Strategic, Interagency & Intergovernmental Planning

Joint operation planning consists of planning activities associated with joint military operations by combatant commanders (CCDRs) and their subordinate joint force commanders (JFCs) in response to contingencies and crises. It transforms national strategic objectives into activities of joint forces.

The Department of Defense (DOD) conducts interorganizational coordination across a range of operations, with each type of operation involving different communities of interests and structures. This is especially pronounced for domestic and foreign operations, which are governed by different authorities and have considerably different US Government (USG) governing structures and stakeholders.

This SMARTbook is currently in development, projected for release in 2019. The Lightning Press will offer three specific Joint-Interagency related titles, plus already offers “JFODS5: The Joint Forces Operations & Doctrine SMARTbook, 5th Ed.” and more than a dozen related and supporting “military reference” and “national power” titles! (See “related titles” below.)

Gaining the Information Advantage in MDP

All military activities produce information. Informational aspects are the features and details of military activities observers interpret and use to assign meaning and gain understanding. Those aspects affect the perceptions and attitudes that drive behavior and decision making. The JFC leverages informational aspects of military activities to gain an advantage; failing to leverage those aspects may cede this advantage to others. Leveraging the informational aspects of military activities ultimately affects strategic outcomes.

The information function encompasses the management and application of information and its deliberate integration with other joint functions to change or maintain perceptions, attitudes, and other elements that drive desired behaviors and to support human and automated decision making. The information function helps commanders and staffs understand and leverage the pervasive nature of information, its military uses, and its application during all military operations. This function provides JFCs the ability to integrate the generation and preservation of friendly information while leveraging the inherent informational aspects of military activities to achieve the commander’s objectives and attain the end state.

The instruments of national power (diplomatic, informational, military, and economic) provide leaders in the US with the means and ways of dealing with crises around the world. Employing these means in the information environment requires the ability to securely transmit, receive, store, and process information in near real time. The nation’s state and non-state adversaries are equally aware of the significance of this new technology, and will use information-related capabilities (IRCs) to gain advantages in the information environment, just as they would use more traditional military technologies to gain advantages in other operational environments. As the strategic environment continues to change, so does information operations (IO).

Regardless of its mission, the joint force considers the likely impact of all operations on relevant actor perceptions, attitudes, and other drivers of behavior. The JFC then plans and conducts every operation in ways that create desired effects that include maintaining or inducing relevant actor behaviors. These ways may include the timing, duration, scope, scale, and even visibility of an operation; the deliberately planned presence, posture, or profile of assigned or attached forces in an area; the use of signature management in deception operations; the conduct of activities and operations to similarly impact behavioral drivers; and the employment of specialized capabilities -- e.g., key-leader engagements (KLE), cyberspace operations (CO), military information support operations (MISO), electronic warfare (EW), and civil affairs (CA) -- to reinforce the JFC’s efforts.

Inform activities involve the release of accurate information to domestic and international audiences to put joint operations in context; facilitate informed perceptions about military operations; and counter adversarial misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda. Inform activities help to assure the trust and confidence of the US population, allies, and partners and to deter and dissuade adversaries and enemies.

The joint force attacks and exploits information, information networks, and systems to affect the ability of relevant actors to leverage information in support of their own objectives. This includes the manipulation, modification, or destruction of information or disruption of the flow of information for the purpose of gaining a position of military advantage. This also includes targeting the credibility of information.

This SMARTbook is currently in development, projected for release in late 2020. The Lightning Press will offer three specific Joint-Interagency related titles, plus already offers “JFODS5: The Joint Forces Operations & Doctrine SMARTbook, 5th Ed.” and more than a dozen related and supporting “military reference” and “national power” titles! (See “related titles” below.)

Guide to Operational & Tactical Level Sustainment

SMFLS5:The Sustainment & Multifunctional Logistics SMARTbook, 5th Ed. (Guide to Operational & Tactical Level Sustainment) has been completely updated for 2021. At 368 pages, SMFLS5 topics and references include the sustainment warfighting function (ADP 4-0); sustainment operations (FM 4-0), sustainment execution (logistics, financial management, personnel services, & health services support); sustainment planning; brigade support (ATP 4-90, Brigade Support Bn); division, corps & field army sustainment (ATP 4-93, Sustainment Brigade); theater support (ATP 4-94, Theater Support Command); joint logistics (JP 4-0); deployment & redeployment (ATP/JP 3-35); and more than a dozen additional new/updated Army sustainment references.

The sustainment warfighting function is the related tasks and systems that provide support and services to ensure freedom of action, extended operational reach, and prolong endurance. Sustainment determines the depth and duration of Army operations. Successful sustainment enables freedom of action by increasing the number of options available to the commander. Sustainment is essential for retaining and exploiting the initiative. The sustainment warfighting function consists of four elements: logistics, financial management, personnel services and health service support.

Sustainment is essential for conducting operations and generating combat power as the Army performs its strategic roles. Sustainment provides the operational commander freedom of action, operational reach, and prolonged endurance necessary to shape operational environments, prevent conflict, prevail in large-scale ground combat operations, and consolidate gains.

The effectiveness of the sustainment warfighting function is dependent upon actions of units and staffs at the operational and tactical levels. Execution is putting a plan into action by applying combat power to accomplish the mission. It focuses on actions to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative. Sustainment determines the depth and duration of Army operations. It is essential to retaining and exploiting the initiative and it provides the support necessary to maintain operations until mission accomplishment. Failure to provide sustainment could cause a pause or culmination of an operation resulting in the loss of the initiative.