C515 Class Notes JPP Step 6
This lesson helps in understanding and applying joint doctrine and JPP.
It covers these areas.
Course of action approval consists of these sub-steps.
Introduction
The staff briefs the commander on:
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COA comparison and the analysis.
Wargaming results.
Review of important supporting information.
Prepare and Present the COA Decision Briefing
The briefing should include:
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A review of important supporting information, such as the current status of the joint force.
The current JIPOE.
Assumptions used in COA development.
Commander Selects/Modifies the COA
The commander may:
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Concur with staff/component recommendations, as presented.
Concur with recommended COAs, but with modifications.
Select a different COA from the staff/component recommendation.
Direct the use of a COA not formerly considered.
Defer the decision and consult with selected staff/commanders prior to making a final
decision.
Refine Selected COA
Once the commander selects a COA, the staff will begin the refinement process of that COA into a
clear decision statement to be used in the commander’s estimate.
Prepare the Commander's Estimate
The commander’s estimate provides a concise narrative statement of how the commander intends to
accomplish the mission and provides the necessary focus for campaign planning and contingency
plan development.
This is an example of a basic enemy/friendly situation.
It begins with Red forces attacking Yellow.
Red forces attain control of key Yellow terrain.
Red forces also achieve air superiority.
Yellow forces are near collapse. Yellow requests US military assistance.
The next step, after updating the situation, is stating the mission. First, state the mission you were
given from higher. Use this guidance or omit it if no mission is provided from higher.
Higher
Assist Yellow in defeating Red, expel Red forces from Yellow territory, and restore internationally
recognized border.
Use the mission statement developed during mission analysis for the restated mission.
Restated Mission
Defeat Red forces, restore border, establish security, and assist local government with infrastructure
reconstitution in order to return control to rightful civil authorities.
If no changes to the given mission statement are required, then state your recommendation for no
changes.
After briefing the friendly situation, mission statement, and commander's intent, the staff must brief
operational concepts and courses of action.
Changes from the Mission Analysis Briefing
Include changes in the following areas:
Assumptions
Limitations
Adversary and friendly centers of gravity (COGs)
Phasing of the operation (if phased)
Lines of operation/lines of effort
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Present Courses of Action
As a minimum, discuss:
COA # _____ (short name, e.g., ”Simultaneous Assault”).
COA statement (brief concept of operations).
COA sketch.
COA architecture.
Task organization.
Command relationships.
Organization of the operational area.
Major differences between each COA.
Summaries of COAs.
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COA Analysis
Review of the joint planning group's wargaming efforts
Add considerations from own experiences
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COA Comparisons
Description of comparison criteria (e.g., evaluation criteria) and comparison methodology
Weigh strengths and weaknesses with respect to comparison criteria
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COA Recommendations
Staff
Components
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Where can you find any guidance? You can get guidance from these sources. The first is from
commander quotes. The second is additional guidance given during planning.
Sources for Guidance
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Commander’s guidance: verbatim quotes from the commander
Additional guidance given during:
COA development; or,
Mission analysis.
Assumptions are also used in developing a COA. Assumptions fill in any information gaps so you
can continue planning.
Assumptions used in COA development include:
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Anything generated from mission analysis that is used to fill an information gap, allowing you
to continue planning; and,
Only those issues having operational significance.
Note: The staff tries to keep the number of assumptions to a minimum and tries as much as possible
to verify the information, and turn assumptions into facts. The more assumptions in lieu of facts, the
greater the risk to the plan.
A commander’s selected COA is normally briefed to and approved by the President or SecDef.
In the current global environment, where major military operations are both politically and
strategically significant, even a commander’s selected COA is normally briefed to and approved by
the President or SecDef.
Once approved for further planning by SecDef during the concept development IPR (IPR C), the
commander’s estimate becomes the CONOPS for the plan.
The CONOPS clearly and concisely expresses what the JFC intends to accomplish and how it will
be done using available resources. It describes how the actions of the joint force components and
supporting organizations will be integrated, synchronized, and phased to accomplish the mission,
including potential branches and sequels (JP 5-0, p. V-49).
Back to our Yellow-Red situation map. The US, along with remaining Yellow forces, created several
types of operations areas. These are: a joint operations area, a joint security area, a joint special
operations area, and an amphibious objective area. Depict these OAs on the map or drawing. If an
AO is provided by higher, depict that given AO. For subsequent maps or drawings, add these items.
Depict only what is needed to illustrate the COA. Remember to stay out of the weeds, not getting too
detailed.
For subsequent maps/drawings add:
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Any necessary operational control measures;
Component/unit boundaries; and,
Objectives, decision points.
Stay out of the weeds.
Which initial tasks should you do when starting to prepare a decision brief for a situation?
Depict the geographical area.
List the major events.
Depict the basic enemy/friendly situation.
Feedback
Start off preparing a decision brief by drawing out the area and where enemy and friendly forces are.
Also list any significant events that apply to the situation. Recommending a COA is the very last step
in this process.
If guidance from higher is used for the mission statement, what is used for the restated mission?
The mission developed during mission analysis for the restated mission
Feedback
Use the mission developed during mission analysis for the restated mission. The results of the
mission analysis step take into account all applicable factors for a situation.
Assumptions used in COA development include anything generated from mission analysis that is
used to fill an information gap, allowing you to continue planning.
This statement is true.
Feedback
Use any mission analysis assumptions to fill in the blanks, as long as they are only those issues
having operational significance.
What should be kept in mind when creating subsequent maps and drawings?
Any necessary operational control measures
Component/unit boundaries
Objectives and decision points
ALL CORRECT!
Feedback
All these factors apply to subsequent maps and drawings. Depict only what is needed to illustrate
the COA.
Remember what a COA statement consists of?
COA Statement: A brief statement that clearly and concisely sets the overarching concept of
operations for the COA.
This illustrates how operations are sequenced for COA 1.
Here is the C2 diagram. This diagram depicts how the JTF is organized.
These COAs and maps show how COA 1 plays out by phase.
What should you do if you develop multiple COAs?
What should you do if you develop multiple COAs?
If you develop two or more COAs, repeat the process depicting the other COAs.
Look for several differences when comparing COAs.
COA Analysis Differences
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Major differences in concepts
Example: immediate response versus gradual introduction of military forces.
Major differences in capabilities
Example: less combat power, more sustainment versus heavy forces.
Major differences in C2 and force structure
Example: integrated C2 versus parallel C2.
You can use these criteria when comparing COAs.
COA Evaluation Criteria
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Criteria must be tailored to the COAs and situation.
Be able to justify why the criteria was chosen.
Do not omit if only one COA is developed. The COA still must pass the evaluation criteria to
be a viable option.
Evaluation criteria need to be defined and/or measured.
Here is another method to compare COAs.
Alternative COA Comparison Method
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It uses plus, minus, or zeros to compare the COAs (with zero being neutral and a negative
cancels out a positive).
This comparison is based on a broad degree to which selected criteria support or are
reflected in the COA.
As you can see, by not using a scale or weighted comparison, you don’t get as clear a
differentiation between the COAs.
Note: COA comparison is not about crunching numbers. It is about quantifying the issues that you
and your commander have deemed important in accomplishing the mission at hand. It requires
thought and process by the same people who helped develop the COAs.
There are operational and strategic risks to consider.
Risks
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Use of operational reserve
Risk of losing low-density capabilities (e.g., UAVs)
Decision points
Finally, recommend a COA.
Recommendation
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Simple recommendation
Do not summarize your brief.
Omit if only one COA is developed. However, you still need to inform the CDR of the results
of the analysis, especially any risks.
Final Takeaways
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Every commander is different, and may want to see/focus on particular things.
A commander may already have an approved specific COA decision brief format to be used.
The chief of staff or J5 should be able to provide guidance in this regard.
JP 5-0’s course of action briefing guide is just that, a guide, not dogma.