1. Multinational Force Commander’s Guidance & Intent
COALITION/COMBINED TASK FORCE TRAINING
Multinational Force Commander’s Guidance & Intent
Course Author: Maj Paul Zavislak, J371, dsn (315)
Date Last reviewed: 15 Jan 03

2. Purpose To understand commander’s
guidance & intent and their importance in crisis action planning
The purpose of this brief is to discuss the inputs and role of the CTF Commander in the Crisis Action Planning (CAP) process.
The commander’s planning guidance focuses staff planning efforts.
It provides enough guidance or preliminary decisions to enable the staff to plan the campaign or major operations to accomplish the CTF mission(s) consistent with the Combatant Commanders intents.

3. STANDING OPERATING PROCEDURES
References
MULTINATIONAL FORCE
STANDING OPERATING PROCEDURES
(MNF SOP)
FIRST DRAFT 1.2
LAST UPDATE: 10 July 03
MNF SOP First Draft
JP JTF Planning Guidance & Procedures

4. Crisis Action Planning Process
Situation
Development II
Crisis
Assessment
III
Course of
Action
Development IV
Course of
Action
Selection V
Execution
Planning
OPORD VI
Execution
Deployment
Data Base
Warning
Order
Planning
Order
Alert
Order
Execute
Order
AND/OR I
Mission Analysis/
Restated Mission
To remind us where we are in the CAP process.  
1. It will cover the two stages of Commanders guidance, Initial and Continuing. It will also cover a subset of initial commanders guidance which is the Commanders Intent.
2. After the CTF Commander has received a planning directive (e.g., Combatant Commander’s Warning Order or Planning Order), and his staff has conducted an operational mission analysis and developed a CTF mission statement and an operational endstate is when he will give Initial Commanders Guidance and Intent. It then is updated and continues through the entire CAP process.
NOTE: Commander CTF’s planning guidance is provided throughout the planning process. Initial guidance should be as detailed as the CCTF is able to provide without causing delays.
Commander’s Estimate Process II
Course of Action
Development
Initial guidance
Initial intent
III
Analysis of Opposing
Courses of Action IV
Comparison of Own
Courses of Action V
Commander’s
Decision
Continuing guidance/Intent...

5. Overview Initial Commander Planning Guidance Commander’s Intent
Subsequent Commander Guidance
Nothing provides focus to the
planning effort better than
Commander’s guidance.
This is especially true for
crisis action planning.
1. This module will break commander’s intent into 3 sub-areas:
- Initial Commanders Planning Guidance
- Commander’s Intent
- and Finally, Subsequent/continuing commander Guidance
Quote: If you don’t know where your going, any road will do.
Problem is, you need to know which road the commanders is taking!
Note: This guidance will focus his staff. Nothing is worse as a staff officer than doing a bunch of work and finding out later it is not what the commander intended. As a staff officer on the staff you will find you will fulfill many positions within the staff and wear many hats. Without this critical commanders guidance
CTF Staff Officer

6. Commander’s Guidance and Intent
Commanders intent and guidance work in tandem to facilitate planning and execution of an operation
1. Here is the bottom line: the commander’s intent and guidance work in tandem to facilitate planning and execution of an operation. Intent and guidance are both critical.
2. We will discuss both initial and subsequent commanders guidance with commanders intent being an important subset of initial guidance

7. Guidance Is Dynamic
After msn analysis brief the commander approves the restated mission, he then provides initial planning guidance and intent to the staff
The CTF commander refines guidance & intent as the staff considers staff estimates and completes the commander’s estimate
Guidance may change or be
modified later if assumptions
or facts change
1. The commander’s guidance must be dynamic and shaped to the situation as it develops.
2. At the end of mission analysis, the CCTF may provide comments (approval/additions/deletions, etc.) concerning the staff’s mission analysis briefing (in comparison to his own mission analysis) in reference to facts, assumptions, limitations, centers of gravity/decisive points, tasks, initial force structure, risk assessments, proposed mission statement and time analysis/milestones.
3. Guidance is essential for timely and effective course of action development and analysis. It guides the staff as they complete their respective staff estimates.
4. It should focus on essential tasks that were identified during mission analysis and that support mission accomplishment.
5. Commander may issue updated planning guidance at any point during the planning process to keep the process flowing smoothly.

8. Commander’s Initial Guidance
The degree of guidance depends upon
Time available
Staff level of proficiency
Flexibility
Commander’s comfort zone
General enough to allow ideas, initiative, and consideration of potentially important alternatives
Provides the “start point” for course of action development
1. The commander should implant his vision of the proposed operation into the minds of his staff. He must provide enough guidance and preliminary decisions for his staff to allow the staff to plan the mission consistent with his intent and the intent of higher headquarters.
2. Note that the degree of guidance depends on the
- time available
- staff level of proficiency
- flexibility
-commander’s comfort zone.
NOTE: Guidance can be written or given verbally.
3. Now, here is the great dilemma; guidance can be very explicit and detailed, or it can be very broad, allowing the staff and subordinate commanders wide latitude in course of action development. Which is better, it depends on the facts listed above.
4. Guidance should be sufficiently detailed to provide clear direction and to avoid unnecessary work for the staff and subordinate commanders. Detailed guidance facilitates faster course of action development by the staff. On the other hand, very detailed guidance risks overlooking or inadequately examining one or more options or details that may effect mission execution.
5. Essentially, guidance should be general enough to allow ideas, initiative, and consideration of potentially important alternatives to be considered.
6. With this input, the commander’s guidance will provide the start point for course of action development.

9. Initial Guidance Topics
Priority of planning effort
Sequencing guidance
Command and control relationships
Concept of operations
1. The content of planning guidance varies from commander to commander and is dependent on situation and time available for planning.
2. Planning guidance should be arranged in a logical sequence to minimize the chances of misunderstanding and to enhance clarity.
3. The Commander should provide initial guidance on the following:
- Priority of the planning effort. Describe/specify range of friendly concepts (or
COAs to be developed (or not developed) in response to enemy COAs/other
conditions. In his guidance, a commander might state or imply his acceptable
levels of risk.
- Sequencing guidance (simultaneous/sequential/combination) of the operation.
- Command and control relationship guidance.
- CTF’s task organization. Service/Functional/multinational component structure.
  - CTF’s command relationships and authorities. OPCON/TACON/Support by phase
or major operation
- Relationships to/with US GOVT depts, organizations, agencies, and multinational
forces (as appropriate).
4. Concept of Ops:   Describe any concepts of force deployment (eg. Gradual vs. rapid deployments or early vs. late “presence”, sequence of forces, force closure, combat power versus sustainment

10. Initial Guidance Topics (cont.)
Battlespace geometry
IO/IW guidance
Initial commander’s intent
Commander’s Critical
Information Requirements
(CCIRs)
Here are some additional topics the commander can address.
1. Battlespace geometry guidance (JOA, areas of operation (AOA), etc).
2. IO/IW guidance. Deception, OPSEC, EW, PSYOP and physical destruction.
3. (Highlighted in RED because it is a subset of Initial Guidance) Initial commanders intent which is a subset of initial commanders guidance which we will go into much depth next. (Purpose/ Method/ Endstate)
4. CCIR’s. Priority items for CCTF that give him immediate knowledge or decision making visibility on . These should be identified early during planning In order to get critical information to decisions-makers during the planning process. Updated as necessary throughout planning and execution.
5. Commander should give guidance on what he believes are his critical information requirements, or CCIR. These can include priority information requirements, information he needs about friendly forces and friendly force information that he believes the multinational force must protect from discovery.
6. The next slide will show you an example of some commander initial guidance from a DJTFAC training module.

11. Initial Planning Guidance Example
Task Force HOPE
Deploy forces rapidly into the affected areas
Quickly establish command and control capability to facilitate the deployment of committed forces
Assist in humanitarian assistance and disaster response efforts in all affected areas
Here is an example of some initial planning guidance from a DJTFAC training module task force in the Philippines.
1. For TASK FORCE HOPE example, the commander issued three key points in the initial planning guidance to his staff:
2. Deploy rapidly…..the commander is emphasizing the need for speed.
3. Establish command and control….TASK FORCE HOPE is a multinational force in support of a host nation military, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which in turn is supporting Government of the Philippines relief agencies. The commander understands the need for establishing strong command and control measures early in the operation, thus has included this point in his initial planning guidance.
4.Assist in humanitarian assistance and disaster response efforts…here, the commander is focusing the planning efforts on how he wants the task force mission to be executed.
5. As planning progresses, the commander will continue to steer the planning process through the issuance of additional guidance to his staff.

12. Commander’s Intent
The commander’s intent describes the desired end state. It is a concise expression of the purpose of the operation, not a summary of the concept of operations
1. This quote from Joint Publication 3-0 defines the commander’s intent.  
2. Initial intent is a statement of the commanders view of the desired effects/results of the CTF operations. 
4. A commander should use his intent to clearly articulate and convey the purpose of the his force’s activities, the desired results, and how planned actions will work to achieve that end.
 5.Intent is critical to subordinate commanders in understanding the mission, and in execution. Intent is also important to the staff because it serves as the initial point for the entire planning process.
6.The commander’s intent is used to link the various levels of command and encourage initiative. Commanders & planners should understand the intent of the commander two levels up. For example, battalion commanders and staffs should understand the intent of the division commander.
7. It is the commander’s intent that takes precedence during the execution of an operation. It enables subordinates to pursue an operation in the absence of further orders in the event of unexpected circumstances. Subordinate commanders must understand the purpose of the operation well enough to act decisively, with initiative, and consistent with higher commander’s intent.

13. Commander’s Vision Commander’s Intent Commander’s Intent
Assess theater or area of operations
Visualize path from current to future state
Commander’s Intent
Unifying focus:
Purpose
Method of force operation
Identify desired end state
1. The commander’s intent is perhaps the most important aspect of planning. In contrast to the standardized composition of other parts of an operations order, such as the mission statement and concept of operations, the commander has wide latitude in expressing his intent.
2. The intent begins with the commander’s vision of the operation, his assessment of the area of operations and his visualization of the path from current to future state.
3. Intent provides a purpose and a unifying focus. Intent addresses the employment of the force as a whole and identifies an end state. He should consider acceptable levels of risk for mission accomplishment and force protection.
4. From this intent, we as a staff will be able to develop courses of action and ultimately a concept of operations. Subordinate commanders will be able to focus their operations based on this intent.
5. It is important that intent be the commander’s product, not the staff’s. U.S. Army General Fred Franks, of Dessert Storm fame, stated it well:
“A commander’s ‘intent’ is quite simply his vision of how he sees the operation working out. It is his concise expression of the means, of the end, of the main effort, and of the risks he is prepared to take. Because of its importance in putting the commander’s personal stamp on the operation, commanders usually write the intent themselves.”
Concept of Operations

14. Elements of Commander’s Intent
Purpose of the operation
Method: How operations (the coalition/combined force as a whole) will progress towards the end state
Desired end state
May include:
Posture of units at end state to facilitate transition
Commander’s assessment of the enemy commander’s intent, or the threat
Consider acceptable accept risk for mission success
Force protection issues
1. Now, what kind of information does the commander’s intent include?
2. Here are some suggested elements for a commander’s intent. This list is taken from U.S. Joint Publication 3-0, Doctrine for Joint Operations.
3. Remember, there is no “cookie cutter” school solution or template. The commander may incorporate many of these items in his intent. We recommend to our task force commanders that at least the first three items be incorporated into the intent:
- Purpose of the operation
- Method: How the joint force will progress towards the end state
- Desired end state
4. For end state, the commander should specify the results expected including effects on opponents or other forces, such as in peace operations, and the desired posture of friendly forces.
5. The intent should describe how the execution phase is visualized including expected enemy reactions to the actions of friendly forces as the operation progresses.
6. Risk is inherent in military operations, and risk assessment is important. By giving guidance concerning risk, the commander can focus the efforts of his subordinates.
7. He can also address any force protection issues he is concerned about.
8. Now lets compare a mission statement to a initial initial intent example statements.
Reminder: Intent is not a summary of the concept of the operations

15. Commander’s Mission Statement
Task Force HOPE
On Order, TF HOPE will Assist the Disaster Response Task Groups (DRTGs) in Visayas and Mindanao in the conduct of large scale humanitarian assistance and disaster response in regions 6,7,10 and 13, in order to save lives, protect property and minimize damage
Hopefully this eye chart can break out the 5 aspects of a mns statement.
1. How does a commanders intent statement differ from a mission statement? Let’s find out.
Here is an example using Task Force HOPE, the commander of TASK FORCE HOPE has stated his mission as shown here.
Remember MSN STATEMENT answers Who,What, When, Where, Why
2. Once we look at all the pieces of the Msn Statement, We will contrast this with the commanders intent example.
We have seen msn statement has 5 W’s, now let’s contrast that with the Commanders initial Intent for the same mission. Broken down into the sections of Purpose/ Method/Endstate.
Who, What, When, Where, Why

16. Commander's Intent Example
Task Force HOPE
My intent is to support the Armed Forces of the Philippines in HA/DR operations in the affected areas of the Central Philippines. We will conduct HA/DR combined operations and rehabilitation efforts. In other words, we will provide all available assistance to alleviate human suffering and restore normalcy
1. Here is the commander’s intent on how he plans to accomplish the task force mission. Note that this statement incorporates the first three elements that should be in a commander’s intent: purpose of the operation, method on how the operations will progress towards the end state, and finally desired end state.
2. Purpose of the operation. The purpose is to support the Armed Forces of the Philippines
3. How operations will progress towards the end state. TASK FORCE HOPE will achieve its end state by conducting HA/DR combined operations and rehabilitation efforts.
 4. Desired end state. The phrase, “ alleviate human suffering and restore normalcy” indicates the desired end state.
Now that we have discussed initial commanders guidance and the subset of Initial commanders Intent, let’s move on to the continuing subsequent commanders guidance used throughout the CAP process to produce the commanders estimate.
Purpose
Method
Endstate
Contrasted with guidance and intent statement…

17. Subsequent Guidance Topics
Final msn statement approval
Final commander’s intent
More detailed concept of operations
Main effort
Fires priority
Protection priorities
Component tasks
Lift priorities
CTF reserves
IO/EW
ROE etc.,
1. Subsequent Guidance: Amplifies and clarifies initial guidance, Provides guidance for planning later phases of the operation (Branches & Sequels), and finally, it keeps the planning process moving.
2. As planning progresses, the JPG will need frequent planning guidance (both during the initial OPLAN/OPORD development and for development of branches and sequels). This guidance will give the staff and components the same focus as initial guidance and keep the planning process moving. Examples of subsequent guidance include the following.
- Final/revised mission statement approval
- Final/revised commander’s intent
- More detailed concept of operations.
- Designation of the Main Effort
- Designation of a priority of fires/targeting guidance
- Designation of priorities of protection (e.g., “defended assets list” for joint
theater and air missile defense purposes).
- Tasks for the components
- Designation of TPFDD priorities of lift assets. Reallocation of lift assets
to components
-Size, location, or use of the CTF reserve
- Continued guidance on IO/IW. Deception, OPSEC, EW, PSYOP, physical
destruction, etc.
- Rules of engagement guidance

18. Subsequent Guidance Topics (cont)
Force capabilities priority
Branches/sequels guidance
Backbrief/rehearsal guidance
Termination guidance
Coordinate subsequent guidance through
Warning orders, commanders’ mtgs, etc.,
This slides continues the Topics that subsequent guidance can cover:
1. Guidance for the priority of force capabilities (eg., what and when are force capabilities needed).
2. Guidance for the planning of branches (options or contingencies based on the original plan) and sequels (subsequent operations based on the outcomes of current operations).
3. Guidance on the type of back-briefs and /or rehearsals to be conducted.
4. Guidance on the termination of operations. Conditions that describe the end state.
5. The commander must communicate this additional guidance through warning orders, commanders’ meetings, etc.
Note: See Gray box in slide and comment on.
Staff planners need frequent (face to face) guidance from the commander, even after the initial OPORD is published. Daily planning updates are recommended

19. Review Commander’s Guidance: Commander’s Intent:
Is given initially, and throughout the planning process
Is essential for timely and effective course of action development
Guidance or future planning
Commander’s Intent:
Begins with the commander’s vision of the operation
Should include: purpose, method of progressing towards that end state and desired end state
Is not static; is refined as the situation evolves
1. In summary, commanders Guidance and Intent:
2. Is given by the commander immediately following mission analysis to commence the planning process, and continues throughout the planning process.
3. Is essential for timely and effective course of action development
4. Should focus on essential tasks
5. Commander’s intent
6. Begins with the commander’s vision of the operation
7.Should include: desired end state; purpose of the operation; how operations will progress towards end state
8. Is not static; is refined as the situation evolves

20. Questions? COALITION/COMBINED TASK FORCE TRAINING
1. Here is the bottom line: the commander’s guidance and intent work in tandem to facilitate planning and execution of an operation. Guidance and Intent are both critical.
QUESTIONS???

21. Multinational Force Commander’s Guidance & Intent
COALITION/COMBINED TASK FORCE TRAINING
Multinational Force Commander’s Guidance & Intent
Course Author: Maj Paul Zavislak, J371, dsn (315)
Date Last reviewed: 15 Jan 03