JP 3-60, page 114

Appendix D D-6 JP 3-60 purpose does it serve? Without these pre-attack assessments, wartime functional damage assessments may be inadequately stated. Ideally, BDA will be performed by, or with, the input of the targeteer who originally targeted the facility/equipment. 3. An estimate of the recuperation time required for the enemy to repair or reconstitute should always be part of a BDAREP. This time (expressed in hours, days, etc.) is an estimate based upon type, degree, and location of the physical damage. Factors used to calculate recuperation times include the availability of spares, backup or alternate replacement functions, operational tempo, expected duration of hostilities, and the enemy’s determination to repair or replace. This requires the integration of theater and national source information. The theater JIOC has access to these sources and provides significant support. SIGINT, GEOINT, and MASINT sources are also useful. 4. Often, BDA analysts have relatively little information by which to make a functional damage assessment. Therefore, it is important for analysts to verify that the target critical elements were properly identified, that weapons effects were reasonably predicted beforehand, and that all available and relevant intelligence information is considered in the assessment. It is also important to document the referenced information sources and provide a confidence level associated with the assessment. 5. Developing appropriate indicators and collection plans ahead of time is crucial to timely assessments, especially if the damage cannot be directly observed. These indicators allow analysts to rapidly identify the critical elements, what sources are capable of collecting the required information, best collection time, what specific change in activity the sensor should collect, and how this change in activity determines the target’s functional status. This facilitates BDA collection planning since optimal collection times are more easily determined well in advance. Examples of such indicators and collections plans may be found in various DOD agency products, such as the JWAC’s functional damage assessment guides for electric power industry, lines of communications, POL industry, and telecommunications networks. (c) BDA Phase III, Functional Assessment of the Higher-Level Target System 1. Functional assessment of the higher-level target system is a broad assessment of the overall impact on an adversary target system relative to the targeting objectives established. These assessments may be conducted at the combatant command or national-level by fusing all phases I and II BDA reporting on targets within a target system. 2. BDA phase III produces a target system assessment for the theater of operations. SMEs compile the functional damage assessments of the individual targets within a system and apply it to the current system analysis or enemy order of battle. Although different weapons are involved, the process described above applies to BDA of targets attacked with nonlethal fires as well. SIGINT will often be the most capable collection asset for determining the actual functional damage to the target in these cases.