CAMPAIGN PLANNING HANDBOOK - US Army …

1 CAMPAIGN PLANNING HANDBOOK Academic Year 2019 Editor: COL Mark Haseman United States Army War College Department of Military Strategy, PLANNING , and Operations Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania 17013-5242 Middle States Accreditation The Army War College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, (267) 284-5000. MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Initial accreditation was granted in 2004. i Table of Contents Page INTRODUCTION .. 1 CHAPTER 1: National Strategic Direction and guidance 3 Strategic Direction .. 3 National Level Strategic Documents .. 5 DoD/Joint Staff Level Documents.

2 7 Theater Level Documents .. 16 CCDR dialogue with National Leaders (Military Options, COAs and PLANNING ) .. 17 FDOs/FROs .. 23 CHAPTER 2: Joint PLANNING .. 25 Integrated Context .. 25 Multi-National PLANNING .. 26 Unified Action .. 27 Joint PLANNING .. 27 APEX and JPEC .. 28 Strategic and Contingency PLANNING .. 30 Conceptual to Detailed PLANNING .. 32 Campaigning .. 35 Detailed PLANNING .. 36 Risk .. 37 CHAPTER 3: Operational Design .. 41 Purpose .. 41 The Spectrum of Design .. 41 Joint and Army Design .. 41 Elements of Operational Design .. 43 Divergence and Convergence .. 44 Frames .. 45 Conducting Operational Design Methodology .. 46 o Understand and Frame Strategic guidance .. 47 o Understand and Frame the Environment .. 49 o Understand and Frame the problem .. 55 o Develop an Operational Approach .. 59 Organizing for Operational Design Work .. 67 Link between Operational Design, PLANNING , Execution and Assessment.

3 70 Reframing .. 72 CHAPTER 4: Joint PLANNING Process .. 73 Introduction .. 73 Initiate PLANNING .. 75 Conduct Mission Analysis .. 76 Develop Courses of Action .. 89 ii Analyze Courses of Action .. 103 Courses of Action Comparison .. 110 Approve a Course of Action .. 113 Develop the Plan .. 118 CHAPTER 5: Development of Theater Strategy and CAMPAIGN Plans .. 129 Introduction .. 129 Sources of guidance and Direction for Theater Strategy .. 131 Components of Theater Strategy .. 132 Using a form of Operational Design for Building a Theater Strategy .. 135 The Combatant Command CAMPAIGN Plan .. 140 Components of a Combatant Command CAMPAIGN Plan .. 145 Appendix A APEX IPR Process .. A-1 Appendix B Combined / Joint Task Force Headquarters .. B-1 Appendix C PMESII Systems Construct .. C-1 Appendix D OPORD Format with Staff Estimate Information .. D-1 Appendix E Commander s Estimate Format.

4 E-1 Appendix F Reference Times .. F-1 Appendix G Operation Assessment .. G-1 The most current doctrinal publications and CJCS guidance can be found at The CJCS Directives Library at and the Joint Electronic Library at Throughout this publication, Joint Doctrine and official instructions are printed in Courier New / Purple text. Emerging concepts, draft guidance ( the draft JSCP), and USAWC best practices are in Arial/black text. On charts, USAWC best practice additives are in blue / italics. Reconciling between formats ( a JP 5-0 chart is missing something found in JP 5-0 text) is in Green / Underline. iii List of Figures 1-1 Strategic Direction .. 4 1-2 The National Defense Strategy Strategic Approach .. 7 1-3 The Joint Strategic PLANNING System .. 9 1-4 Contents of the National Military Strategy .. 10 1-5 Coordinating Authority 1-6 Contents of the 2018 Joint Strategic CAMPAIGN Plan (Draft).

5 14 1-7 Options and Courses of Action (COAs) .. 18 1-8 Elements of Military Options .. 19 1-9 PLANNING in the Strategic 2-1 Integrated PLANNING .. 25 2-2 Joint PLANNING and Execution Community .. 29 2-3 Joint PLANNING Activities, Functions and Products .. 30 2-4 Strategic and Contingency PLANNING .. 31 2-5 Joint Design and PLANNING (Conceptual-Detailed) .. 33 2-6 Joint Risk Framework .. 39 3-1 Joint Design and PLANNING (Conceptual-Detailed) .. 43 3-2 Divergence and Convergence in PLANNING and Execution .. 44 3-3 Operational Design Framework .. 45 3-4 Holistic View of the Operational Environment (OE) .. 52 3-5 Tensions that Describe the Problem .. 57 3-6 Endstate Objectives Effects Tasks .. 61 3-7 Sample Line of Operation .. 63 3-8 Sample Lines of Effort .. 64 3-9 Brainstorming .. 69 3-10 Mind mapping .. 69 4-1 The Joint PLANNING Process (JPP) .. 73 4-2 Joint PLANNING Overview .. 74 4-3 JPP Step 1: Initiate PLANNING .

6 75 4-4 JPP Step 2: Conduct Mission Analysis .. 77 4-5 Sample Mission Analysis Brief Agenda .. 85 4-6 JPP Step 3: Develop Courses of Action .. 90 4-7 Relationship between End State, Objectives, Effects, and 93 4-8 COA Development Element for the Narrative/Sketch .. 100 4-9 COA DEV Brief Example Format .. 102 4-10 JPP Step 4: Analyze Courses of Action .. 104 4-11 Sample Wargaming Steps .. 107 4-12 JPP Step 5: Compare Courses of Action .. 111 4-13 Sample COA Comparison Matrix (Weighted Numerical) .. 113 4-14 Sample COA Comparison Matrix (Descriptive) .. 113 4-15 JPP Step 6: Course of Action Approval .. 114 4-16 Sample COA Decision Brief Agenda .. 115 4-17 Sample Commander s Estimate .. 117 4-18 JPP Step 7: Develop the Plan .. 118 5-1 CAMPAIGN and Contingency PLANNING .. 125 iv List of Figures (continued) A-1 APEX .. A-4 B-1 Potential JTF HQ .. B-3 G-1 CAMPAIGN Plan Assessments .. G-2 G-2 Operation Assessment Steps.

7 G-4 G-3 Linking End State, Objs, Tasks, Conditions and Mission to Tasks .. G-5 G-4 Linking End State, Objs, Tasks, Conditions and Mission to Indicators G-7 G-5 Comparison and Use of Information and Intelligence .. G-9 G-6 MOP and MOE Effectiveness Indicator Development .. G-10 1 Introduction The purpose of this document is to assist United States Army War College students during the Theater Strategy and Campaigning (TSC) course. It also serves to assist commanders, planners, and other staff officers in combatant commands (CCMD), joint task forces (JTF), and service component commands. It supplements joint doctrine and contains elements of emerging doctrine as practiced globally by joint force commanders (JFCs). It portrays a way to apply published doctrine and emerging doctrine at the higher levels of joint command, with a primary emphasis at the combatant command level. Throughout history, theater commanders have developed strategy and planned campaigns to synchronize efforts and sequence several related operations to achieve national security objectives.

8 General George Washington planned the CAMPAIGN of 1781 to coordinate the actions of a French fleet, a French expeditionary army, and his "main army" to destroy the British forces at Yorktown. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant planned simultaneous offensives by his subordinate commands against the Confederacy for the 1864 CAMPAIGN . During World War II, CAMPAIGN PLANNING became essential to coordinate the actions of joint and combined forces in all Allied theaters. As a mature example of CAMPAIGN PLANNING in the Pacific Theater of War, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur issued his Strategic Plan for Operations in the Japanese Archipelago, DOWNFALL, in May 1945. In this 25-page document, MacArthur explained how the plan "..visualizes attainment of the assigned objectives by two (2) successive operations (OLYMPIC and CORONET)." The cover letter described this plan as a "general guide covering the larger phases of allocation of means and of coordination, both operational and logistic.

9 It is not designed to restrict executing agencies in detailed development of their final plans of operation." In the wake of the publication of the 2018 National Defense Strategy and pending National Military Strategy, CAMPAIGN PLANNING has received renewed attention within the Department of Defense. As directed by the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, combatant commanders and subordinate commanders develop a comprehensive set of nested strategies and plans that must address global priorities while incorporating regional or functional strategies and CAMPAIGN objectives which are supported by other specific plans like theater security cooperation, contingency, and posture plans. All of these are developed in a dynamic strategic environment characterized by ongoing operations and variable national guidance . While joint and Service doctrine remain authoritative sources for PLANNING , this HANDBOOK provides ideas and insights for those charged with developing theater strategies and CAMPAIGN plans, whether as a coordinating authority or as a collaborator.

10 This HANDBOOK focuses at the combatant command and subordinate joint force command levels. In some cases, where there is an apparent dichotomy between joint and Service doctrine, the HANDBOOK reconciles the differences where possible and focuses on "best practices" for theater commanders. 2 This Page Intentionally Blank 3 CHAPTER 1: National Strategic Direction and guidance 1. Strategic Direction. Strategic direction is covered in CH II of JP 5-0. This chapter will summarize some elements of JP 5-0, make corrections (changes that have occurred since JP 5-0 was published), and attempt to explain some complicated structures. Strategic Direction. The President, Secretary of Defense (SecDef), and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) provide broad goals and issue-specific guidance to the armed forces and supporting agencies. These provide the purpose and vision that integrates and synchronizes PLANNING and operations of the JS, CCMDs, Services, joint forces, combat support agencies (CSAs), and other DOD agencies.