2-94. Commanders initiate the MDMP upon receipt of, or in anticipation of, a mission. Commanders and staffs often begin planning in the absence of an approved higher headquarters’ OPLAN or OPORD. In these instances, they start planning based on a warning order (WARNORD), a planning order, or an alert order from higher headquarters. This requires active collaboration with the higher headquarters and parallel planning among echelons as the plan or order is developed. (See FM 6-0 for detailed instructions for conducting the MDMP.)

3-49. Commanders augment the team with other unit specialties and unified action partners, depending on the operational environment and the unit mission. The chief of protection determines the working group agenda, meeting frequency, composition, input, and expected output. Table 3-3 shows a sample purpose, agenda, and composition of a protection working group with staff inputs and outputs.

5-24. Commanders must be prepared to capture detainees in the defense. The treatment and proper handling of detainees can directly affect mission success and could have a lasting impact on U.S. strategic military objectives. All Soldiers must follow the fundamental principles of detainee operations.

7-141. Commanders designate a portion of the main body for use as the reserve. The size of the reserve is based on the mission variables and the amount of uncertainty concerning the enemy. The more vague the enemy situation, the larger the reserve. The reserve in a movement to contact typically constitutes approximately one-fourth to one-third of the force. On contact with the enemy, the reserve provides flexibility to react to unforeseen circumstances and allows the unit to quickly resume its movement.

9-28. Commanders and staffs thoroughly analyze the higher headquarters’ plan or order. They determine how their unit—by task and purpose—contributes to the mission, commander’s intent, and concept of operations of the higher headquarters. The commander and staff seek to completely understand—

1-25. Commanders apply tactics, an understanding of the situation, and judgment to create unique solutions appropriate to accomplishing the mission and the other specific mission variables. Usually several solutions exist for one problem, and some will be more effective than others. An ideal solution is decisive and postures the unit for future missions, while also providing the greatest flexibility for response to unexpected enemy actions within the higher commander’s intent.

1-165. Commanders designate main and supporting efforts to establish clear priorities of support and resources among subordinate units. The main effort is a designated subordinate unit whose mission at a given point in time is most critical to overall mission success (ADRP 3-0). It is usually weighted with the preponderance of combat power. Typically, commanders shift the main effort one or more times during execution. Designating a main effort temporarily prioritizes resource allocation. When commanders designate a unit as the main effort, it receives priority of support and resources in order to maximize combat power. Commanders establish clear priorities of support, and they shift resources and priorities to the main effort as circumstances and the commander’s intent require.

4-38. Commanders designate main and supporting efforts to establish clear priorities of support and resources among subordinate units. The main effort is a designated subordinate unit whose mission at a given point in time is most critical to overall mission success. It is usually weighted with the preponderance of combat power. Typically, commanders shift the main effort one or more times during execution. Designating a main effort temporarily prioritizes resource allocation. When commanders designate a unit as the main effort, it receives priority of support and resources to maximize combat power. Commanders establish clear priorities of support, and they shift resources and priorities to the main effort as circumstances and the commander’s intent require. Commanders may designate a unit conducting a shaping operation as the main effort until the decisive operation commences. However, the unit with primary responsibility for the decisive operation then becomes the main effort upon the execution of the decisive operation.

1-83. Commanders exercise their authority through decision making and leadership. Decision making refers to selecting a course of action as the one most favorable to accomplish the mission, and includes making adjustments to plans during the execution of an operation. Decision making includes knowing whether to decide or not, then when and what to decide, and finally, understanding the consequences. Commanders use understanding, visualization, description, and direction to make and communicate their decisions. Commanders rely on their education, experience, knowledge, and judgment in applying authority as they decide (plan how to achieve the end state) and lead (direct their forces during preparation and execution), all while assessing progress.

command and control – (DOD) The exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission. Also called C2. (JP 1). Referenced in ADP 3-0, ADP 5-0, ADP 6-0, ADP 6-22, FM 3-07, FM 3-96, FM 4-0, ATP 3-01.15, ATP 3-06, ATP 3-06.1, ATP 3-20.98, ATP 3-21.50, ATP 3-52.2, ATP 3-90.98, ATP 3-92, ATP 3-96.1.

7-156. Commanders rely primarily on fire assets and Army aviation assets to weight the lead element’s combat power, but commanders also provide it with the additional combat multipliers it needs to accomplish the mission. The fires system helps develop fire superiority when organized correctly to fire immediate suppression missions to help maneuver forces get within direct-fire range of the enemy.

1-88. Commanders, assisted by their staffs, direct the actions of their subordinates within their commander’s intent, the unit’s mission, and the concept of operations. Commanders provide direction and communicate information, usually in plans and orders that provide subordinate forces their tasks and instruct them how to cooperate within a broader concept of operations. In the process, they receive feedback from subordinates and supporting forces that allows commanders to update their visualization and modify plans. This feedback creates a reciprocal flow of information that leads to a shared understanding among all participants.

7-3. Commanders conducting offensive tasks employ the four defeat mechanisms—destroy, dislocate, disintegrate, and isolate—in various combinations to accomplish their mission against enemy opposition. (Chapter 1 discusses these four mechanisms.) Commanders seize, retain, and exploit the initiative when performing offensive tasks. Specific offensive tasks may orient on a specific enemy force or terrain feature as a means of affecting the enemy. Even when performing primarily defensive tasks, wresting the initiative from the enemy requires the performance of offensive tasks. The offense can also be used to support friendly operations in other domains, including air, maritime, space, cyberspace, and the information environment by employing the defeat mechanisms against key points or assets that support an enemy’s operations.

1-181. Commanders use the minimum number of control measures necessary to control their forces. Commanders tailor their use of control measures to conform to their higher commander’s intent. They also consider the mission, terrain, and amount of authority delegated to their subordinates. Effectively employing control measures requires commanders and staffs to understand their purposes and ramifications, including the permissions or limitations imposed on their subordinates’ freedom of action and initiative. Each measure should have a specific purpose: to mass the effects of combat power, synchronize subordinate forces’ operations, or minimize the possibility of fratricide. Chapters 4 through 8 address commonly used graphic control measures used during all operations.

3-39. Commanders understand, visualize, describe, and direct. They understand their AO, their mission, and the capabilities of their forces. Commanders create shared understanding by developing and issuing planning guidance based on their visualization of how to solve tactical problems. They then direct COA development and execution of the plan.

2-135. Commanders and staffs gather key facts and develop assumptions as they build their plan. A fact is something known to exist or have happened—a statement known to be true. Facts concerning the operational and mission variables serve as the basis for developing situational understanding during planning. When listing facts, planners are careful they are directly relevant to a COA or help commanders make a decision. Any captured, recorded, and most importantly briefed fact must add value to the planning conversation.

6-13. Commanders monitor MOEs and evaluate variances and change indicators for cause and effect to forecast failure or to identify a critical point of failure in an activity or operation. Based on this assessment, resources can be reassigned to mitigate the overall risk to the mission or to support or reinforce specific local security efforts. The goal is to anticipate the need for action before failure occurs, rather than react to an unplanned loss. Thorough staff planning during the MDMP allows commanders to accelerate decision making by preplanning responses to anticipated events through the use of battle drills, branches, and sequels. War-gaming critical events also allows commanders to focus their critical information requirements and the supporting information collection effort. Information developed during this process can be used to develop EEFI and indicators or warnings that relate to the development of protection priorities.

4-46. Commanders may change task organization to respond to an existing or a projected situation, such as forming a detachment left in contact before conducting a withdrawal. Commanders of recently reorganized units place special attention on ensuring that each element understands the unit’s overall mission. This requires commanders to ensure that objectives are synchronized and subordinates understand their control measures, movement routes, defensive positions, fire support plans, and specifically assigned tasks. It also requires specifying the standard operating procedures that each element of a task-organized unit employs. Synchronizing and integrating task-organized elements results in more effective employment of available combat power.

1-10. Command group personnel include staff representation that can immediately affect current operations, such as maneuver, fires (including the air liaison officer), and intelligence. The mission and available staff, however, dictate the command group’s makeup. For example, during a deliberate breach, the command group may include an engineer and an air defense officer. When visiting a dislocated civilians’ collection point, the commander may take a translator, a civil affairs operations officer, a medical officer, and a chaplain.

7-151. Commanders develop decision points to support changes in the force’s movement formation or a change from an approach march to a combat formation. Using both human and technical means to validate decision points, commanders must determine the acceptable degree of risk based on the mission. A commander’s confidence in the products of the IPB process and the acceptable risk determine the unit’s combat formation and scheme of maneuver. In a high-risk environment, it is usually better to increase the distance between forward elements and the main body than to slow the speed of advance.