" is only true if you forget they are assumptions
and start treating them like verified fact. If we are planning a defense, we might assume that the
enemy will attack. If not, we must plan something else; the important thing is that we focus on the
defense. CCIR seldom translate into assumptions unless the commander is very inexperienced. . . or
was very tired when he formulated them. This is NOT a good tool to eliminate all but one enemy
course of action!

The Commander's Intent � Although this usually ends up being a "Reader's Digest" version of the
operations order, its primary purpose is to provide guidance on how to deal with all the things that
will happen in the battle that the operations order didn't anticipate. This allows soldiers to deal with
both opportunity and crisis in a way that will facilitate the overall plan.

The Decision Point � If the staff can determine when in the operation they will know the answer to
a CCIR and what they will do given the range of possible answers, they can create a Decision
Point. Decision Points consist of a decision and two or more alternative actions, triggered by the
answer to the CCIR. If the decision is triggered by the status of a friendly unit, the CCIR becomes an
FFIR. If the decision is triggered by the status of an enemy unit, the CCIR becomes a PIR. In either
case, the CCIR is rewritten to be as specific as possible in order to make the execution of the Decision
Point unambiguous. Note that Enemy Decision Points are a superb tool for describing enemy
courses of action!

The High Payoff Target (HPT) - During IPB, a number of enemy assets were identified as being
critical to the enemy commander's operation and were designated High Value Targets (HVTs). As the
wargame unfolds, a subset of these is identified as being important to the friendly mission. These
are designated High Payoff Targets. Sometimes a High Payoff Target is identified as being critical to
friendly mission success. If there is any uncertainty associated with this HPT - for instance, we don't
know where it is! � then it is likely that the commander formulated a CCIR about that uncertainty. If
the uncertainty will exist until we decide to conduct the attack, then this CCIR is converted into a PIR
for the purpose of effectively attacking the target. HPTs are really just a special type of Decision
Point.

PIR

The Grunt to Analyst Interface!

Let's look closer at how a CCIR is transformed into a PIR. It happens during the wargame. . .
 The enemy has a reserve which can be used to counterattack into either Objective BOB or Objective
JOHN. The initial CCIR was "Where will the enemy counterattack with his reserve?". During your
IPB you might identify the details about that reserve (it's the 1-23 Tank Battalion, etc), but you won't
know WHERE it will attack until it actually starts to move. During the wargame the staff realizes that
the effect of this enemy action is significant enough that it will require the commander to make a
decision on the use of attack helicopters. This becomes a Decision Point, and the CCIR is
transformed into the more specific PIR: "Will the 1-23 Tank Battalion counterattack into Objective
BOB or JOHN (between 0830 and 1330 hours)?" Note that in order to qualify as a PIR you need three
items: 1) A Single Question concerning an enemy status; 2) A link to a Decision Point (High Payoff
Targets are just specialized Decision Points); 3) A specific time interval that the Question is related to
the Decision.

During the same wargame, another CCIR, "Will the enemy destroy the bridge at Smithville?" is
regarded as non-essential because that bridge is no longer essential to the friendly plan. . . we
decided not to go that way! Although no decisions will be made based on the bridges status, we
decide to monitor its status anyway. Didn't make the "PIR Varsity Team", but we'll allocate collection
and analytical effort as long as it doesn't interfere with the answering of PIR. It becomes an
Intelligence Requirement.

This is more than a picky point. It's best

to think of a Priority Intelligence
Requirement as just an Intelligence
Requirement which received a
temporary promotion because it is used
to trigger a Decision Point or a High
Payoff Target. It might be Priority for
just a short period of its overall life. In
the above example, suppose that
we might have to cross the Smithville
Bridge if 1-61 Infantry runs low on
fuel. It is a PIR. . . until we decide that
1-61 Infantry will not cross the
bridge. Then it reverts to just an IR. In
Figure 2 � Intelligence Requirements
Figure 2, the shaded portion of the IR
shows when it is a PIR. . . and why.

Although this relationship is not specified in doctrine, it is very useful when thinking about and using
PIR. And it becomes a powerful programming tool when you automate the entire focusing process:
instead of two separate categories of questions (one called PIR and one called IR) you have a single
category. . . just check the "It's a PIR" block as needed! An automated "Build A PIR" form might
look like this:

Intelligence Requirement
IR#

Question

Start DTG
 End DTG

PIR? Yes No

DP/HPT #

Start DTG

End DTG

PIR# (Opional)

PIR constructed this way focus the intelligence effort because they are automatically linked to the
most essential aspects of the operation. When we say "The Commander Drives Intelligence", this is
the method.

. . . and FFIR

The sleeping giant!

FFIR should be constructed in a similar way as PIR. For instance. . .

The combat power of the lead battalion after taking Objective BOB will not be known for sure until
after the objective is actually taken. The commander indicated that this information will result in a
decision: will that battalion hold BOB, or proceed to the next objective? This becomes a Decision
Point. The initial CCIR is transformed from a generic "What will the lead battalions strength be after
taking that hill?" into the more specific FFIR: "What is 1-61 Infantry Battalion's strength after
securing Objective BOB?"

A current weakness in doctrine is that there is no mechanism to focus "Blue" information. FFIR lack
the specificity of PIR. At present they don't need to be linked to a Decision Point. . . or even a
decision! They need not be precise in their wording or linked to a specific time interval. There is no
system to differentiate FFIR that ARE related to a Decision Point from those that are not. There is no
analytical process where FFIR are broken down into the friendly equivalent of Indicators and Specific
Information Requirements, and there is no system in place to produce "Blue Intelligence". This is a
critical shortfall! As we push high-bandwidth connectivity down to the individual vehicle and soldier,
there will be LOTS of information flowing back from these entities. Some of it will be about the
enemy, the rest will be about ourselves. Perhaps some day FFIR will be as critical to the operation
as PIR!
 Maintaining Focus

The wargame is over, you are happy with your Decision-Linked PIR. . . and the commander walks up
and says "Add a PIR about the enemy use of Weapons of Mass Destruction". Or "I'm real concerned
about my left flank, make sure you watch it!" Or "Make sure you keep track of enemy Battle
Damage Assessment during the fight".

Now what? None of the above are linked to ANYTHING! Should you just do it?

This is where you find out how much credibility you have with the Boss! You must probe his mind to
discover why he wants to know this stuff, and what he'll do with it when you give it to him. In other
words, you must engage in a small, informal wargame. Here are some rationales that might be
useful:

1. Tired and forgetful. If the commander envisions using the information to make a decision that
will involve resources or time, and he forgot to tell the rest of the staff , then there is a good chance
there won't be an option when you give him the requested intelligence. For instance, he was the
only one who envisioned using attack aviation against a flank attack. . . but because it wasn't
coordinated by the staff, the assets were elsewhere when needed.

2. Over tasking analysts. We still call it Collection Management, but there is also a need to
conduct Analyst Management as well. After all, there is only so much analytical energy
in any Intelligence Staff. Every PIR and IR costs time and resources! We understand when a Scout
can't be two places at the same time, but we haven't yet captured the intelligence production
costs for the analyst. Tracking BDA might look cool, but if it isn't tied to a decision then it is probably
draining resources from answering a critical PIR. Remember how the Combat Engineers prioritize
their effort by Mobility, Counter-mobility and Survivability? Categorize your PIR by the Intelligence
Functions (IPB, Force Protection, Situation Development, Targeting, BDA, Indications & Warning) and
then brief the commander on the Collection/Analysis Effort given the existing set of PIR:

Function # PIR Priority

IPB* 0 6
Force Protection 2 3
Situation Development 4 1
Targeting 3 2
BDA 0 5
Indications & Warning 1 4

* Note that this refers to the production of intelligence, not the production of the Intelligence Estimate! Our over-use of the
NTC has gotten us out of the habit of IPB-related PIR; for example, whether or not the desert to the west of Kuwait will
support the weight of armored forces.

3. Intuitive Commanders. Most Army leaders are NOT intuitive. . . their perceptions are primarily
based on what they see and hear, and they will act decisively on this perception. However, you may
have a commander whose perceptions are based on how his observations stimulate his
intellect. . . and who prefers to see how things will develop before committing to a decision. This is
the rare intuitive boss! Intuitive commanders crave PIR that peer into the inner workings of the
enemy operation, for the purpose of formulating a very creative and unusual battle plan that often
catches the enemy totally off guard. Since most analysts are also intuitive, you likely get along very
well! Ensure he understands the first two rationales, then compromise. You will certainly end up
with some PIR that are only linked to portions of the Commander's brain. The payoff is that he will
be more likely to listen to the analytical reasoning behind your conclusions, and use the intelligence
in ways you didn't expect!

Finally, always remember that PIR are your essential tasks for an operation! You must ensure that
they ask for intelligence that you can reasonably produce, and provide answers that are critical to the
conduct of the fight!

Surprise!

Caught off guard by the revelation that PIR were essential to focusing intelligence? Hope
not! However, knowing the mechanics of the process will help you apply the principles when the
situation isn't "normal".

In Summary. . .
Unknowns
Beget
CCIR
to Focus
IPB
which Drives
Wargamimg
which Produces
DPs and HPTs
each Requiring
PIR
which become Essential Tasks for
Collectors and Analysts