The level and sheer amount of paperwork we do as a deployed Army would amaze most people unfamiliar with the system. Especially the paperwork done by officers. Paperwork is by no means the most important thing I do, but it can definitely ruin plans, cost lives, or lead to lost equipment. For most Soldiers, a patrol begins with the briefing I give before leaving and ends when they take off their gear, but for me, I have a much longer process.
The first paperwork I have to do is the basic CONOP, or Concept of the Operation. In general, it is a one page document that lets another leader look at a single document that explains the task, purpose, and scheme of maneuver for any patrol. I'm pretty fast at writing CONOPs, especially when I have a similar mission as a previous operation. I can usually recycle a fair amount of what I've already written, so on average it takes me about fifteen minutes to write an order. If I have a larger or more detailed operation, it can take me up to an hour, depending on the graphics I need to make on PowerPoint or the maps and imagery I need to look at to plan the best mission possible. We usually try to have our CONOPs turned in several days prior to the actual mission, especially if we need assets not available at the company level, such as air assets.
Now if it is a larger mission, the amount of paperwork and planning involved becomes a bit ridiculous. Everything becomes much more detailed and involved, and the level of graphics required adds additional layers of complexity. Of course, I always try to adhere to the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid!) because of the ease of effort involved. There is a reason why only one piece can be moved at a time in chess. The OPORD typically is 11-20 pages long, but fortunately I don't have to write orders that long (just my company commander). My orders are quite a bit shorter as they only need to focus on my platoon rather than the whole operation.
As for the actual operation itself, there is obviously no paperwork that is involved. Although I do typically take notes on what I see and hear, especially when I am talking to the elders involved. I do not want to forget what they say to me, otherwise they will try to throw back into my face something I said or they thought I said. Of course, the translation from English to Pashto and back makes communication a bit more difficult.
When I get back from a patrol, I always have at least one piece of paperwork to deal with: the Debrief. It basically describes the events of the patrol and goes into detail about what I observed from the people and in the towns. That takes anywhere from fifteen minutes to a half hour, depending on the time of day (night) and my current state of exhaustion (or lack thereof). If something happens during the patrol such as a firefight, IED, or cache find, I have to create a storyboard to describe the events and show additional pictures and information from the patrol.
There is paperwork I never want to do. I never want to process paperwork for one of my Soldiers due to his injury or death. That would not be fun at all.
My NCOs also have paperwork to do, especially if we expended ammunition or took damage to one of the vehicles. They are responsible for maintenance on the vehicles, although I am ultimately responsible for everything that happens. I signed for all the equipment in the platoon, but then handed over the direct responsibility for each piece of equipment to my Squad Leaders. Of course, all this necessitates additional paperwork for supply. Inventory is not fun.
Additional paperwork I have to do involves rating my Squad Leaders and Platoon Sergeant, checking the work of my SLs evaluation reports, counseling individuals, and awards. Awards are typically difficult to write, but they are worthwhile if they get approved. Even if they do not make it, they show the Soldiers that I do care, and want them to succeed, and recognize them for their excellence. I would have to say that awards are both the biggest headache and greatest personal reward out of all the paperwork I have to do.
All of this paperwork I've talked about is simply the routine paperwork assigned to any Platoon Leader. I am also the investigating officer for a recent change of command inventory, and have to determine if anyone is responsible for the loss in equipment, or if it can be written off. I also need to write this month's company newsletter. I could very easily be chosen as the inspecting officer for inventories for the whole company, which would add a lot more paperwork and inspections to my schedule.
And I still haven't mentioned any of the paperwork I do as one member of the Company Intelligence team, working to provide the company with good intelligence that will enable better operations.
So for me, paperwork is an inescapable part of the job, and it will only get worse as I get higher in rank. However, there are a lot of resources to help me, and I very rarely have everything piled up at once. I can normally space it out and still get to be both around my Soldiers and go out and patrol, which are the things I love the most about being a Platoon Leader.
Definitely not the paperwork.
The first paperwork I have to do is the basic CONOP, or Concept of the Operation. In general, it is a one page document that lets another leader look at a single document that explains the task, purpose, and scheme of maneuver for any patrol. I'm pretty fast at writing CONOPs, especially when I have a similar mission as a previous operation. I can usually recycle a fair amount of what I've already written, so on average it takes me about fifteen minutes to write an order. If I have a larger or more detailed operation, it can take me up to an hour, depending on the graphics I need to make on PowerPoint or the maps and imagery I need to look at to plan the best mission possible. We usually try to have our CONOPs turned in several days prior to the actual mission, especially if we need assets not available at the company level, such as air assets.
Now if it is a larger mission, the amount of paperwork and planning involved becomes a bit ridiculous. Everything becomes much more detailed and involved, and the level of graphics required adds additional layers of complexity. Of course, I always try to adhere to the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid!) because of the ease of effort involved. There is a reason why only one piece can be moved at a time in chess. The OPORD typically is 11-20 pages long, but fortunately I don't have to write orders that long (just my company commander). My orders are quite a bit shorter as they only need to focus on my platoon rather than the whole operation.
As for the actual operation itself, there is obviously no paperwork that is involved. Although I do typically take notes on what I see and hear, especially when I am talking to the elders involved. I do not want to forget what they say to me, otherwise they will try to throw back into my face something I said or they thought I said. Of course, the translation from English to Pashto and back makes communication a bit more difficult.
When I get back from a patrol, I always have at least one piece of paperwork to deal with: the Debrief. It basically describes the events of the patrol and goes into detail about what I observed from the people and in the towns. That takes anywhere from fifteen minutes to a half hour, depending on the time of day (night) and my current state of exhaustion (or lack thereof). If something happens during the patrol such as a firefight, IED, or cache find, I have to create a storyboard to describe the events and show additional pictures and information from the patrol.
There is paperwork I never want to do. I never want to process paperwork for one of my Soldiers due to his injury or death. That would not be fun at all.
My NCOs also have paperwork to do, especially if we expended ammunition or took damage to one of the vehicles. They are responsible for maintenance on the vehicles, although I am ultimately responsible for everything that happens. I signed for all the equipment in the platoon, but then handed over the direct responsibility for each piece of equipment to my Squad Leaders. Of course, all this necessitates additional paperwork for supply. Inventory is not fun.
Additional paperwork I have to do involves rating my Squad Leaders and Platoon Sergeant, checking the work of my SLs evaluation reports, counseling individuals, and awards. Awards are typically difficult to write, but they are worthwhile if they get approved. Even if they do not make it, they show the Soldiers that I do care, and want them to succeed, and recognize them for their excellence. I would have to say that awards are both the biggest headache and greatest personal reward out of all the paperwork I have to do.
All of this paperwork I've talked about is simply the routine paperwork assigned to any Platoon Leader. I am also the investigating officer for a recent change of command inventory, and have to determine if anyone is responsible for the loss in equipment, or if it can be written off. I also need to write this month's company newsletter. I could very easily be chosen as the inspecting officer for inventories for the whole company, which would add a lot more paperwork and inspections to my schedule.
And I still haven't mentioned any of the paperwork I do as one member of the Company Intelligence team, working to provide the company with good intelligence that will enable better operations.
So for me, paperwork is an inescapable part of the job, and it will only get worse as I get higher in rank. However, there are a lot of resources to help me, and I very rarely have everything piled up at once. I can normally space it out and still get to be both around my Soldiers and go out and patrol, which are the things I love the most about being a Platoon Leader.
Definitely not the paperwork.
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