Introduction to Plans and Orders

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Introduction to Plans and Orders
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Leadership is influencing people by providing
purpose, direction, and motivation while
operating to accomplish the mission and improving
the organization.
Today we will explore the various types of Plans
and Orders along with their characteristics.
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PLANS
A plan is a framework from which to adapt, not
a script to be followed to the letter.
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Nature of Planning
Military operations are uncertain and
unpredictable. They are complex
endeavorsstruggles between opposing human wills.
Commanders face thinking and adaptive enemies.
They can never predict with certainty how enemies
will act and react, or how events will develop.
Even friendly actions are difficult to predict
because of friction, such as human mistakes and
the effects of stress on individuals. Leaders who
understand the dynamic relationship that time and
uncertainty have on enemy and friendly forces are
better equipped to develop effective plans. Given
the nature of operations, the object of planning
is not to eliminate uncertainty but to develop a
framework for action in the midst of it.
(FM 5-0, Army
Planning and Orders Production)
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Characteristics of Plans and Orders
Plans and orders are the means by which
commanders express their visualization,
commanders intent, and decisions. They focus on
results the commander expects to achieve. Plans
and orders form the basis commanders use to
synchronize military operations. They encourage
initiative by providing the what and why of a
mission, and leave the how-to-accomplish-the-missi
on to subordinates. They give subordinates the
operational and tactical freedom to accomplish
the mission by providing the minimum restrictions
and details necessary for synchronization and
coordination. Plans and orders ---

• Permit subordinate commanders and leaders to
• prepare supporting plans and orders
• Implement instructions derived from a higher
• commanders plan or order

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Types of Plans
A plan is a design for a future or anticipated
operation. Plans come in many forms and vary in
scope, complexity, and length of planning
horizons. Several types of plans are

• Strategic plans cover the overall conduct of a
  war.
• Operational or campaign plans cover a series of
  related military operations aimed at
  accomplishing a strategic or operational
  objective within a given time and space.
• Tactical plans cover the employment of units in
  operations, including the ordered arrangement and
  maneuver of units in relation to each other and
  to the enemy in order to use their full
  potential.

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Tactical Plans
Operation Plan (OPLAN) An operation plan is any
plan for the preparation, execution, and
assessment of military operations. An OPLAN
becomes an operation order (OPORD) when the
commander sets an execution time. If time
permits, you may begin preparation for possible
operations by issuing an OPLAN.
Service Support Plan A service support plan
provides information and instructions covering
service support for an operation. Estimates of
the commands operational requirements are the
basis for a service support plan. The service
support plan becomes a service support order
when the commander sets an execution time for the
OPLAN that the service support plan supports.
Contingency Plan A contingency plan is a plan
for major contingencies that the command
can reasonably anticipate. Operations rarely
proceed exactly as planned. You prepare
contingency plans to gain flexibility.
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Fundamentals of Planning
These fundamentals lend rigor and focus to the
purely creative aspect of planning and provide a
crucial link between concept and application. The
degree of their application varies with the
situation. The six fundamentals of planning
are

• Commanders focus planning
• Planning is continuous
• Planning is time sensitive
• Keep plans simple
• Build flexible plans
• Design bold plans

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Outcomes of Planning

• Planning is the means by which the commander
  envisions a desired outcome, lays out effective
  ways of achieving it, and communicates to his
  subordinates his vision, intent, and decisions,
  focusing on the results he expects to achieve.
  The outcome of planning (the bottom line) is a
  plan or an order that
• Fosters mission command by clearly conveying the
  
• commanders intent
• Assigns tasks and purposes to subordinates
• Contains the minimum coordinating measures
  necessary
• to synchronize the operation
• Allocates or reallocates resources
• Directs preparation activities and establishes
  times or
• conditions for execution

We will have further discussions on the planning
process in future lessons.
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ORDERS
An order is a communication that is
written, oral, or by signal, that conveys
instructions from a superior to a subordinate.
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Types of Orders

• Operation Orders (OPORD)
• Service Support Orders
• Movement Orders
• Warning Orders (WARNOs)
• Fragmentary Orders (FRAGOs)

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Operations Order (OPORD)
An Operations Order (OPORD), is a text that
describes a military operation. An OPORD will
describe the situation facing the unit, the
mission of the unit, and what activities the unit
will conduct to achieve the mission goals.
Normally an Operations Order will be generated
at the regiment, brigade, or division level of
the organization and then given to lower echelons
to implement. The lower echelons in turn will
develop their own Operations Order which provides
more details as to what the subunits will do, how
they will do it, and with what equipment and
support. A standardized multi-paragraph
format is used for the operations order. The
OPORD is designed to lay out the general and
specific tasks of a mission into five
paragraphs

• Situation
• Mission
• Execution
• Service Support
• Command and Signal

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Service Support Order
A Service Support Order is an order that
directs the service support of operations,
including administrative movements. Service
support orders form the basis for the orders of
supporting commanders to their units. They
provide information on force sustainment to
supported elements. Service support orders are
issued with an OPORD however, they may be issued
separately when the commander expects the
force-sustainment situation to apply to more than
one OPLAN/OPORD. Service Support
information for an operations order will be
located under paragraph 4 (Service Support) of
the OPORD.
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Movement Order
A Movement Order is an order issued by the
commander covering the details for a move of the
command. Movement orders usually concern
administrative moves in the communications zone
or rear area. The logistics officer (S-4) has
primary coordinating staff responsibility for
planning and coordinating these movements.
Other coordinating and special staff officers
assist the logistics officer. These may include
the operations officer, provost marshal,
transportation officers, and movement-control
personnel.
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Warning Order (WARNO)
A Warning Order (WARNO) is a preliminary
notice of an order or action that is to follow.
WARNOs help subordinate units and staffs prepare
for new missions. They increase subordinates
planning time, provide details of the impending
operation, and detail events that accompany
preparation and execution. The amount of detail a
WARNO includes depends on the information and
time available when you issue it and the
information subordinate commanders need for
proper planning and preparation. A WARNO
informs recipients of tasks they must do nowand
notifies them of possible future tasks.
A WARNO does not authorize execution other than
planning, unless the WARNO specifically states
so. The content of WARNOs is based on two major
variables

• Information available about the upcoming
  operation mission
• Special instructions

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Fragmentary Order (FRAGO)
A Fragmentary Order is an abbreviated form of an
OPORD (verbal, written, or digital), usually
issued on a day-to-day basis (or as often as
required), that eliminates the need for restating
information contained in a basic operation order.

• It is issued after an OPORD to change or modify
  that order
• Include all five OPORD paragraph headings
• Differ from OPORDs only in the degree of detail
  provided because they
• focus only on the information that has changed

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Troop Leading Procedures (Refresher) As it
relates to the Planning and Orders process
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TLP and MDMP
The Army uses two procedures to guide planning
activities Troop leading procedures (TLP) and
the military decision-making process (MDMP).
Leaders at company level and below usually use
TLP to guide their planning. The MDMP is more
appropriate for units with a staff, usually at
battalion through corps level. The two procedures
are closely related. Both TLP and the MDMP can be
done under unrestricted or time-constrained
conditions. More planning time allows better
coordinated and synchronized plans however, it
also means less time for subordinates to plan and
prepare, and more time for the enemy to prepare
and act.
(FM 5-0, Army Planning
and Orders Production)
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Review of Troop Leading Procedures
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(No Transcript)
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Review/Summary
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Conclusion
The speed, intensity, and decentralization of
the Contemporary Operating Environment (COE)
demand that you be able to quickly and clearly
communicate the commanders intent and your
intent for executing an order. Without planning,
Soldiers cannot carry out a leaders concept of
an operation. Without an order, Soldiers will not
be directed to carry out the plan. Without
well-organized and clearly written orders, the
unit may fail to execute the commanders intent.
You reduce the risk of failure when you
Compose an order following the Troop Leading
Procedures (TLP) Apply the required
formats to ensure the order is complete
Meet the Armys standards for clear communication
In the case of orders, as with no other writing
task, your ability to communicate the commanders
intent clearly and forcefully is a decisive
leader skill.
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Questions?