Commanders are responsible for effectively managing risk. They must--
a. Executive Officer.
The executive officer (XO), as director of the staff, ensures integration of risk management in all aspects of staff planning, directing, coordinating, and controlling to support force protection.
b. Staff Officer. In the risk management process, each staff officer must--
c. Troop Leaders. Troop leaders must--
a. First Three Steps. During the planning of risk management procedures, include the first three steps of the five-step risk management process. These steps are as follows:
(1) Step 1. Identify the major events that are expected to occur during the operation and the hazards associated with all specified and implied tasks. The staff reviews and expands, as appropriate, the list of hazards and major events during the wargame. This procedure helps to ensure that all significant hazards have been identified, and the staff can determine the appropriate force protection measures.
(2) Step 2. Assess hazards. By assessing hazards and evaluating battlefield-framework synchronization, the staff can--
(3) Step 3. Develop controls, and balance a course of action's (COA's) benefits with its potential risks. The staff must--
Note: In order of priority, options are to eliminate risks through controls or materiel solutions. Leaders should check for residual effects before carrying out risk-reduction options, visualizing what will happen once they implement the option. Often, reducing one risk can create another which, in turn, could introduce other risks or inhibit the execution of Army operations.
b. Risk-Assessment Matrices. Risk-assessment matrices provide a simple analysis method of subdividing an operation into its major operational events to discover areas where the staff might eliminate or reduce risk. The matrix is nearly always more effective than intuitive methods in identifying the extent of risk.
(1) Unit commanders should use the four-level matrix that results in a mission risk assessment of low, medium, high, or extremely high. Other risk management tools that are used to assess hazards should be converted to the four-level matrix to ensure that the resultant hazard assessment product is compatible with risk decision guidance and risk-acceptance approval authority. Units can use the risk-assessment matrix alone or with other analysis techniques.
(2) When using a risk-assessment matrix, the risk assessor must--
c. METT-T Risk Assessment. Another technique the risk assessor can use is the mission, enemy, terrain, troops, and time available (METT-T) risk-assessment procedure. Leaders can subjectively decide the likelihood and extent of accidental loss based on this type of analysis. When using the METT-T format, the risk assessor must--
d. Fratricide Countermeasures. The commander's decision and supervision of fratricide countermeasures occur later in tactical decisionmaking (after completing the COA analysis). These important points are the means by which the commander benefits from his staff's work. Steps 4 and 5 are included here to preclude oversight:
(1) Step 4. Decide, implement controls, and integrate specific controls into plans, operation orders (OPORDs), standing operating procedures (SOPs), and rehearsals. Knowledge of controls, from the commander to the individual soldier, is essential for successfully implementing and executing controls.
(2) Step 5. Supervise. The commander must enforce controls. Leaders monitor, follow-up, verify, and correct or modify, as appropriate, controls that the commander imposes on his subordinates. When monitoring operational activities, leaders must--
Leaders also must balance the cost of risks with the value of the desired outcome. They must consider and manage risks in making such decisions using the following four general rules:
a. Never accept an unnecessary risk. The leader who has the authority to accept or reject a risk is responsible for protecting his soldiers from unnecessary risks. If he can eliminate or reduce a risk and still accomplish the mission, the risk is unnecessary.
b. Make risk decisions at the appropriate level. The leader who must answer for an accident is the person who should make the decision to accept or reject the risk. In most cases, he will be a senior officer, but small-unit commanders and first-line leaders might also have to make risk decisions during combat. Therefore, they should learn to make risk decisions during training.
c. Ensure that the benefits of a prudent risk outweigh the possible cost of the risk. Leaders must understand the possible risk and have a clear picture of the benefits to be gained from taking that risk.
d. Integrate protection into planning. Leaders must bring protection into the planning process. If there are means available to protect soldiers from known and possible hazards of a given mission, leaders need to plan for and use them.