TC 1-05
Command and Staff
Coordinating staff officers are responsible for collecting information
and analyzing its implications and impact on the command. More
important, coordinating staff officers provide timely and accurate
recommendations to their individual commanders to help them make
the best possible decisions. While doing so, they often request and
receive information and recommendations from special staff officers.
They also inform other coordinating staff officers, as required.
Special staff officers
Special staff officers help commanders and other staff members
perform their functional responsibilities. The number of special staff
officers and their duties vary with the level of command. Special staff
sections are organized according to professional or technical
responsibilities. For example, the fire support coordinator
(FSCOORD) is the staff officer responsible for fire support. In some
cases, special staff officers command units. For example, the division
FSCOORD is normally the division artillery commander. Chaplains
may be selected as a special staff officer and remain as a personal
staff officer to the commander.
The commander delegates planning and supervisory authority over
each special staff function to a coordinating staff officer. Although
special staff sections may not be integral to a coordinating staff
section, there are usually areas of common interest and habitual
association. For example, a division G3 coordinates matters relating
to fires with the FSCOORD, engineer coordinator (ENCOORD),
Marine liaison team (MLT) commander, aviation coordinator
(AVCOORD), and air liaison officer (ALO).
Special staff officers usually deal routinely with more than one
coordinating staff officer. For example, the provost marshal (PM)
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10 May 2005
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