WHAT IS A TTP?
In short, TTP stands for Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures. This is often associated with the military, but the concept bleeds over into anything from Law Enforcement duties to business practices. Let’s break down the TTP into its’ individual components and see what it means.
TACTICS
Tactics are nothing more than small scale methods for accomplishing a task. Feinting, for example, is a tactic used in maneuver warfare to trick an opponent and draw their attention elsewhere. This is something that is also used in street fights and boxing matches. The word “tactic” is thrown around so loosely that it has become an adjective.
Another way to look at a tactic is that it is merely a compilation of action/techniques that are used in a specific sequence, time, and area to achieve a goal. For doing the dishes, I have a set of tactics that I use, depending on what dishes I am doing. There is nothing fancy about the process I use to do the dishes, but it is a tactic to have a method of combining certain techniques to accomplish a goal.
Tactics by their nature are meant to be used in the short-term. Tactics differ from strategies because strategies are big picture goals and purposes. For instance, a self defense strategy could be avoidance of hazards. A tactic for this may be planning your routes to avoid danger areas right before a movement and dressing in non-descript clothing to discourage being targeted.
TECHNIQUES
Techniques are specific methods of accomplishing a task. A technique for planting a nail with a traditional claw hammer is to place the nail head against the handle and brace it with the claw. For reloading a pistol, many instructors will recommend that you “index the magazine with your index finger.
When you are thinking of “techniques”, try to think about the methods you will need to use to efficiently accomplish a tactic. For instance, a technique for reacting to contact may be to use “cover shooting” where you shoot at all possible cover. This is not just spraying and praying. This is deliberately aimed fire at possible cover/concealment. This technique was used to great effect by the Rhodesians in the African bush, which was think and easy to conceal yourself in.
PROCEDURES
Procedures are a specific set of steps used to accomplish a task. Think about this as being a recipe for the techniques. A procedure can have some flexibility, but the process is generally rigid and specific. Many techniques used in tactical maneuvers have a specific procedure due to the importance of control and deconfliction. For instance, when a tactic may be to conduct an immediate assault on a near ambush (ambush within 50 meters). The technique used would be buddy rushes. The procedure for doing that technique is:
Buddy team suppresses enemy with an ‘ambush weight’ of fire
#1 man yells “SET” and stays under cover while providing
#2 man yells “MOVING” while rushing forward for 3-5 meters to the next available cover. The idea is to limit exposure time to enemy fire.
Once behind cover, #2 man yells “SET” and covers the #1 mans rush.
Procedures can be slightly modified to account for terrain, weather, threats, etc. But the basic procedure remains the same.
HOW TO USE DEVELOP A TTP
You already have TTPs that you use throughout your day. The way you pay your bills and the routes you commute to work, and why you dress is essentially you acting out a TTP. Pretty much, if you have specific planned ways of doing things based on the weather or the situation, you have a set of TTPs.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOP AND TTP
TTPs and SOPs differ because SOPs are rigid methods and procedures that are relatively standardized and set in stone despite the situation. This is like having a coffee ritual in the morning where the first thing you do is get your brew started. TTPs are more versatile and based on the unique needs of the situation, but they are somewhat preplanned. A TTP that is not evolving and adapting to the needs of the user is an SOP.
A TTP CAN/SHOULD EVOLVE
TTPs in the military change often, based on the enemy, available technology, terrain, weather, etc. The TTPs used in WW2, for instance, are still applicable today as far as how to conduct small unit tactics and patrolling. We further enhanced these TTPs from the experiences gained in Vietnam. In fact, a lot of the infantry training I learned in the early GWOT was based on the experiences of the Marines and Army in Vietnam.