Army Composite Risk Management Class

Appendix N - Composite Risk Management

Composite Risk Management (CRM) is a decision-making process used to mitigate risks associated with all hazards that have the potential to injure or kill personnel, damage or destroy equipment, or otherwise impact mission effectiveness. The primary premise of CRM is that it does not matter where or how loss occurs because the result is the same - decreased mission effectiveness. The guiding principles of CRM are:

• Integrate CRM into all phases of missions and operations. Effective CRM requires the process be integrated into all phases of mission or operational planning, preparation, execution, and recovery.
• Make risk decisions at the appropriate level. As a decision-making tool, CRM is only effective when the information is passed to the appropriate level of command for decision. Commanders are required to establish and publish approval authority for decision making. This may be a separate policy, specifically addressed in regulatory guidance, or addressed in the commander's training guidance. Approval authority for risk decision making is usually based on guidance from higher headquarters.
• Accept no unnecessary risk. Accept no level of risk unless the potential gain or benefit outweighs the potential loss.

CRM is a decision-making tool to assist the commander, leader, or individual in identifying, assessing, and controlling risks to make informed decisions that balance risk costs (losses) against mission benefits (potential gains).

• Apply the process cyclically and continuously. CRM is a continuous process applied across the full spectrum of Army training and operations, individual and collective day-to-day activities and events, and base operations functions. It is a cyclic process that is used to continuously identify and assess hazards, develop and implement controls, and evaluate outcomes.
• Do not be risk averse. Identify and control the hazards; complete the mission.