Exercise Pitch Black 22

Frag Drop 101

Flight Lieutenant Oliver Jiang, No. 87 Squadron (RAAF)

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Discussion up to:
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Scope
• Frag Drop 101
• Pre-Frag Brief
• Pre-Frag Briefing Guide
• Frag Drop Brief
• Frag Drop Briefing Guide

• Additional Concepts
• Mission Planning Room setup
• RFI process
• Acceptable Level of Risk

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Frag Drop 101

• The Pre-Frag Brief and the Frag Drop
Brief are the two formal intelligence
briefs delivered as part of the Mission
Planning Cycle

• “Frag” originates from “Fragmentation

Order”, which is sometimes associated
with the Daily ATO
(O) JASDF-USAF mission planning brief

• While similar, each brief is for a

different purpose
Reminder: The Pre-Frag Brief is at the start of the Design Initiation Meeting (DIM),
4 while the Frag Drop Brief is at the start of the Mission Analysis Meeting (MAM).
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Pre-Frag Brief
• Verbally delivered at the DIM using a map, target audience priority:
• Mission Commander
• Package Commanders
• Goal is to inform the MC about the tactical problems relevant to
their mission so that they can start scoping their initial game plan

• Key items to cover:

• Situation Overview Please retain and use the
• Targets (for air-to-surface weapons) provided Pre-Frag briefing guide
• Relevant adversary threats to the mission

• 5-10 minute brief, depending on complexity of the mission

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Frag Drop Brief

• Verbally delivered at the MAM using a map, target audience priority:
• Package Commanders
• Mission Commander
• Formation Leads

• More depth than the Pre-Frag to enable planners to actually plan

• Key items to cover:
• Situation Overview Please retain and use the
• Commander’s Intent and Objectives provided Frag Drop briefing guide
• Relevant adversary threats to the mission
• Assessed adversary COAs
• 7-15 minute brief, depending on complexity of the mission
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Additional Concepts
• Mission Planning Room setup
• Have the map on the planning table, brief off the map
• Have your briefing notes (printed or handwritten)
• Have printouts of your documents nearby
• One whiteboard may be assigned to track intel RFIs
• Assign someone to maintain custody of this whiteboard!
• If no whiteboard, have pen and paper to keep track of RFIs

• Have everything set up in the mission planning room

5-10 minutes before the DIM

• Try to stick to the timings for each brief

• Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse!

7 (O) Mission Planning whiteboard

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Additional Concepts
• RFI Process
• Two types of questions you will get during Mission Planing:
• Questions you can answer (please answer them!)
• Questions you can’t answer

• If you can’t answer a question, think about how you would phrase it
as an intelligence question
• What do they want to know?
• Why do they want to know the information? What would happen if they don’t
get an answer? When do they need the information by?

• Submit RFIs verbally to your TACMENTOR first

• We will answer what we can, may need to discuss with the Mission Director
• Some may need to be submitted using the Intel RFI register on VSE-O
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Additional Concepts
• Acceptable Level of Risk Table 1.3
Example
AOD
Tactics, Techniques,
Procedures
Implications and Example Expected
Daily Loss
Rate

• 5 level scale that quantifies how much risk the

Guidance
Template.
ALR

Commander is willing to allow assets to accept Low Operate outside known threat
weapon engagement zones;
mitigate environmental
Sustained operations, indefinite
duration. Preservation of
Normal
attrition
forces/capabilities is higher

• Linked to requirements for Blue tactics and hazards. Factor threats

destroyed or neutralized with
BDA prior to entering. High
priority than mission success.
(OEF, NATO Air Policing)

survivability Moderate
confidence of threat OB.

Accept only advantageous Unit is combat-ineffective in 60 < 1/100

engagements; (1) destroy, ±30 days; facilitates sustained
• May be determined by attrition rate or other air neutralize or suppress factor
threats prior to entering with
bomb hit assessment or (2) use
air campaign of defined
duration.

campaigning factors highly effective onboard

defensive system/low risk
tactic. High confidence of
(OPERATION DESERT STORM,
Allied Force)

threat OB.
Significant Prudently accept increased Unit is combat-ineffective in 72 < 1/5
risk; enter factor threat hrs; allows for TPFDD back-fill or
environments with (1) valid operational pause to halt losses.

• Most High Value Air Assets will generally counter-TTP or defensive suite,
and (2) if threats are disrupted.
Reasonable confidence in
(Linebacker 2, Package Q)

operate only to LOW

threat OB.

High Accept disadvantageous Unit is combat-ineffective in one < 1/2

engagements; enter factor
threat environments with (1)
valid counter-TTP or defensive
suite or (2) if threats are
disrupted.
ATO day; allows for back-fill on
next ATO cycle from in-theater
assets or for COD/msn
commander to direct “abort.”
(WW2 Schweinfurt Raid, Op

• Fighter aircraft may operate up to HIGH Extreme Accept any engagement that
results in some probability of
Tidal Wave)
Unit is combat-ineffective in one
sortie, no abort option; force
> 1/2

or EXTREME depending on the situation success. Enter any threat

environment.
annihilation is acceptable.
(WW2 Doolittle Raid)
NOTE: These terms were chosen to align with CJCSM 3105.01.

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(O) ALR definitions
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