A Questionnaire-Based Analysis of Order-of-Battle Elements

On a questionnaire administered primarily to field grade officers, 1258 respondents rated the value to them of the eight elements of tactical Order of Battle (OB) intelligence and of the 95 components of these elements. Respondents evaluated how essential each element or component would be to their job in each of four scenarios describing different levels of war, and also rank ordered the elements and the components within each element. Respondents agreed generally on the relative values of OB elements; ratings of usefulness followed consistent patterns which were confirmed by the forced rankings. Intelligence on enemy disposition was consistently rated the most valuable in all four conditions of war; enemy strength, composition, combat effectiveness, and tactics were also considered crucial. The perceived value of logistics intelligence increased with increasing intensities of war, while that of tactics and training was greatest in low-intensity conditions.