The skeleton is what you can bring into your exercise, and you should have this memorized! Now I'll go over some details about this:
ORIENTATION
Orientation is its own separate big category. Even though the acronym is OSMEAC, six paragraphs, it's still a 5 Paragraph Order. It's like The Hobbit to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The Orientation orients people to the area. You team will build a terrain model, which a crudely made map of the AO using dirt, twigs, rocks, trash, etc. Yep. You'll need to depict North.
Things to include in the Orientation:
North
Current Location & Bounds
OCOKA-W (acronym)
Obstacles (things that get in the way)
Cover and Concealment (where can you hide. Cover is physical safety. Concealment is hiding with camo)
Observation (how far can you see)
Key Terrain (important landmarks or areas you want to conquer)
Avenues of Approach (roads, trails)
Weather
Question
(And the end of the Orientation, you must say, "Are there any questions?" And if no one asks anything, say, "Hold all questions until the end.")
I. SITUATION
Enemy Forces
SALUTE (TSUALE)
SALUTE stands for:
Size- size of the enemy
Activity- what is the enemy doing
Location- where the enemy is
Unit- type/designation of the force
Time- when was the enemy seen?
Equipment- what did the enemy have
What is TSUALE then? It's just a better flow. "At 1200, a fire-team of Taliban soldiers was seen digging fox holes IVO (in vicinity of) White Mountain. They are equipped with small Soviet-style automatic rifles."
DRAW-D
DRAW-D stands for
Defend
Reinforce
Attack
Withdraw
Delay
At TBS we had to analyze each one of these capabilities and limitations. At OCS I believe you just pick one.
Friendly Forces
Higher Unit's Mission- this is the mission of the next higher unit. If you are a squad leader, this is your platoon's mission
Adjacent Units Mission - these are the surrounding units. If you are Squad 1, these will most likely be Squads 2 & 3
Supporting Units Mission- units providing support, for example, mortars/artillery. At OCS, this is NONE.
Attachments/Detachments - these are units attached to yours, for example, an engineering unit. At OCS, this is also NONE.
II. MISSION
This is one sentence long and includes the "5 Ws," Who, What, Where, When, Why. Your mission is taken from higher's tasking statement to you. I'll explain more in tasks. You will always say your mission twice. For example,
"On order, at 0800, 1st Squad will destroy the enemy located in the bunker south of White Mountain, in order to allow friendly forces to move freely through the area. I SAY AGAIN, on order, at 0800, 1st Squad will destroy the enemy located in the bunker south of White Mountain, in order to allow friendly forces to move freely through the area."
III. EXECUTION
Commander's Intent- This is the "why" statement of your mission, AGAIN, to ensure subordinate comprehension. "In order to allow friendly forces to move freely through the area."
Purpose- This is why your commander wants to conduct this mission. The "Why"
Method- This is how your commander wants to achieve the mission.
Endstate- This is what the commander wants to happen after the mission
Concept of Operations
Scheme of Maneuver- this is a big picture of how you are going to carry out your mission. It should be "anonymous", meaning you won't tell which specific fire team is doing what. It is useful to memorize this part of the order. At this point in the order, you will use your terrain model to demonstrate your plan. This is called "Walking the dog." There are six things that need to go into a scheme of maneuver.
Distribution of Forces ("Our Squad will consist of a Main Effort and two Supporting Efforts")
Form of Maneuver ("We will be conducting a FRONTAL attack." At OCS, you will use frontal attack.)
Direction of Attack ("We will be attacking the enemy North from the line of departure")
Tactical Control Measures - these are geographic locations that a commander assigns responsibility to. At OCS, these may also be their own section at the end of Execution.
Assembly Area- Friendly Forces Area
Attack Position- last covered and concealed place before crossing the line of departure
Line of Departure- line for coordinating departing attacking elements
Assault position- last concealed place before the objective
Objective- either where the enemy is, or a place you need to go to to complete the mission
Formation of Movement - This is what formation your units are in (Column, Wedge, Echelon, etc). For example, "Squad 1 will be departing from the Assembly Area in a Squad Column, Fire Team Column. When we reach the attack position, we will remain in a Squad Column, Fire Team Column. When we cross the line of departure, we will move in a Squad Column, Fire Team Wedge. At the Assault Position, we will transition into a Squad Online, Fire Team Online."
Consolidation Plan- this is how you consolidate after you achieve the objective. A "HASTY 180" is a semi-circle of Marines, each with their own sector of fire, that faces on the opposite side of the objective in order to protect any potential enemy return of fire. A "Consolidated 360" is a circle of Marines, each with their own sector of fire, protecting all sides of the objective. When briefing, you will say something like, "Upon destroying the enemy at the objective, we will conduct a Hasty 180. After no enemy counter attack, we will consolidate into a 360 and wait for orders from higher."
Fire Support Plan At OCS, this will be NONE. Fire Support Plan is indirect fire, like artillery. You won't have this at OCS.
Tasks - Remember how Scheme of Maneuver was anonymous? This part is not. In this section, you will give each of your subordinate units a task, written in the same format that the mission is written in. Also, remember earlier I said that your mission statement is taken from higher's tasking statement for your unit? Your subordinate units will take these tasks and turn them into their OWN mission statements. For example:
"1st Fire Team, you are the Main Effort. On order, destroy the center of the objective, in order to clear the AO of all enemy forces."
"2nd Fire Team, you are the Supporting Effort 1. On order, destroy the left side of the objective, in order to clear the AO of all enemy forces."
"3rd Fire Team, you are the Supporting Effort 2. On order, destroy the right side of the objective, in order to clear the AO of all enemy forces."
When your 1st Fire Team Leader hears their tasks, they will turn it into their mission statement for their own order. They will say something like, "Mission. 1st Fire Team, we are the Main Effort. On order, we will destroy the center of the objective IOT (in order to) clear the AO of all enemy forces."
You may recall that missions need the "When." "When" can either be a specific time, or it can be "order-based," like "on order" or "on signal."
When I made my terrain model kit for TBS I used laminated paper and marked Main Effort, Supporting Effort 1, and Supporting Effort 2 on one side. I kept this side up during the SOM. When I got to tasks, I flipped them over, where I had FT 1, FT 2, and FT 3 on the other side. You can use hand sanitizer to wipe them off if you change which FT is Main Effort or Supporting Efforts.
Coordinating Instructions - these are any other instructions that are relevant. At TBS, this will be more detailed, but at OCS, it will usually include:
Time of Attack
Base Unit- this is the unit that the other units base their movements around. "1st Fire Team, you are base unit." Then FT 2 and 3 know that when the Squad gets online, they use FT 1 to know where they should line up.
Order of Movement- This is the order that the units will move in. "Order of Movement, FT 1, FT 2, then FT 3." I have also seen this in the scheme of maneuver, but labeled ME, SE 1, and SE 2. Not only do you have to know what the order of movement is for your subordinate units, you should know the order of movement for your whole squad. For example. "We are 1st Squad. We are first in movement. Within our squad, order of movement will be 1 FT, 2 FT, 3 FT. 1 FT, you are the base movement."
Tactical Control Measures - I usually put this in scheme of maneuver, but it may be different in OCS. Do whatever the instructors tell you. When going over TCMs, reiterate the Formation of Movement.
IV. Administration & Logistics - At OCS, they keep it simple, something called "The 4 Bs." Beans, Band Aids, Bullets, & Bad Guys
Administration- Wounded in Action/Killed in Action? What to do with Enemy Prisoners of War (EPWs)? (People)
"In the event of a casualty, FT 2 will carry all WIA/KIA. In the event that we capture an EPW, FT 3 will disarm and transport them."
Logistics - M16 rounds? Food/Water? (Supplies)
"Before stepping off, each Marine will carry two canteens, a camelback, and 3 MREs. Each Marine will have two full magazines."
V. Command & Signal (you will not have radios or smoke grenades so this will be simpler than TBS. But better learn those hand-arm signals.
Signal "HAVOC" (Hand-Arm, Voice On Contact)
When crossing the line of departure, we will we using hand-arm signals. We will use voice on contact."
Command
Location of Key Leaders
"I will be located in between 1st and 2nd FT. Platoon Commander will be located with 2nd Squad. Company Gunnery Sgt and Company 1st Sgt, along with the Company Corpsman, will be located in the Combat Operations Center" (COC)
Succession of Command
"In the event I become a casualty, succession of command is as follows: 1st FT Leader, 2nd FT Leader, 3rd FT Leader."
"The time is now 0600. Are there any questions?"
After ending each order, state/ask, "The time is now 0600. Are there any questions?"
Then people will ask questions. I guarantee the questions will be related to the Scheme of Manuever, specifically Formation of Movement and Order fo Movement.