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Introduction
It is vital that the U.S. Army maintain readiness by being manned, trained, and equipped to respond to the most significant readiness requirement, conducting large-scale ground combat operations against a peer threat. ATP 2-19.4, Brigade Combat Team Intelligence Techniques, is the Army's doctrinal publication describing those techniques that the brigade combat team's (BCT) intelligence warfighting function uses when providing intelligence support to BCT operations. The techniques described in this publication, published 25 June 2021, apply across the Army strategic roles, with an emphasis on large-scale ground combat at echelons brigade and below within the infantry, armored, and Stryker BCTs. Intelligence Soldiers are highly encouraged to use the baseline information contained in ATP 2-19.4 while tailoring it to their specific unit and mission.
ATP 2-19.4 focuses on large-scale ground combat operations that require the BCT intelligence warfighting function to conduct intelligence operations continuously in order to provide commanders and staffs with detailed knowledge of threat strengths, vulnerabilities, organizations, equipment, capabilities, and tactics. This information enables commanders to plan for and execute operations.
In order to ensure successful operations, BCT commanders require intelligence about the enemy and other conditions of the operational environment (OE). Intelligence assists commanders in the tasks of visualizing the OE, organizing forces, and executing operations to achieve the desired tactical objectives or end state. As an element of visualizing the OE, intelligence supports the commander by providing situational understanding of the threat and predicting possible threat courses of action. In regard to the most significant readiness requirement, Army forces must strike a peer threat unexpectedly in multiple domains and from multiple directions, denying freedom of maneuver by creating multiple dilemmas that the enemy commander cannot effectively address.
The information contained in ATP 2-19.4 provides the doctrinal duties and responsibilities of the BCT intelligence warfighting function and describes the intelligence process within the context of the operations process (Figure 1). The goal of the ATP 2-19.4 update is to empower those intelligence Soldiers with the knowledge necessary to provide effective intelligence support to the BCT.
A New Focus
The Army updated its foundational doctrine to reset the focus on large-scale ground combat operations against a peer threat. This shift in Army doctrine, as well as updates to BCT intelligence capabilities, organizations, and structure,...