INPUTINPUT• Mission Received or Deduced by CDR or Staff

OUTPUTOUTPUT• Initial Operational Timeline (4)

• CDRs Initial Planning Guidance (5)

• WARNO #1 (6)

The Military Decision Making Process

1. Alert the Staff

2. Gather the Tools

3. Update Staff Estimates

4. Perform an Initial Assessment

5. Issue the Initial Guidance

6. Issue the Initial Warning Order

1. Analyze Higher Order

2. Perform Initial IPB

3. Determine Specified, Implied & Essential Tasks

4. Review Available Assets

5. Determine Constraints

6. Identify Critical Facts & Assumptions

7. Perform Risk Assessment

8. Determine Initial CCIR & EEFI

9. Determine Initial ISR Plan

10. Update Operational Timeline

11. Write Restated Mission

12. Mission Analysis Briefing

13. Approve the Restated Mission

14. Develop the Initial Commanders Intent

15. Issue the Commanders Planning Guidance

16. Issue Warning Order 2

17. Review Facts and Assumptions

I. Receipt of Mission II. Mission Analysis III. COA Development IV. COA Analysis (War Game)

1. Analyze Relative Combat Power

2. Generate Options

3. Array Initial Forces

4. Develop the Concept of the Operation

5. Assign HQ

6. Prepare COA Statement & Sketches

1. Gather the Tools

2. List All Friendly Forces

3. List Assumptions

4. List Known Critical Events and Decision Points

5. Determine Evaluation Criteria

6. Select War Game Method

(Box, Belt, Avenue in Depth)

7. Select a Method to Record and Display Results

8. War Game the Battle and Assess the Results

INPUTINPUT• Higher HQ Order

• Higher HQ IPB

• Staff Estimates

OUTPUTOUTPUT• Updated Staff Estimates and Products (Continuous)

• Initial IPB (Enemy SITEMPs, MCOO, HVTs) (2)

• Initial CCIR (8)

• Initial ISR Plan (9)

• Updated Operational Timeline (10)

• Mission Analysis Briefing (12)

• Restated Mission (13)

• Initial CDRs Intent (14)

• CDRs Planning Guidance (15)

• WARNO #2 (16)

• Preliminary Movement

INPUTINPUT• Restated Mission

• Initial CDRs Intent, Planning Guidance & CCIR

• Updated Staff Estimates

• Initial IPB Products

INPUTINPUT• Refined CDRs Intent & Planning Guidance & CCIR

• Enemy COAs

• COA Statements & Sketches

OUTPUTOUTPUT• Updated Staff Estimates and Products

• COA Statements and Sketches (5)

• COA Briefing

• Refined CDRs Intent and Planning Guidance

OUTPUTOUTPUT• War Game Results & Products (8)

• Concept of Operations• Sync Matrix• Operations Overlay• Decision Support Templates (DST)• Task Organization• Mission to Subordinate Units• Recommended CCIR

• War Game Briefing (Optional)

V. COA Comparison VI. COA Approval VII. Orders Production

1. Evaluate COA Advantages and Disadvantages

2. Compare COAs

3. Develop a Recommended COA

1. Staff COA Recommendation (Decision Briefing)

2. Commander’s Decision

3. Commander’s Final Planning Guidance

1. Prepare the OPORD

2. Implement Risk Controls

3. Commander Reviews and Approves the Order

INPUTINPUT• War Game Results

• Criteria for Comparison

INPUTINPUT• Decision Matrix

INPUTINPUT• Approved COA

• Refined CDRs Intent and Guidance

• Refined CCIR

OUTPUTOUTPUT• Decision Matrix (2)

• COA Decision Briefing (3)

OUTPUTOUTPUT• Refined CDRs Intent & CCIR; High Pay-Off Target List

• Commanders Final Planning Guidance (3)

• Approved COA & WANRO #3

OUTPUTOUTPUT• OPLAN / OPORD

PR

EPA

RA

TIO

NEX

EC

UTIO

N

Define the Battlefield Environment

Describe Battlefield Effects Evaluate the Threat

Determine Threat COA

1. ID Significant Characteristics of the Environment

2. ID the Limits of the AO / Operational Environment

3. Establish Limits of the AI

4. ID the amount of detail required & reasonable within the time allotted

5. Evaluate existing data bases and ID intelligence gaps

6. Collect the required intelligence materials

1. Analyze the Terrain (O A K O C)

Develop MCOO

2. Analyze the Weather (V W P C T)

3. Analyze Factors of the COE & Civil Considerations (A S C O P E)

4. Describe effects on threat and friendly capability and broad conceptual COA

1. Update or create threat models

- Convert threat doctrine or patterns of operations to graphics

- Describe the threat’s tactics and options

- Identify HVTs & Conduct TVA

2. Identify threat Capabilities

(RCPA / Reverse WFF Analysis)

(Composition, Oder of Battle & Strengths)

(Doctemp & Disposition)

13 HVT CategoriesC3FS NBCMAN BULK FUELADA AMMOENGR MAINTRISTA LIFTREC LOC

1. ID Likely Threat OBJs and Desired End State

2. Identify the full set to threat COAs Available

(Time: In concept form “Generate Options”)

3. Evaluate & Prioritize Each COA

4. Develop Each COA in Detail (2+) (A G A D A P) (SITEMP & COA Statement)

(Including Timed Phase Lines)

5. Identify Initial Collection Requirements

(Event Temp & Event Matrix)

(Remaining Intel Gaps)

(Initial PIR & IR)

Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield

Targeting Decide (Detect, Deliver & Assess)

Mission Analysis COA DEV COA Comparison War Game

- MCOO

- COA & SITEMP

- HVTs & TVA

- Event Temp & Event Matrix

- Assets Available to Detect, Deliver & Asses

- Potential:

HPTL

TSS

- HPTL & TSS

- DST

- AGM

- Refined Event Temp / Event Matrix (EM)

- Updated PIR & IR

- TSM (Supported by FSM & EM)

InformationManagementProcesses

CCIR: info required by commander for decision-making PIR: anticipated IRs from wargaming processFFIR: info about available friendly forcesEEFI: info to protect from enemySIR: specific, actionable information requirements SOR: specific order derived from SIR