This study examines the change in fire support planning procedures from bottom-up to top-down. Prior to the mid-1980's, fire support planning at brigade and lower echelons was completed primarily in a bottom-up or decentralized mode. Now targets and fire support plans are being developed at the brigade level and disseminated through the battalion to the companies. The author provides the reader with background definitions, the evolution of top-down fire support planning, descriptions of each procedure, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. The author answers the research questions through descriptive analyses, a comparison matrix, and interviews with field artillery commanders and fire support officers. The author concludes that the change to top-down fire support planning was prudent. Top-down fire support planning is faster, facilitates synchronization, contributes to mass, and better links the scheme of fires to the combined arms commander's scheme of maneuver. The author recommends that we continue to use top-down fire support planning. Based on field interviews, the author determines that some company commanders and fire support officers do not support the procedure. Therefore, the author further recommends more education to our company grade commanders and fire support officers.

ADA 273934 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)