DETECT
OPORD 26-300 · PHASES OF THE WATCH
01 · DETECT
A contact that should not be there
A patrol aircraft finds something wrong in an empty ocean, an empty sky or a quiet seabed. A FLASH report, a codeword — TRIPWIRE — and the watch begins.
02 · IDENTIFY
Prove who it is
Imagery, registers, a close pass at first light. Nobody acts on a hunch: you need a positive identification, and the sea and the clock do not wait.
03 · RESPOND
The least escalating action that works
Ask for the authority — NIGHTJAR — then decide how far to go. A boarding, an escort, a warning, or nothing at all: the rules of engagement tell you what you may do, not what you should.
04 · REPORT
Until relieved
Tell headquarters what you know, when you know it. At the end of the watch the admiral writes up your night — and tells you what was really at stake.
