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The California National Guard 40th Infantry Division (40ID), participated in Warfighter
Exercise (WFX) 22-4 Command Post Exercise at Fort Hood, Texas from 4-13 April 2022. The
WFX provided the 40ID with the tools and confidence to execute a WFX later in the year and
their follow-on mobilization in 2023.
Working with the Army’s III Corps during the WFX allowed the 40ID staff to solidify processes
while innovating new ways to synchronize the movement and maneuver with sustainment and
protection warfighting functions. The division’s protection cell is instrumental in
synchronizing the disparate warfighting functions. The protection cell is responsible for
preserving the effectiveness and survivability of mission-related military and nonmilitary
personnel, equipment, facilities, information, and infrastructure deployed or located within the
division’s operational area.
The 40ID’s Rear Command Post (RCP) used the Protection Prioritized List (PPL) as the central
planning product to synchronize all operations in the division rear area for the next 72-96
hours. Staff planners in the RCP organized the PPL within the Air Tasking Order (ATO)
framework that the fires warfighting function uses to plan air support, indirect fires, and Army
aviation attacks.
Synchronizing operations allows the RCP to maximize the limited resources of the division’s
Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (MEB), a multifunctional brigade headquarters designed to
command and control forces more efficiently from multiple organizations that conduct tasks
to enable support area operations. Maximizing the MEB’s efficiency helps extend operational
reach while limiting risks to forces (RTF).
Integrating the PPL to the ATO cycle allows for thorough staff analysis and coordination to
maximize resources while enabling the Division staff to assess risks to mission (RTM) during
the decisive operation. The “critical path” is what many in army staffs use to describe the
logical ordering and nesting of key products and meetings that facilitate the commander’s
decision-making. The Division staff invests a significant amount of time in determining the
specific critical path for their organization that best enables decision-making for their
commander. The RCP sustainment synchronization, transportation working group,
maintenance working group, and protection working group allowed staff planners to manage
information at various echelons, to extend operational reach and manage RTM.
