Ch. 4: Planning Info Operations

Planning

• Planning is the art and science of understanding a situation, envisioning a desired future, and laying out effective ways to achieve that future.
• Planning helps commanders create a common vision between commanders, staffs, subordinate commanders, and unified action partners.
• Planning results in a plan and orders that synchronize the actions of forces in time, space, and purpose to achieve objectives.
• Commanders and staffs integrate information operations (IO) into the plan from the beginning.
• The IO officer focuses on IO planning, but the entire staff contributes.
• Planning activities range from conceptual to detailed planning.
• Conceptual planning involves understanding the environment, determining the end state, and visualizing a general approach.
• Detailed planning turns the general approach into a complete, practical plan.
• Army design methodology (ADM) assists with conceptual planning, focusing on understanding, visualizing, and describing operations.
• The military decision-making process (MDMP) translates a commander's vision into an operations plan.
• Both the problem to be solved and the approach have significant information-related aspects.

Information Operations and Army Design Methodology

• Army Design Methodology (ADM) applies critical and creative thinking to unfamiliar problems.
• ADM helps commanders and staffs think deeply about the situation.
• ADM supports organizational learning through reframing to improve understanding of problems.
• Human-centered issues are driven by human decision-making.
• Framing the current state and desired future state of the information environment are key to framing an operational environment and developing an operational approach.

Information Operations and the Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP)

• Commanders use the MDMP to understand the situation and mission, make informed decisions, and create an operations plan or order.
• IO planning is integral to MDMP, encompassing intelligence preparation of the battlefield (IPB) and targeting processes.
• The G-2 (S-2) and fire support representatives participate in IO working groups.
• The IO officer ensures IO coordination with the overall operation.
• The scheme of IO clearly defines how commanders intend to employ and synchronize information-related capabilities.

IO Objectives

• IO objectives express specific and measurable outcomes and their timing, achievable, relevant, and time-bounded (SMART).
• IO objectives align with tactical and strategic theater goals.
• Accurate situational understanding is essential for establishing IO objectives.

Tasks

• Tasks support the achievement of IO objectives, developed specifically for a particular information-related capability (IRC).
• Tasks are initially discussed in general terms, then assigned later.

Flexibility and Lead Times

• IO planning requires adaptability and flexibility.
• Some information-related capabilities (IRCs) require substantial lead time for planning.
• Coordination across multiple lines of effort is essential.
• Intelligence is a factor in planning.
• Execution and assessment can have a time lag.

Receipt of Mission

• Receiving a mission involves initial assessment.
• A warning order (WARNORD) is prepared based on the assessment.
• Participation in initial assessments, reviewing running estimates, providing input to initial guidance, and preparing for further planning are crucial.

Running Estimate

• A running estimate is a continuous assessment of the current situation during IO planning.
• The running estimate aids in determining if operations are consistent with the commander's intent.
• The running estimate assists with the MDMP steps, facilitates communication, and provides a basis for recommendations.

Mission Analysis

• Mission analysis focuses on understanding the situation, determining the operation's purpose, and identifying information-related resources.
• The staff analyzes higher headquarters' plans and orders for relevant IO aspects.
• Higher headquarters' area of operations, available assets, missions of neighboring divisions, and planning schedules are identified.
• Planning that neglects these factors weakens operational coherence.
• The process of Initial Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) focuses on defining the area of operations, understanding the threat, specifying threat courses of action, and identifying threat capabilities and vulnerabilities.
• Conducting mission analysis involves defining the information environment by considering how military operations and threat capabilities affect it.
• Conducting mission analysis necessitates developing information overlays, diagrams, or other visual aids illustrating threat and friendly information elements.

Beginning Risk Management

• Commanders and staffs assess and monitor risks associated with IO throughout the operations process.
• IO-associated hazards fall broadly into three categories: OPSEC vulnerabilities, mission-command vulnerabilities, and IO tasks.
• IO assessments integrate into overall operations and staff planning efforts.

Develop Commander's Critical Information Requirements

• A commander's critical information requirement (CCIR) is a critical information element needed for timely decision-making.
• IO staff sections, including the IO officer, recommend CCIRs to the G-3 (S-3), who presents these to the commander for approval.
• Requirements vary according to the stage of operations, and information that impacts decision-making changes as an operation progresses.

Develop the Initial Information Collection Plan

• The staff identifies and prioritizes information gaps needed to support IO planning, execution, and assessment.
• Priority is established for information collection efforts answering specific critical information requirements (CCIRs).
• The initial information collection plan outlines the information demands to satisfy these demands.

Update Plan for the Use of Available Time

• The IO officer ensures a consistent plan from the moment of initial mission briefing to the operation's execution.
• The timelines for the planned operations align with the command and threat timelines to maximize efficiency.

Develop Initial themes and messages

• To ensure operational success, commanders should identify and engage critical actors and organizations.
• Public affairs officers (PAO) and Military Information Support Operations (MISO) personnel lead the theme and message development process.
• Higher headquarters, the Department of State, or geographic combatant commands specify the appropriate themes and messages based on the context of the operation and target audience.

Develop a Proposed Problem Statement

• A problem statement clearly articulates the discrepancy between the current situation and the desired end state, which drives the development of concrete solutions.

Develop a Proposed Mission Statement

• The mission statement outlines the purpose of the operation, addressing essential tasks supported by the IO officer's assessments.

Presenting Mission Analysis Briefing

• Present the results of mission analysis to the commander, to develop a shared understanding of the operation's variables and power elements.

Develop and Issue Initial Commander's Intent

• The commander's intent clarifies the purpose of the operation, the end state desired, and how to approach its achievement, clearly defining the overarching operation's goals.
• The IO officer develops recommended input to the commander's intent.

Develop and Issue Initial Planning Guidance

• Guidance is articulated to focus the staff's planning on aspects of the mission where IO is likely to increase effectiveness or be dominant.
• IO decision-making authority is specified to provide necessary oversight and control during operations.

Begin Risk Management

• IO risk assessment is integrated into the overall process and staff sections provide input.
• Hazards are categorized to aid in focused planning.

Course of Action Evaluation Criteria

• Course of action (COA) evaluation criteria are used to measure relative effectiveness of the different courses of action, aiding in objective selection.
• The criteria aid in understanding the relative strengths and weaknesses of potentially different courses of action.

Issue Warning Order

• A warning order (WARNORD) encompasses the essential IO tasks, emphasizing changes to task organization and IO considerations in relevant paragraphs.

Course of Action Development

• The staff develops courses of action (COAs) that integrate combat power elements to meet the mission.

Assess Relative Combat Power

• Commanders utilize relative combat power analysis to evaluate the synergistic impact of IO on friendly forces.

Generate Options

• The IO officer assists the staff in exploring various ways IO can support each course of action (COA), considering necessary resources and trade-offs.

Array Forces

• The IO officer, alongside other staff members, aligns forces to identify resources and make informed decisions regarding force configuration, addressing the factors that influence the decision process.

Develop a Broad Concept

• IO initiatives are articulated in terms of objectives and specific actions, providing a framework for execution consistent with commander’s intent.
• IO objectives should support the commander's overall concept of operations and provide specific guidance.

Courses of Action Approval

• After reviewing and comparing COAs, commanders choose the most effective one and articulate their intent.

Orders Production, Dissemination, and Transition

• The IO Officer ensures input into the orders aligns with the approved COA.
• Coordination to ensure that IO is fully integrated into the operational plans.

This quiz explores the key concepts of military planning, emphasizing the integration of information operations and the distinctions between conceptual and detailed planning. Participants will learn how effective planning cultivates a shared vision among commanders and staff to achieve objectives. Gain insights into the Army design methodology and its role in formulating strategic plans.