Chapter 2: IPOE Support to Planning and Decision Making - ATP 2-01.3 PDF

Chapter 2 IPOE Support to Planning and Decision Making IPOE AND PLANNING 2-1. Commanders conduct planning to— ⚫ Understand a problem or situation. ⚫ Envision a desired future. ⚫ Develop COAs, with assistance from their staffs, that can bring about that desired...

Chapter 2 IPOE Support to Planning and Decision Making IPOE AND PLANNING 2-1. Commanders conduct planning to— ⚫ Understand a problem or situation. ⚫ Envision a desired future. ⚫ Develop COAs, with assistance from their staffs, that can bring about that desired future. 2-2. During planning, commanders focus their activities on understanding, visualizing, and describing the OE, while directing and assessing operations. IPOE is one of the processes commanders use to assist in planning. IPOE supports the MDMP and troop leading procedures—two of the three methodologies that assist commanders and staffs in planning. MILITARY DECISION-MAKING PROCESS 2-3. The military decision-making process is an interactive planning methodology to understand the situation and mission, develop a course of action, and produce an operation plan or order (ADP 5-0). (See ADP 5-0 for more information on the MDMP.) The MDMP is a seven-step planning process: ⚫ Step 1—Receipt of mission. ⚫ Step 2—Mission analysis. ⚫ Step 3—COA development. ⚫ Step 4—COA analysis (war game). ⚫ Step 5—COA comparison. ⚫ Step 6—COA approval. ⚫ Step 7—Orders production, dissemination, and transition. 2-4. The MDMP methodology integrates the activities of the commander, staff, subordinate headquarters, and other partners to— ⚫ Understand the situation and mission. ⚫ Develop and compare COAs. ⚫ Decide on a COA that best accomplishes the mission. ⚫ Produce an operation plan or operation order for execution. 23 January 2024 ATP 2-01.3, C2 2-1 Chapter 2 2-5. Figure 2-1 shows the relationship between the IPOE steps and the MDMP steps. Figure 2-1. IPOE and the MDMP steps Understand the Situation and Mission 2-6. During the mission analysis step of the MDMP, the staff conducts IPOE to understand the situation and mission. The IPOE products developed during this step are discussed fully in chapters 3 through 6. The products listed below are critical to developing and comparing COAs, deciding on a COA, and producing an operation order: 2-2 ATP 2-01.3, C2 23 January 2024  IPOE Support to Planning and Decision Making ⚫ Intelligence gaps. ⚫ Information requirements. ⚫ Threat situation templates with associated COA statements and HVT lists. ⚫ Event templates with associated event matrices. ⚫ Relative combat power matrices for threat forces. ⚫ Geospatial intelligence tactical decision aids required to support continual planning (terrain effects). ⚫ Weather tactical decision aids required to support continued planning (operational climatology or weather forecast chart and weather effects matrix). ⚫ Civil considerations tactical decision aids required to support continued planning (civil considerations effects). ⚫ Estimates on how other significant variables may affect the mission. ⚫ Reconnaissance objectives. ⚫ The tempo and focus of reconnaissance, surveillance, security operations, and intelligence operations to answer PIRs and meet other requirements. Develop and Compare Courses of Action 2-7. In the COA development step of the MDMP, friendly COAs are broad potential solutions to an identified problem. These solutions are based on conclusions reached during initial IPOE and any refinement of those conclusions that occurs between the conclusion of mission analysis and the beginning of COA development. The primary IPOE product required for COA development is the threat situation template with the associated COA statement. Decide on a Course of Action that Best Accomplishes the Mission 2-8. In the COA analysis step of the MDMP, deciding on a COA enables commanders and staffs to identify difficulties or coordination problems and probable consequences of planned actions for each COA being considered. The primary IPOE products required for deciding a COA are— ⚫ Threat situation templates with associated COA statements. ⚫ Event templates with associated event matrices. ⚫ Relative combat power matrices for threat forces. 2-9. +During stability operations, additional products may be required, such as civil considerations overlays and assessments. Information collection operations conducted during the mission analysis step of the MDMP provide pertinent combat information that informs COA development. This information confirms or denies the threat situation template and the associated COA statement. Produce an Operation Plan or Operation Order for Execution 2-10. At the conclusion of the MDMP, the staff prepares the operation plan or order by turning the selected COA into a clear, concise concept of operations and required supporting material. The results of IPOE are included within the base order and appropriate annexes. TROOP LEADING PROCEDURES 2-11. The troop leading procedures extend the MDMP to the small-unit level. The MDMP and troop leading procedures are similar but not identical. Troop leading procedures is a dynamic process used by small-unit leaders to analyze a mission, develop a plan, and prepare for an operation (ADP 5-0). These procedures enable leaders to maximize available planning time while developing effective plans and preparing their units for an operation. 23 January 2024 ATP 2-01.3, C2 2-3 Chapter 2 2-12. The sequence of actions assists leaders in effectively using available time to issue orders and execute tactical operations. Troop leading procedures consist of eight steps. The sequence of the steps is not rigid. Leaders modify the sequence to meet the mission, situation, and available time. Some of the following steps may be performed concurrently while other steps may be performed continuously throughout the operation: ⚫ Step 1—Receive the mission. ⚫ Step 2—Issue a warning order. ⚫ Step 3—Make a tentative plan. ⚫ Step 4—Initiate movement. ⚫ Step 5—Conduct reconnaissance. ⚫ Step 6—Complete the plan. ⚫ Step 7—Issue the order. ⚫ Step 8—Supervise and refine. 2-13. The intelligence staff at the battalion intelligence cell develops and provides the IPOE products required by the company commander to use troop leading procedures. Commanders should not need to do any other refinement of these products. The following includes standard IPOE products provided by the battalion to assist the commander in using the troop leading procedures: ⚫ Threat situation templates and COA statements. ⚫ Terrain and weather products. ⚫ Tactical decision aids (such as MCOOs and terrain effects evaluations, weather forecast charts, weather effects matrices, and light and illumination data tables). ⚫ Civil considerations tools and products. Note. Company commanders coordinate with the battalion intelligence cell for any IPOE products or tools they may need. 2-14. Due to the lack of a staff and resources, as well as time constraints, the small-unit leader depends on the timely delivery of IPOE products developed by higher headquarters tailored to support small-unit planning. Specifically, the components of IPOE inform steps 2 through 5 and actions within the troop leading procedures. Step 2—Issue a Warning Order 2-15. The battalion intelligence cell provides IPOE products to the company commander on what to include in warning orders for areas such as but not limited to— ⚫ Terrain analysis. ⚫ Enemy forces. ⚫ AOs and AOIs. ⚫ Commander’s critical information requirements and essential elements of friendly information. ⚫ Risk guidance. ⚫ Surveillance and reconnaissance to initiate. ⚫ Security measures. ⚫ Deception guidance. ⚫ Mobility and countermobility. ⚫ Guidance on rehearsals. Step 3—Make a Tentative Plan 2-16. When developing a tentative plan, the company commander relies on the battalion intelligence cell to provide IPOE tools as the leader conducts mission analysis, COA development, COA analysis, and COA comparison and selection. 2-4 ATP 2-01.3, C2 23 January 2024  IPOE Support to Planning and Decision Making Mission Analysis 2-17. The battalion intelligence cell provides IPOE tools and products on mission analysis by evaluating enemy, terrain and weather, and civil considerations. This includes providing information and analysis on the terrain and friendly and enemy forces that most affect tactical operations. Course of Action Development 2-18. IPOE products assist the leader in constructing a solid COA. The purpose of COA development is determining one or more ways to accomplish the mission that is consistent with the immediate higher commander’s intent. A COA describes how the unit might generate the effects of overwhelming combat power against the enemy at the decisive point with the least friendly casualties. Course of Action Analysis 2-19. The battalion intelligence cell provides IPOE tools the leader can use to determine how the enemy will likely react during war gaming. War gaming assists the leader in synchronizing friendly actions while considering the enemy’s likely reactions. COA analysis begins with both friendly and threat COAs and, using a method of action-reaction-counteraction war game, results in a synchronized friendly plan, identified strengths and vulnerabilities, and an updated risk assessment. After developing the COA, the leader analyzes it to determine its strengths and vulnerabilities and gains insights into actions at the decisive point of the mission. COA analysis (war game) unites friendly and enemy forces on the actual terrain to visualize how the operation will unfold. Course of Action Comparison and Selection 2-20. The battalion intelligence cell provides products from IPOE to leaders to determine PIRs, friendly force information requirements, and essential elements of friendly information. Although essential elements of friendly information are not part of the commander’s critical information requirements, they still become priorities, and this information must be protected from enemy identification. Step 4—Initiate Movement 2-21. 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. Step 5—Conduct Reconnaissance 2-22. If time permits, leaders verify intelligence from higher headquarters by reconnoitering to seek to confirm PIRs that support their tentative plans. These PIRs usually consist of assumptions or critical facts about the enemy (including strength and location). The PIRs can also include information on the terrain (to verify that a tentative support-by-fire position can suppress the enemy, or an AA is useable). IPOE AND DECISION MAKING 2-23. Decision making refers to selecting a COA as the one most favorable to accomplish the mission. Decision making is knowing whether to decide or not, then when and what to decide, and finally understanding the consequences. Commanders make decisions in part based on the intelligence developed during initial IPOE and on the refinement of that intelligence throughout the operations process. (For more information on the operations process, see ADP 5-0.) 2-24. Commanders require accurate and timely intelligence about the OE to make informed and good decisions. Through IPOE, the staff aids the commander’s understanding of how the mission variables of enemy, terrain and weather, and civil considerations influence the OE and affect operations. IPOE also assists the commander in understanding how to influence, use, or employ these variables to achieve the desired conditions and end state. IPOE is essential in assisting the commander to— 23 January 2024 ATP 2-01.3, C2 2-5 Chapter 2 ⚫ Understand, visualize, and describe the OE: ◼ Understand. Understanding involves analyzing the mission variables in a given OE. IPOE defines and describes the mission variables of enemy, terrain and weather, and civil considerations but more importantly, concludes how the interrelationships, dynamics, and interactions of these variables cause changes in the OE. ◼ Visualize. Visualization involves developing situational understanding, determining an end state, and envisioning the sequence of events the force must ensure to achieve the end state. Every product developed during IPOE is essential in assisting the commander to visualize the situation. These products must be produced on time and in accordance with unit standard operating procedures. ◼ Describe. After commanders visualize an operation, they communicate their vision to the staffs and subordinate commands using staff products developed during IPOE. ⚫ Make and articulate decisions. ⚫ Direct, lead, and assess military operations. 2-25. One technique commanders and staffs commonly use during execution is the rapid decision-making and synchronization process. Throughout mission execution, continuous information collection is conducted to answer information requirements and to close intelligence gaps. The process is usually conducted based on an existing operation order that includes the IPOE products and estimates produced during the MDMP. The rapid decision-making and synchronization process has five steps: ⚫ Compare the current situation to the order. During execution, the staff looks for indicators of change that may affect the overall operation. These changes must be identified for the commander to the make necessary modifications to the operation plan. The event template and event matrix (developed during step 4 of IPOE) and the DST (a critical output of step 4 of the MDMP) are the primary staff tools used to identify variances and alert the commander to situations that require a decision. These products are updated as changes occur. ⚫ Determine the type of decision required. When a variance is identified, the staff describes the variance and determines if it provides a significant opportunity to friendly forces or the enemy. ⚫ Develop a COA. If the situation warrants the development of a new friendly COA, it may result in the creation of new or modified PIRs and HVTs. It may also require the creation of a new or modified event template and event matrix. ⚫ Refine and validate the COA. The commander and staff conduct a mental war game of the new COA. At a minimum the enemy situation template and COA statement, along with the friendly operations graphics and COA statement, are required to focus the mental war game. ⚫ Implement. The commander normally implements the new COA by issuing a fragmentary order. The following are issued as part of that fragmentary order: ◼ IPOE products, including the enemy situation template with COA statement and HPT list, and terrain, weather, and civil considerations products. ◼ Updated PIRs. 2-26. See ADP 5-0 for more information on the rapid decision-making and synchronization process. 2-6 ATP 2-01.3, C2 23 January 2024