EWS course - Planning Flashcards
2 basic functions of planning
- envisioning a desired future
- arranging a configuration fo potentioal actions in time/space to allow us to realize that future
reasons why planning is essential
- need to anticipate events/act purposefully to SEIZE THE INITIATIVE
- reduce the time lag between decision & actino on the battlefield
- help cope w/complexity when expeience is lacking
difference between plans and orders
plans are developed in advance of action
orders have an obligation to edecute
OPORD
directive for coordinatoin of an operation
FRAGORD
abbreviate an OPORD issued to eliminate the need to restate information obtained in the basic operatioanl order
WARNORD
allows subordinates time to prepare for contemplated action
EXORD
order to subordiantes to direct them to execute existing orders/plans and conveys guidance not in ordiginal orders
objective or planning
NOT to eliminate/minimize uncertinity but to allow us to decide/act efficiently in teh midst of uncertainty
mistakes of planning
- attempt to forecast too far intot he futrue
- too much detail restricts options
- planning used as a scripted process tht tries to prescribe friendly/enemy action in precision
- inflexible/lockstep/overly rigid procedures
analysis (in planning)
“science of planning”
- decomposing the subject itno parts
0 study ing issues that impat the deicsion
DOES NOT: make creative decisions central to planning
synthesis (in planning)
“art of planning”
creative process of integrating elements into a cohesive whole
- needs creativity and judgment
components of a plan
- desired outcome/intent
- purpose
- time element for when to achieve that mission
- goals & objectives
- actions intended to achieve the desired outcome
- control processes (feedback mechanisms) to supervise exdecution
how closely two or more actions in a plan interact
coupling
coupling
how closely two or more actions in a plan interact
- tight or loose
tight coupling
close relationships between two parts
precise coordinatoin is needed
loose coupling
doesn’t need precise relationships but tolerate friction/disruption better. greater freedom of action and variance in execution
“lever that allows a CO to influence the environment/adversary”
information
tools for the CDR to achieve information
CCIR (PIF/FFIR)
decision support matrix
decision support template
RFI
definition of infomation management
sum of the processes of collaboration and sharing of informatoin
- enables CDRs to formulate/analyze COA and make decisions/adjust plans
principles of information management
- Define the information flow with prioritized requirements
- Seek to deliver quality information
- Use multiple sources of information
- Deliver timely and usuable formats
- Identify and trap errors
- Protect information throughout its lifecycle
- Build understanding form the bottom up
- Decentralize information management execution
- Reduce complexity
- Tailor information for intended audience
- Set conditions for information development and sharing
7 quality characteristics of informatoin
accuracy
relevant
timeliness
usability
completeness
brevity
security
information sharing styles
supply push (push infomation to the user)
demand pull (seeks out specific infomation)
supply push (information)
information is pushed rom source to user
advantage: CDR doesn’t need to request it b/c will be delivered in atimely manner
disadvantage: information overload
demand pull (informstion)
seeks out information as rquired.
advantageL moves through chain of command until it reachesthe correct place so avoids information overload
disadvantage: increases time isince the search for information may not begin until the users ID need
3 tenets of MCPP
top down planning
single battle concept
integrated planning
difference between process and procedures
process: series of related activities
procedures: more rigid adherence to prescribed steps
top down planning
1 of the 3 tenets of MCPP
CDR must not merely participate in planning; must drive the process
their intent/guidance is central to planning
single battle concept (r/t planning)
interrelationships beteen dispersed actions.
orchestrates teh efforts of all the elements of the force to accomplish teh assigned missions
integrated planning
coordinated action towards a common purose by all elements ofhte force
problem framing
- understand environment/nature of hte problem
- what/where/when/why/how
theme of planning
fundamental responsibility of command
- CDR MUST be involved
what do we need in order to plan effectively
to plan effectively, we must understand the purpose, environmetn, and characteristics ofth e process as well ast he object and traits of itsprocess
planning as a maneuver
planning is a way to move from the current state to a more desirable future state
how to think about plans
a plan is an interim product based on the informtion/understanding known at the moment and always subject to revision as new information/understanding emerges
mere act of planning isn’t valuable in itself…
planning value when methods are appropriate to conditoisn/activities
planning, when done well…
- improves performance
- wise investmento f time, effort, energy
difference between force planning & operational planning
force planning: create & maintain military capabilities
operatoinal planning: mob, depoyment,employment, sutainment, redeployment of military forces to accomplish assigned missions
campaign plans
series of related military operations aimed at accomplishing a strategic/opertioanl objective within a given time/space
what do strategic plans ocover
the overall conduct of war
functional plan
specific functions like aviation, logistics, communcations, surveillance
tactical plans
covert he conduct of single miltiary evolution
directive
any communiction by which a CDR establishes policy or orders a specific action
concept plan
outlines the features/principles of a COA prior to the initiation of detailed planning
use to: evaluate the feasibility of a COA, inform higher HQ ofour intentions, initiate lower echelon planning
operational plan
for single action/series of connected actiosn to be carried out simultaneously or in succession
operational order
directive isued by CDR to subordinaes for the purpose of effecting the coordinated exection of an operation
FRAGORD
abbreviation of operational order that eliminates teh need tor estate information in teh original order
WARNORD
preliminary notice of an order which is to follow.
purpose: allow subordinates as much time as possible to prepare forthe contemplated action
EXORD
order to subordinates that directs themt o execute existing orders/plans nd conveys guidance not provided in earlier instructions
uncertainity & environment
uncertainity increases with teh length of planning horizon and the rte of change in the environmetn
2 defining features of planning challenges
uncertainty
time
planning horizon
refers to hwo far intothe future we try to shape events
- farther intot he futrue we can plan, the more time we can allow ourselves to prepare BUT the farther into the future, teh wider the range of possibiliities and the more uncertaino ur forecast
object ofplanning with regards to uncertainty
object of planning is NOT to eliminate/minimize ucnertainty…to allow us how to decide and effectively int eh midist of uncertainty
plans and value
plans lose their value over time and must be updated b/c situatoins change continuosuly
- build replanning/revision intothe plannign cy cel
problem of planning over time
all planning takes time…that may come at the expense of tempo
temptation when we try to forecast/influence future events
efforts toforecast/influence future events may tempt us to believe we have more control over the COA than w really do
- we may mistakenly come to believe that te object of planning is to impose control over battlefield events
what is war
interactive clash between independent wills
quote by Clausewitz & countless minor incidents
“Countless minor incidents – the kind you can never really foresee-combine to lower the general level of performance, so that one always falls short of the intended goal” – Clausewitz
problem of attempting to plan with too much detail
the result can be an extremely detailed plan that does not survive the friction of the situatoin and constricts effective action
how do you start to plan?
assess the situation
- gather information
- orient ourselvs tot he conditons (elements, dynamics, COG< critical vulnerabilities
- identify the problem we’d liket o solve
greateest contribution CDRs make tot he planningprocess
establishment of goals, objectives, and CDR intent
analysis (of a plan)
systematic process of studying a subject by successively decomposing the subject into parts and dealing with each part in turn
what must you be sensitive to when planning
all planningmust be basd on sensitivity to the time available
when do you do deliberate planning?
when there is no advantage to be gained by acting more quickly
when is tight coupling appropriate
if there is little chance of disruption or unanticipatd developments, relatively tight coupling may be apprpriate BUT most tactical situations have plan disruptons that are inevitable. so loose couple is more appropriate wtih: fricton, chance, unpredictibility, and interaction between independent wills
what level of structure is important on the battlefield
plans shouldprovide enough stucture tofacilitate necessarycooperation/directionbutnot so much structure that we sacrifice flexibility, tempo, initiative
ways to simplify plans…
- keep number of actions/plan to the minimum number required by the situation
- fewer actions simplify the C2 problem
- too many tasks can exceed the limits of effective span of control
plans and initiative
a good plan doesn’t eliminate the need for initiative but does facilitate it
DO/DON’t DO plans
DO NOT: think of a plan as an unalterable solution to a problem
DO: open architecture that allows us to pursue many possibilities. shoudl maximie freedom of action forthe future
planning & tempo
in general, planning should not occur at teh expense of tempo
BUT
we must be aware ofthe advantages to be gained by using less time
BUT
recognie taht taking moments early to consider our actins beforehand may allow us to act more quicly later
how do situations evolve as we plan for them
“situations continue to change while we plan for them”
how can you help subordinates plan for action?
WARNORD
plans & enemy contact
“no plan survives first contacft with the enemy”
planning and shaping
planning is the primary means by which we give advantageous shape to the course of events over time
objective of planning
provide maximum degree of freedom for future actions. that makes it more difficult for the enemy to anticipate/coutner us
thus, when momento f encounter arrives,we have not narrowed ourselves to only one COA
main benefit of planning
main benefit of planning drives not from consuming its products (plans) but engaging in theirporoductno
what is an enabler of C2
informatoin management
3 pillars of C2
informatoin,people, Cw3 support structure
informtion management
- sum of the process forthe collaboration/sharing of informatoin
- enables CDRs to formulate/anayze COA, make decisions, execute those decisions, and ajust plans accordinly
crucial to proper information flow
- identify/prioritie information requierments
- ensure resources are available/tasked to collect nd providet he prioritied information to the intended audience
- coordinate resources to the decisoin makeer when needed
what does information need to be in order to obtain knowledge/understanding
accurate
complete
relevant
how does information become knowledge/understanding
via processing, framed withing context, and used fo rCDr’s decision-making
2 basic uses for informatoin
- Create situational awareness as a basis for decision
- To direct/coordinate actions in the execution of a decision
- SO…information is critical to the decision making process and to the success of campaigns/operations/tactical actions
ultimate goal of informatoin mangementn
provide aprocess to enable the user to leverage C2 systems that empower personnelw ithrelevant skills to understand/shape battlespace clearly and recognize/collect/share critical information with decisonmakers in order to defeat opponents
CCIR
“What does the CDR need to know in a specific situatointo make a particular decision in atimely manner?”
Decision Support Matrix
- identifies key decision points/actiosn decided uponbythe CDR during planingphase
RFI
specific time sensitive requests for informatoin/products to support an ongoing crisis/operatoin not necessarilyr /t standingrequirements or scheduled intellgience production
-generated to answer a questionthat cnnotbe rsolved with organic assets and when the infomrtiondoes not exist withini nternal databases
responible for current operations versus future plans
G5 does future plans
futureoperatoins is G3
steps of MCPP
- Problem Framing
- COA development
- COA wargaming
- COA comparison/decision
- Orders Development
- Transition
problem framing
enhances understandingofthe OE/nature of theproblem
