Ch. 2 Support to Planning and Decisionmaking

IPOE and Planning

• Commanders plan to understand problems, envision desired futures, and develop Courses of Action (COAs) with staff assistance to achieve the desired future.
• During planning, commanders focus on understanding, visualizing, and describing the Operational Environment (OE), alongside directing and assessing operations.
• Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment (IPOE) is used by commanders to assist in planning and supports the Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP) and troop leading procedures.

Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP)

• MDMP is an interactive planning methodology used to understand the situation, develop a course of action, and create operation plans or orders.
• MDMP consists of seven steps:
  • Receipt of mission.
  • Mission analysis.
  • COA development.
  • COA analysis (war game).
  • COA comparison.
  • COA approval.
  • Orders production, dissemination, and transition.
• The MDMP methodology integrates the activities of commanders, staff, subordinate headquarters, and other partners.
• This aims to understand the situation and mission, develop and compare COAs, decide on a COA that best accomplishes the mission, and produce an operation plan or order for execution.

IPOE and MDMP Relationship

• The IPOE process involves defining the OE, describing environmental effects on operations, evaluating the threat, and determining threat COAs.
• The MDMP steps start with receipt of mission, mission analysis, COA development, COA analysis (war game), COA comparison, COA approval, and ends with orders production, dissemination, and transition.

IPOE During Mission Analysis

• During the MDMP mission analysis step, the staff conducts IPOE to understand the situation & mission
• IPOE products developed during mission analysis are critical for COA development/comparison, COA selection, and operation order production.
• Key IPOE products include intelligence gaps, information requirements, threat situation templates with associated COA statements and High-Value Target (HVT) lists.
• Further key products include event templates with associated event matrices, relative combat power matrices for threat forces, geospatial/weather tactical decision aids, and civil considerations aids.
• Additionally key products include estimates on how other significant variables may affect the mission, reconnaissance objectives, & tempo/focus of reconnaissance, surveillance, security, and intelligence operations to answer Priority Intelligence Requirements (PIRs) and other requirements.

IPOE During COA Development and Analysis

• During COA development, friendly COAs are based on conclusions reached during initial IPOE.
• The primary IPOE product required for COA development is the threat situation template with the associated COA statement.
• In COA analysis, deciding on a COA enables commanders/staff to identify difficulties, coordination problems, and probable consequences.
• The primary IPOE products required include threat situation templates with COA statements, event templates with event matrices, and relative combat power matrices for threat forces.

IPOE During Stability Operations

• Additional products such as civil considerations overlays and assessments may be required during stability operations.
• Information collection operations confirm or deny the threat situation template and COA statement.

IPOE and Order Production

• At the conclusion of the MDMP, the staff prepares the operation plan or order by turning the selected COA into a clear concept of operations providing supporting material.
• The results of IPOE are included within the base order and appropriate annexes.

Troop Leading Procedures

• Troop leading procedures extend the MDMP to the small-unit level, which is similar but not identical to the MDMP.
• Troop leading procedures are a dynamic process used by small-unit leaders to analyze a mission, develop a plan, and prepare for an operation.
• These procedures enable leaders to maximize available planning time while developing effective plans and preparing their units for an operation.
• Troop leading procedures consist of eight non-rigid steps.
  • Receive the mission.
  • Issue a warning order.
  • Make a tentative plan.
  • Initiate movement.
  • Conduct reconnaissance.
  • Complete the plan.
  • Issue the order.
  • Supervise and refine.

IPOE and Troop Leading Procedures

• The battalion intelligence cell develops and provides the IPOE products required by the company commander to use troop leading procedures.
• Standard IPOE products provided include threat situation templates and COA statements, terrain/weather products, tactical decision aids, and civil considerations tools/products.
• Small-unit leaders depend on the timely delivery of IPOE products from higher headquarters to support their planning.

IPOE and Warning Orders

• The battalion intelligence cell provides IPOE include areas such as terrain analysis, enemy forces, AOs/AOIs, Commander's Critical Information Requirements (CCIRs), and Essential Elements of Friendly Information (EEFI).
• It also includes risk guidance, surveillance/reconnaissance to initiate, security measures, deception guidance, mobility/countermobility, and guidance on rehearsals.

IPOE and Tentative Plans

• When developing a tentative plan, the company commander relies on IPOE tools from the battalion intel cell to conduct mission analysis, COA development, COA analysis, and COA comparison and selection.

IPOE and Mission Analysis

• The battalion intelligence cell provides IPOE tools/products on evaluating enemy/terrain/weather/civil considerations and provides information/analysis on terrain and friendly/enemy forces which most affect tactical operations.

IPOE and COA Development

• IPOE products assist leaders in constructing COA development, which aims to accomplish the mission consistent with the higher commander's intent.
• A COA describes how the unit can generate overwhelming combat power at the decisive point and with the least friendly casualties.

IPOE and COA Analysis

• The battalion intelligence cell using IPOE tools enables the leader to determine how the enemy will react during war gaming.
• Further using a method of action-reaction-counteraction war game, COA analysis results in a synchronized friendly plan, identified strengths and vulnerabilities, and an updated risk assessment.
• COA war gaming unites friendly and enemy forces on the actual terrain to visualize how the operation will unfold.

IPOE and COA Comparison and Selection

• The battalion intelligence cell provides products from IPOE to leaders to determine PIRs, Friendly Force Information Requirements (FFIR), and EEFI (essential elements of friendly information).
• Although essential elements of friendly information are not part of the commander's CCIRs, they still become priorities and must be protected from enemy identification.

IPOE and Initiating Movement

• The battalion intelligence cell provides IPOE products to leaders on any movement necessary to continue mission preparation or to posture the unit for the start of the mission.

IPOE and Reconnaissance

• Leaders verify intelligence by reconnoitering to seek to confirm PIRs that support their tentative plans.
• These PIRs consist of assumptions or critical facts about the enemy and can include information on the terrain.

IPOE and Decision-Making

• Decision making is selecting a COA as the most favorable. Commanders make decisions based on developed intelligence from initial Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) during initial IPOE and refined during the operations process (ADP 5-0.)
• Commanders require accurate and timely intelligence about the OE to make informed and good decisions.
• Through IPOE, the staff supports the commander's understanding of how the mission variables influence the OE.

Understanding the OE

• Understand: Analyze mission variables in a given OE, defining the mission variables of enemy, terrain/weather, and civil considerations.
• More importantly, analyzes how the interrelationships, dynamics, and interactions of the variables cause changes in the OE.
• Visualize: Develop situational awareness, determine an end state, and envision the sequence of events to achieve it.
• Describe: Communicate the vision to the staffs and subordinate commands using staff products.

Rapid Decision-Making and Synchronization

• Commanders and staffs use rapid decision-making and synchronization during execution.
• Continuous information collection is conducted to answer questions about the mission and close intel gaps.
• A comparison is made between the current situation verses the order to determine if there are changes that may affect the overall operation.
• Decision are made relating to opportunity for friendly forces or the enemy, and new Courses of Action are developed if needed.
• A mental war game is conducted of the new COA
• A fragmentary order is issued which includes IPOE products, and updated PIRs

This quiz assesses understanding of Intelligence Preparation of the Environment (IPOE) within military planning. It covers IPOE's purpose, integration with the Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP), and its role in enhancing situational understanding. Questions address outputs, threat templates, intelligence gaps, and the use of IPOE products by commanders.