9-72. During the mission analysis briefing or shortly thereafter, commanders approve the mission

unified command – (DOD) A command with a broad continuing mission under a single commander, composed of significant assigned components of two or more Military Departments that is established and so designated by the President, through the Secretary of Defense with the advice and assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (JP 1) Referenced in FM 3-57, ATP 4-43.

combatant command – (DOD) A unified or specified command with a broad continuing mission under a single commander established and so designated by the President, through the Secretary of Defense and with the advice and assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Also called CCMD. (JP 1) Referenced in FM 3-0, ATP 3-05.11, ATP 3-34.84.

2-271. Commanders rarely have enough time or resources to train all tasks. Each commander determines what essential supporting collective tasks must be trained to attain the required levels of objective training requirements for mission-essential task list (METL) proficiency. The concept of mission essential tasks provides commanders a process to provide their units a battle focus. Each mission-essential task aligns with collective tasks that support it. All company and higher units have a METL. Units with a table of organization and equipment have an approved and standardized METL based on the type of unit and focused on large-scale combat operations. Standard METLs can be found on the Army Training Network, Digital Training Management System, and Combined Arms Training Strategies websites.

9-80. Evaluation criteria are standards the commander and staff will later use to measure the relative effectiveness and efficiency of one COA relative to other COAs. Developing these criteria during mission analysis helps to eliminate a source of bias prior to COA analysis and comparison. Evaluation criteria address factors that affect success and those that can cause failure. Criteria change from mission to mission and must be clearly defined and understood by all staff members before starting the war game to test the proposed COAs. Normally, the COS (XO) initially determines each proposed criterion with weights based on the assessment of its relative importance and the commander’s guidance. Commanders adjust criteria selection and weighting according to their own experience and vision. Higher weights are assigned to more important criteria. The staff member responsible for a functional area ranks each COA using those criteria. The staff presents the proposed evaluation criteria to the commander at the mission analysis brief for approval.

2-47. The fourth aspect of applying judgment to resource allocation concerns posturing the force for subsequent operations. Commanders balance immediate mission accomplishment with resource requirements for subsequent operations. Commanders accomplish their missions at the least cost to the force, so they do not impair its ability to conduct follow-on operations. They visualize short-term and long-term effects of their resource use and determine priorities. At lower echelons, commanders focus more on the immediate operation—the short term. At progressively higher echelons, commanders give more consideration to long-term operations.

8-8. During planning, running estimates are key sources of information during mission analysis. Following mission analysis, commanders and staff elements update their running estimates throughout the rest of the military decisionmaking process. Based on the mission and the initial commander’s intent, the staff develops one or more proposed courses of action (COAs) and continually refines its running estimates to account for the mission variables. The updated running estimates then support COA analysis (war-gaming) in which the staff identifies the strengths and weaknesses of each COA. The staff relies on its updated running estimate to provide input to the war game. Following COA analysis, the staff compares the proposed COAs against each other and recommends one of them to the commander for approval. During all these activities, each staff element continues to update and refine its running estimate to give commanders the best possible information available at the time to support their decisions. The selected COA provides each staff element an additional focus for its estimates and the key information it will need during orders production. Key information recorded in the running estimate may be included in orders, particularly in the functional annexes.

2-101. The mission is the task, together with the purpose, that clearly indicates the action to be taken and the reason therefore (JP 3-0). Commanders analyze a mission based on their higher commander’s intent, specified tasks, and implied tasks. Results of that analysis yield the essential task—the task that when executed accomplishes the mission. The essential task becomes the “what” of the mission statement—a clear statement of the action to be taken and the reason for taking it. The five elements of a mission statement answer these questions:

2-62. A support operations officer or materiel officer is authorized in support commands and battalions. As the principal staff officer for coordinating logistics, the support operations officer or materiel officer provides technical supervision for the sustainment mission of the support command and is the key interface between the supported unit and the support command. The responsibilities of the support operations officer or materiel officer include, but are not limited to—

1-39. Commanders provide planning guidance to the staff based upon their visualization of the operation. Planning guidance conveys the essence of the commander’s visualization, including a description of the operational approach. Effective planning guidance reflects how the commander sees the operation unfolding. The commander’s planning guidance broadly describes when, where, and how the commander intends to employ combat power to accomplish the mission within the higher commander’s intent. Broad and general guidance gives the staff and subordinate leaders maximum latitude; it lets proficient staffs develop flexible and effective options. Commanders modify planning guidance based on staff and subordinate input and changing conditions during different stages of planning and throughout the operations process. (See FM 6-0 for sample planning guidance by warfighting function.)

2-19. Intelligence operations, like reconnaissance, surveillance, and security operations, are shaping operations used by the commander for decisive action. MI units use the operations process to conduct intelligence operations. Intelligence operations are conducted using mission orders and standard command and support relationships. Flexibility and adaptability to changing situations are critical for conducting effective intelligence operations. To plan and then remain flexible and adaptable, MI units and the intelligence staff must carefully deconflict and coordinate intelligence operations.

1-32. At the lowest tactical levels the ability to trust subordinate formations to execute their collective tasks and battle drills is essential. Building that trust is critical to rapid decision making in high pressure situations; commanders should be focused more on the problem to be solved when giving guidance than the methods that their subordinates might use. Subordinates must trust that commanders will employ mission orders to the maximum extent possible once they have demonstrated the attributes and competencies expected.

4-30. The simplest adjustment is reallocating resources. This normally provides additional assets to the decisive operation; however, some situations may require reinforcing a shaping operations. Changing the concept of operations adjusts the way the force executes the operation without changing the mission. Commander’s normally do this to exploit an unplanned opportunity or counter an unexpected threat. When reallocating resources or changing the concept of operations does not solve a problem hampering mission accomplishment, the commander may have to change the mission. Commanders change the mission only as a last resort. When they do, the new mission still must accomplish the higher commander’ intent. Table 4-1 summarizes a range of possible actions with respect to decisions made during execution.

4-22. Within the joint field office, ESF coordinators analyze the requirements and capabilities in coordination with the federal coordinating officer and DCO. Beginning with the DCO and continuing through the chain of command, each request for assistance receives an evaluation based on factors of legality, lethality, risk, cost, appropriateness, and impact on readiness. The staff supporting the DCO (known as the defense coordinating element) translates the mission assignment into a mission tasking order for the joint task force. Ideally, the federal coordinating officer and DCO determine the capabilities needed, allowing flexibility for command and control arrangements. The joint task force commander translates the mission tasking order into an operation order. The Geographic Combatant Commander decides whether to commit a standing joint task force. The Army Service Component Commander (ASCC) may employ a contingency command post as a joint task force or land component command. Conversely, the ASCC may designate an incoming headquarters as the joint task force or land component command. Federal military forces receive their missions when they arrive in the operational area.

9-76. Commanders provide planning guidance along with their initial commander’s intent. Planning guidance conveys the essence of the commander’s visualization. This guidance may be broad or detailed, depending on the situation. The initial planning guidance outlines an operational approach—a description of the broad actions the force must take to transform current conditions into those desired at end state (JP 5-0). The initial planning guidance outlines specific COAs the commander desires the staff to look at as well as rules out any COAs the commander will not accept. That clear guidance allows the staff to develop several COAs without wasting effort on things that the commander will not consider. It reflects how the commander sees the operation unfolding. It broadly describes when, where, and how the commander intends to employ combat power to accomplish the mission within the higher commander’s intent.

1-34. Trust is based on personal qualities, such as professional competence, character, and commitment. Soldiers must see values in action before such actions become a basis for trust. Trust is built through shared experiences and training deliberately developed by commanders or through the conduct of operations. During shared experiences, two-way communication and interaction among the commander, subordinates, and Soldiers reinforces trust. Soldiers expect to see members of the chain of command accomplishing the mission while taking care of their welfare and leading by example through shared hardships and danger.

3-33. As a supporting commander, the joint special operations task force commander would employ a special operations command and control element to facilitate his supporting commander’s responsibilities to a ground force commander. The element remains under the operational control of the special operations commander. The special operations command and control element assists the joint special operations task force commander in fulfilling his supporting commander’s responsibilities in several ways. It provides a positive means for the commander to ascertain the supported commander’s needs. The element may provide a responsive reporting capability in those situations in which the special operations commander is tasked to answer the supported commander’s information requirements. The element can exercise command of designated special operations units when the commander determines the need for such a command relationship to facilitate his supporting commander’s responsibilities. The element can also provide a monitoring capability if the commander decides to transfer operational or tactical control of his executing unit to the supported commander—for example, the attachment of Special Forces operational detachments with operational or tactical control to an Army forces commander in order to improve that commander’s ability to employ subordinate multinational forces. The special operations commander can attach these forces and pass control to the other commander with appropriate mission restrictions in accordance with his determination on the employment of those forces, such as “no reorganization of forces authorized” or “for use only in an advisory role with the designated multinational force.”

1-27. Depending on the echelon, all activities of the operations process can occur simultaneously within a headquarters. Divisions and corps headquarters are staffed with a plans cell, a future operations cell, and a current operations integration cell. These headquarters can plan, prepare, execute, and assess operations simultaneously, cycling through multiple iterations of the operations process. Companies however, tend to move sequentially through the activities of the operations process because they lack a staff. A company commander receives the mission and conducts troop leading procedures (TLP). After developing the plan, the company commander conducts rehearsals and supervises preparation prior to execution. The company then executes its mission while continuously assessing. Following execution, the company consolidates and reorganizes in preparation of a new mission starting a new cycle of the operations process.

9-68. Commanders should use tactical mission tasks or other doctrinally approved tasks contained in combined arms field manuals or mission training plans in mission statements. These tasks have specific military definitions that differ from standard dictionary definitions. A tactical mission task is a specific activity performed by a unit while executing a form of tactical operation or form of maneuver. It may be expressed as either an action by a friendly force or effects on an enemy force (ADRP 1-03). FM 3-90-1 describes each tactical task. FM 3-07 provides a list of primary stability tasks which military forces must be prepared to execute. Commanders and planners should carefully choose the task that best describes the commander’s intent and planning guidance.

6-18. A commander assigning the defensive mission defines the area to defend. A commander defending on a broad front may be forced to accept gaps and conduct noncontiguous operations. The FLOT will not be contiguous. (See figure 6-9.) Defending shallow AOs reduces flexibility and requires the commander to fight well forward. Narrow frontages and deep AOs increase the elasticity of a defense by increasing the commander’s maneuver options.