Welcome to Military Decision Making Process (MDMP)

1. Welcome to Military Decision Making Process (MDMP) Step 1 Receipt of Mission

2. The Seven Steps of the MDMP Receipt of Mission Mission Analysis Course of Action Development Course of Action Analysis (War-Game) Course of Action Comparison Course of Action Approval Orders Production

3. Military Decision Making Process Input Output Receipt of Mission • Commander’s initial guidance • WARNO to staff • Initial IPB products Cdr’s Intent • Restated mission Initial CCIR • Updated staff estimates/products • Preliminary movement • Cdr’s planning guidance Initial ISR plan • Updated staff estimates • COA statements and sketches • Refine Cdr’s planning guidance • Wargame results • * Decisions support templates • * Task Organization • Mission to subordinate units • Decision matrix • Approve COA • Refine Cdr’s intent and guidance • Refine CCIR • OPLAN/OPORD • • Mission received from higher HQ or • deduced by the Commander and staff • •Higher HQ order/plan/IPB • •Staff estimates • •Facts & assumptions • Restated mission • •Cdr’s intent & planning guidance • •CCIR • •Staff estimates & products • •Enemy COAs • •Refined Cdr’s planning guidance • •Enemy COAs • •Friendly COAs • •Staff/BOS COAs • Wargame results • • Established criteria for comparison • Decision Matrix • •Approved COA WARNO #1 Mission Analysis WARNO #2 Course of Action Development Course of Action Analysis (War-Game) Course of Action Comparison Course of Action Approval WARNO #3 Orders Production Note 1: A star ( ) depicts Commander activities and decisions. Note 2: Rehearsals and backbriefs occur during preparation and ensure an orderly transition between planning and execution. Preparation Prepare Plan Assess Execution Execute

4. Step 1: Receipt of Mission • Process • Alert the staff • Gather the tools • Update estimates • Conduct initial assessment • Input • Mission from higher HQ or deduced by the commander and staff • Higher HQ plan, OPORD, or WARNOs • Output • Commander’s initial guidance • Initial operational timeline • Initial WARNO

5. Alert The Staff Upon Receipt of the Higher Headquarters Mission the Operations Section alerts the Staff of a pending planning requirement. Unit SOPs should determine Who participates in the Mission Analysis, Who the alternates are and Where they should assemble. Supporting or attached units obtain and review the SOP to ensure they understand their responsibilities. If the Commander want to use collaborative planning, participants from subordinate units are also notified.

6. Gather the Tools • The Higher Headquarters order or plan and graphics. (When possible, each staff section receives a copy of the higher headquarters base order or plan, task organization, their functional annexes, and a copy of the operational graphics.) • Maps of the area of operations. • Both their own and the higher headquarters’ standing operating procedures, (SOPs). • Appropriate field manuals • Current Staff estimates. • Other materials and products required.

7. Update Staff Estimates While gathering the necessary tools for planning, each staff sectionbegins updating its estimate—especially the status of friendly units andresources. While this task is listed at the beginning of the MDMP,developingand updating staff estimates is continuous throughout theoperationsprocess. During planning, staff members monitor, track,and aggressivelyseek information important to their functional area. They assess how thisinformation affects COA development and any recommendations they make. After the plan is approved, staff officers continue to monitor the situation and update their estimates in the form of running estimates. They pay particular attention to how new information or events affect recommendations and evaluations made during their initial estimate.

8. Conduct Initial Assessment • The commander and staff perform a quick initial assessment. This assessment includes determining the – • Time available from mission receipt to mission execution. • Time needed to plan and prepare for the mission, for both the headquarters and subordinate units. • Current IPB and other intelligence products available. • Staff estimates already current and those that need updating. • Time required to position critical elements—to include command and control (C2) nodes—for the upcoming operation. • The staff’s experience, cohesiveness, and level of rest or stress. • This assessment is designed to optimize the command’s use of time while • preserving time for subordinate commanders to plan and prepare for • operations.

9. Conduct Initial Assessment A critical product of this assessment is the initial operational time line. This time line includes allocation of available time for planning, preparing, and executing the operation. The commander and staff balance the desire for detailed planning against the time available to plan and prepare. Commanders generally allocate a minimum of two-thirds of the available time to subordinate units for planning and preparation. This leaves one-third of the time for the commander and staff to do their own planning (see Chapter 1- SMFM 101-5-2). The operational time line is refined during mission analysis and continuously updated. An important component of the operational time line is the staff planning time line. The chief of staff/executive officer or a representative outlines how long the staff can spend on each MDMP step. The planning time line indicates when certain products are due and to whom. It includes times and locations for meetings and briefings. It serves as a benchmark for the commander and staff throughout the planning process.

10. Conduct Initial Assessment • The Table on the next slide depicts a generic planning time line for a unit. It shows how much time can be devoted to each MDMP step, based on the time • between receipt of mission and execution. This sample time line is based on • the one-third/two-thirds rule, and uses the following percentages to determine the amount of time allocated to each step: • Receipt of mission 5% • Mission analysis 10% • COA development 20% • COA analysis/comparison/decision 35% • Orders production 30%

11. PARALLEL TRAINING FLOW CHART BrigadeBattalion Company Receipt of the Mission Receipt of the Mission Receive the Mission 5 % 1 Warning Order Warning Order Issue a Warning Order 10 % Mission Analysis Mission Analysis 2 Warning Order Warning Order COA Development Make a Tentative Plan 20 % COA Development COA Analysis 35 % COA Analysis Initiate Movement COA Comparison Conduct Recon COA Comparison 10 % (One COA Comp & App Brief) Complete the Plan COA Approval COA Approval 3 Warning Order Warning Order Orders Production Orders Production Issue the Order 20 % OPORD OPORD Generic Time Blocks from overall time Supervise and Refine

12. Issue Initial Guidance • Once time is allocated, the commander determines whether to use the full MDMPor to abbreviate the process. Time, more than any other factor, determines the detail to which the staff can plan. The commander then issues the initial guidance (not to be confused with mission analysis task 15 - Issue the Commander’s Planning Guidance). • Although brief, the initial guidance includes – • The initial operational time line. • How to abbreviate the MDMP, if required. • Necessary coordination to perform, including liaison officers (LNOs) to dispatch. • Authorized movement (to include positioning of C2 system nodes). • Additional staff tasks, to include specific information requirements. • Collaborative planning times and locations (if desired). • Initial IR or CCIR (as required).

13. Issue WARNO # 1 (Classification) (Change from Oral orders, if any) Place the required Classification at the top and bottom of every page of the Warning Order NOTE:A Warning Order does not authorize execution unless specifically stated. Copy __ of __ Copies Issuing headquarters Place of Issue Date/time group of Signature Message Reference Number WARNING ORDER #__ References: (Refer to Higher Headquarters operation plan or operation order and identify map sheet (s) for operation. (Optional) Time Zone Used Throughout the Order: (Optional) Task Organization: (Optional) 1. SITUATION a. Enemy forces. (Include significant changes in enemy composition Dispositions and courses of action. Information not available for inclusion in the initial warning order can be included in subsequent warning orders.) b. Friendly forces. (Optional) Only address if essential to the warning order. (1) Higher Commander’s Mission (2) Higher Commander’s Intent c. Environment. (Optional) Address only if essential to the warning order). (1) Terrain (2) Weather (3) Civil considerations d. Attachments and Detachments. (Initial task organization, only address major unit changes) 2. MISSION (Issuing headquarters’ mission at the time of the warning order. This is nothing more than higher headquarters’ restated mission or commander’s decisions during military decision making process) • WARNO #1 includes, as a minimum • the type of operation • general location of operation • initial operational timeline • any movements to initiate • any collaborative planning sessions directed by the Cdr • initial IR or CCIR • ISR tasks SMFM 101-5-2

14. Issue WARNO # 1 • 3. EXECUTION • Intent (When available). • a. Concept of operation (Provide as much information as available; this may be none during the initial warning order.) • b. Tasks to maneuver units (Any information on tasks to units for execution, movement to initiate, reconnaissance to initiate or security to emplace.) • c. Tasks to Other Combat and Combat Support Units. (See paragraph 3b) • d. Coordinating instructions. (Include any information available at the time of the issuance of the warning order. It may include the following: • Commander’s critical information requirements • Risk guidance • Deception Guidance • Specific priorities, in order of completion • Time line • Guidance on orders and rehearsals • Orders group meeting (attendees, location and time) • Earliest movement time and degree of notice • 4. SERVICE SUPPORT (Optional) Include any known logistics preparation for the operation • a. Special equipment. (Identifying requirements and coordinating transfer to using units.) • b. Transportation. (Identifying requirements and coordinating for pre-position of assets.) • 5. COMMAND AND SIGNAL (Optional) • a. Command. (State the chain of command if different from unit standing operating procedures.) • b. Signal. (Identify current signal operating instructions edition and pre-position signal assets to support operation) • ACKNOWLEDGE: (Mandatory) • NAME (Commander’s last name) • OFFICIAL: RANK (Commander’s rank) • ANNEXES: • DISTRIBUTION: • (Classification)

15. Questions