A TOC is a "command center", made up of trained leaders who guide, monitor and assist an active tactical element during a mission.
A Battle Captain is one of the main roles for tactical operations center (TOC) operations.
TOCs are manned with maps, computers, monitors, boards and radios to ensure the monitoring of operational progress and maintaining contact with soldiers in the field. It is divided into sections to better control the flow of information.
TOC set-ups include: • Area of Operation map with updated unit location/status
• Briefing Room
• Fire Support/CAS liason officer cell
• Communication cell
• Engineer liason officer
Battle Captain (BC): Job Description
BCs runs the day-to-day TOC operations and represents the S-3 (operations). As the BC recieves relevant battlefield information, he must organize and consolodate that information. With the complete battlefield picture, the BC can now synchronize the efforts to facilitate mission success for units in the field.
Duties Overview
Battle Captains have key duties to maintain:
Tracking Duties: • Daily Mission Tracker
• Daily Mission/Movement Tracker
• Other Unit Tracker
• Significant Activity Tracker
• Current Operation Tracker
• Future/Past Operations Tracker
Combat Status: • Combat Power Status
• Available Combat Support Status
FOB Related: • FOB Layout
• TOC Battle Drills: — Reaction to units in the field — TOC force protection
Task Organization:
• TOC personnel
• Combat units
• Combat Support assets
Various Other: • Communication (information dissemination)
• Shift Change/VIP Brief
Tracking Duties
Daily Mission Tracker
A list of the day's:
• Planned events
• Tasks
• Current mission
Daily Mission/Movement Tracker: • This tracks all members/vehicles/equipment leaving and/or returning to the forward operating base (FOB)
Other Unit Tracker: • Other units in your AO (Area of Operations) are tracked in order to avoid fraticide
Significant Activity Tracker: • The significant activity tracker tracks all activities that could have an impact on your mission or unit readiness
Current Operation Tracker: • This tracks all current operations with updates given to the TOC via battlefield units
Past/Future Operations Tracker: • This tracks the status/progress of past/future operations
Combat Status Duties
Combat Power Status: • The combat power status gives an accurate report of what you currently have available in terms of vehicles/equipment/supplies relative to the combat power that you normally have
Available Combat Support Status: This manages all the combat multipliers that the TOC is in possession of:
• Fire support & ISR
• Engineer & medical assets
• Communication & other support assets
BC: FOB Related Duties
FOB Layout: The map must show where the above mentioned items are located (equipment/vehicles/supplies) as well as where force protection measures are located
BCs are responsible for planning the layout of the: • Organizing the TOC into different sections
• Equipment (packed mortars, tripods)
• Vehicles (motorized, aerial and drones)
• Supplies (ammunition, medical, fuel and re-arm)
• Force Protection (fighting positions, bunkers, main gate)
TOC Battle Drills: • A series of battle drills must be designed to counter situations as they arise in the AO
2 categories of TOC Battle Drills include: • Reaction to units in the field (MEDEVAC, fire support, QRF activation)
• TOC force protection (FOB breach, react to indirect fires)
BC: Task Organization
TOC Personnel: • The BC must know who is under his direct operational control
Combat Unit(s): • These units are organic
Combat Support: • These units are not organic The BC must also know available combat multiplier asset(s).
BC: Other Duties
Communication: • The BC must disseminate the information he receives from different sources, analyse them and update the necessary forces (combat support assets, higher HQ, troops in the field)
Shift Change/VIP Brief: BCs need to inform their relief of:
• Events that occurred
• Current events
• Needs that must be met for mission success
A positive shift change is vital to maintaining the tactical momentum.
BC: Applied to Gaming
Utilizing a TOC allows for a more realistic gameplay. As in 'real-world' operations, supplies/resources/troops/equipment are limited in some manner. Having an in-game TOC allows you to create an area where these supplies are located. It is up to the game master to ensure that those assets are in fact limited in nature.
It is unrealistic to play with unlimited air/artillery support, vehicles that respawn and ammunition that never runs out. In the 'real-world', air support would never engage enemy forces without clear authorization, deconfliction and restriction of fires.
It is up to the game master to find a balance to ensure realistic game play.
There are 2 main ways to implement a BC for gaming:
• In-game TOC
"Pros" of in-game TOC: • More realistic
• Easier to manage ground units
"Cons" of in-game TOC: • TOC set up must be made in Editor
• Virtual TOC
"Pros" of virtual TOC: • Less impact on gameplay • Quick to set-up
"Cons" of virtual TOC: • Must have real world communications with players
Summary
• During a 'traditional' gaming session, the Ground Force Commander will act as the TOC/BC. This is both unrealistic and not easy to manage.
• Any 'real-world' military operation have the ground units interacting with their TOC.
• The Ground Force Commander usually does not actively control Fire Support.
• FOs (Forward Observers) may call in Fire Support themselves. However, the FDC (Fire Direction Control) manages all the requests by prioritizing their targets
• In essence, having a TOC or simply a BC is very important for gaming. Whether it be in-game or virtual, it allows for better situational awareness and control of the various assets.