STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR CONTRACTING OPERATIONS

Introduction
Lack of planning and sound contract integration at the strategic level can lead to loss of
efficiencies, lack of effectiveness, lack of oversight, and in some cases, outright fraud of the
executing participants. Our military strategy focuses on our ability to rapidly mobilize, deploy,
and sustain forces anywhere in the world. As such logistics becomes the focal point of any
scenario, and contingency contracting becomes a critical logistics function. Your analysis of
plans is critical to your performance in time of a contingency, and your expertise is needed to
provide input to the process so that disconnects may be solved before they fester into major
problems. This chapter of the handbook presents a comprehensive overview of the deliberate
planning process. While most of the information in this chapter occurs well above the
operational level, it is always important to understand where you fit into the process to be a force
multiplier for the joint force.

What is Joint Operational Planning?

The Joint Operational Planning Process (JOPP) is the basis for all planning. In order for the
services to work together they must use the same planning system for compatibility. The JOPP
is a coordinated joint staff procedure used by a commander to determine the best method of
accomplishing assigned tasks and to direct the action necessary to accomplish the mission. Joint
operation planning consists of planning activities associated with Joint military operations by
Combatant Commanders (CCDRs) and their subordinate Joint Force Commanders (JFC) in
response to contingencies and crises. It transforms national strategic objectives into activities by
development of operational products that include planning for the mobilization, deployment,
employment, sustainment, redeployment, and demobilization of Joint forces.

Who are the Players?

The players in the planning process are illustrated in Figure 1. The National Security Council
(NSC) is the President’s principal forum for considering national security and foreign policy
matters with the senior national security advisors and cabinet officials. For DOD, the President’s
decisions drive strategic guidance promulgated by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD)
and refined by the Joint Strategic Planning System (JSPS). To carry out Title 10, United States
Code (USC), statutory responsibilities, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) utilizes
the JSPS to provide a formal structure in aligning ends, ways, and means, and to identify and
mitigate risk for the military in shaping the best assessments, advice, and direction of the Armed
Forces for the President and Secretary of Defense (SecDef). The headquarters, commands, and
agencies involved in joint operation planning or committed to a joint operation are collectively
termed the Joint Planning and Execution Community (JPEC). Although not a standing or
regularly meeting entity, the JPEC consists of the CJCS and other members of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff (JCS), Joint Staff (JS), the Services and their major commands, the Combatant Commands
(CCMDs) and their subordinate commands, and the Combat Support Agencies (CSAs).

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 THE PLAYERS

POTUS
THE NATIONAL SECDEF
SECURITY COUNCIL State DoD CIA
(NSC) CJCS
Supported Combatant Command THE JOINT PLANNING
AND EXECUTION
Subordinate Commands Services
COMMUNITY (JPEC)
U U U U U
Component Commands F S S S S S
U A A N M C
J N
A A N S M F C G
T C
R F A O A
F T
F F V F R
I Supporting Combatant Cmds
Subordinate O O F F
O
R R O O
Unified R R
N
Commands A Combat Support Agencies
L

Adaptive Planning and Execution System (APEX)

Figure 1.

Adaptive Planning and Execution System (APEX)

Joint operation planning occurs within APEX, which is the department-level system of joint
policies, processes, procedures, and reporting structures. Formally known as Joint Operation
Planning and Execution System (JOPES), APEX is supported by communications and
information technology that is used by the JPEC to monitor, plan, and execute mobilization,
deployment, employment, sustainment, redeployment, and demobilization activities associated
with joint operations. APEX formally integrates the planning activities of the JPEC and
facilitates the JFC’s seamless transition from planning to execution during times of crisis. APEX
activities span many organizational levels, but the focus is on the interaction between SecDef
and CCDRs, which ultimately helps the President and SecDef decide when, where, and how to
commit US military forces.

Joint Strategic Capabilities Plan (JSCP)

The JSCP is the primary vehicle through which the CJCS exercises responsibility for directing
the preparation of joint plans. The JSCP provides military strategic and operational guidance to
CCDRs, Service Chiefs, CSAs, and applicable defense agencies for preparation of campaign
plans and contingency plans based on current military capabilities. It serves as the link between
strategic guidance provided in the Guidance for Employment of the Force (GEF) and the joint
operation planning activities and products that accomplish that guidance. The GEF provides
two-year direction to CCMDs for operational planning, force management, security cooperation,
and posture planning. The GEF is the method through which OSD translates strategic priorities
into implementable direction for operational activities.

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Deliberate Planning
Deliberate Planning encompasses the preparation of plans that occur in non-crisis situations. It is
used to develop campaign and contingency plans for a broad range of activities based on
requirements identified in planning directives. Theater and global campaign plans are the
centerpiece of DOD’s planning construct. They provide the means to translate Combatant
Command theater or functional strategies into executable plans. The Deliberate Planning
process is connected to the budget, strategic planning, as well as the acquisition processes at the
most senior levels of government. It is the Deliberate Planning process that allows us to identify
what resources are required and how they are to be used to support our national security
objectives. This same system is used to program the amount of money it will take to accomplish
those objectives. Deliberate Planning is defined as the APEX system involving the development
of Operations Plans (OPLANs) for contingencies identified in joint strategic planning
documents. The Deliberate Planning process is used when time permits the total participation of
the commanders and staffs of the JPEC. Development of the plan, coordination among
supporting commanders and agencies, reviews by the Joint Staff, and conferences of JPEC
members can take many months, possibly the entire 12-month planning cycle, to develop a large
plan (some OPLANs can be as long as 1,400 pages). When time does not permit us to use the
entire process, we use Crisis Action Procedures (CAP) which basically compresses the entire
planning cycle time frame. Figure 2 below illustrates how this process works.

Deliberate Planning: The Idea is to Create a Valid OPLAN or OPORD

Figure 2.

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Crisis Action Planning (CAP)
CAP provides the CJCS and CCDRs a process for getting vital decision making information up
the chain of command to the President and SecDef. CAP facilitates information sharing among
the members of the JPEC and the integration of military advice from the CJCS in the analysis of
military options. Additionally, CAP allows the President and SecDef to communicate their
decisions rapidly and accurately through the CJCS to the CCDRs, subordinate and supporting
commanders, Services, and CSAs to initiate detailed military planning, change deployment
posture of the identified force, and execute military options. It also outlines the mechanisms for
monitoring the execution of the operation. While deliberate planning normally is conducted in
anticipation of future events, CAP is based on circumstances that exist at the time planning
occurs. CAP can use plans developed in deliberate planning for a similar contingency. If
unanticipated circumstances occur, and no plan proves adequate for the operational
circumstances, then CAP and execution would begin mission analysis under JOPP in a “no plan”
situation.

Planning Process
6 to 12 months For Contingency Planning

Strategic Concept Plan Plan

Guidance IPR Development IPR Development IPR Refinement

Approved Approved Approved

Mission Concept Plan
G J
E S SG
F C S CCDR
P modifies/expands Combatant CDR
plan or starts from SECDEF
scratch CJCS
EVENT

Situation Course of Action PLANORD Plan

Development WARNORD Development or EXORD Execution
Development
& Assessment & Selection ALERTORD

CCDR CDR’s
OPORD
Assessment Estimate

Hours to Months for Crisis Action Planning

Figure 3.

Contingency Planning
Although the four planning functions of strategic guidance, concept development, plan
development, and plan assessment are generally sequential, they often run simultaneously in the
effort to accelerate the overall planning process. Figure 3 above illustrates this point.

Strategic Guidance. This function is used to formulate politico-military assessments at the

strategic level, develop and evaluate military strategy and objectives, apportion and allocate
forces and other resources, formulate concepts and strategic military options, and develop

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planning guidance leading to the preparation of Concept of Operations (COAs). The President,
SECDEF, and CJCS—with appropriate consultation with additional NSC members, other USG
agencies, and multinational partners—formulate strategic end states with suitable and feasible
national strategic objectives that reflect US national interests. The primary end products of the
strategic guidance function are assumptions, conclusions about the strategic and operational
environment (nature of the problem), strategic and military end states, and the supported
commander’s approved mission statement.

Concept Development. During deliberate planning, the supported commander develops several
COAs, each containing an initial CONOPS that identifies, at a minimum, major capabilities
required and task organization, major operational tasks to be accomplished by components, a
concept of employment, and assessment of risk for each COA. The main product from the
concept development function is a COA approved for further development. Detailed planning
begins upon COA approval in the concept development function.

Plan Development. This function is used to fully develop campaign plans, contingency plans, or
orders, with applicable supporting annexes, and to refine preliminary feasibility analysis. This
function fully integrates mobilization, deployment, employment, sustainment, conflict
termination, redeployment, and demobilization activities. The primary product is an approved
plan or order.

Plan Assessment (Refine, Adapt, Terminate, Execute—RATE). The supported commander

continually reviews and assesses the complete plan, resulting in four possible outcomes: refine
(R), adapt (A), terminate (T), or execute (E). The supported commander and the JPEC continue
to evaluate the situation for any changes that would trigger RATE.

Campaign Planning
A campaign is a series of related major operations aimed at accomplishing strategic and
operational objectives within a given time and space. Planning for a campaign is appropriate
when the contemplated military operations exceed the scope of a single major operation. Thus,
campaigns are often the most extensive joint operations in terms of time and other resources.
Campaign planning has its greatest application in the conduct of large-scale combat operations,
but can be used across the range of military operations. Joint force headquarters plan and
execute campaigns and major operations, while Service and functional components of the joint
force conduct subordinate supporting and supported major operations, battles, and engagements.
While intended primarily to guide the use of military power, campaign plans consider how to
coordinate all instruments of national power, as well as the efforts of various inter organizational
partners, to attain national strategic objectives. Campaign planning encompasses both the
deliberate and crisis action planning processes.

Joint Operational Planning Products

Figure 4 below illustrates these Joint Operation Planning Products.

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A Warning Order (WARNORD), issued by the CJCS, is a planning directive that initiates the
development and evaluation of military COAs by a supported commander and requests that the
supported commander submit a commander’s estimate.

A Planning Order (PLANORD) is a planning directive providing essential planning guidance and
directs the initiation of plan development before the directing authority approves a military COA.

An Alert Order (ALERTORD) is a planning directive providing essential planning guidance and
directs the initiation of plan development after the directing authority approves a military COA.

Prepare to Deploy Order. The CJCS, by the authority of and at the direction of the President or
SecDef, issues a prepare to deploy order (PTDO) or DEPORD to increase or decrease the
deployability posture of units; to deploy or redeploy forces; or to direct any other action that
would signal planned US military action or its termination in response to a particular crisis event
or incident.

Deployment/Redeployment Order. A planning directive from SecDef, issued by the CJCS, that
authorizes and directs the transfer of forces between CCMDs by reassignment or attachment. A
deployment/redeployment order normally specifies the authority that the gaining CCDR will
exercise over the transferred forces.

An Execute Order (EXORD) is a directive to implement an approved military CONOPS. Only

the President and SecDef have the authority to approve and direct the initiation of military
operations. The CJCS, by the authority of and at the direction of the President or SecDef, may
subsequently issue an EXORD to initiate military operations. Supported and supporting
commanders and subordinate JFCs use an EXORD to implement the approved CONOPS.

An Operation Order (OPORD) is a directive issued by a commander to subordinate commanders

for the purpose of effecting the coordinated execution of an operation. Joint OPORDs are
prepared under joint procedures in prescribed formats during CAP.

A Fragmentary Order (FRAGORD) is an abbreviated form of an OPORD (verbal, written, or

digital), which eliminates the need for restating information contained in a basic OPORD while
enabling dissemination of changes to previous orders. It is usually issued as needed or on a day-
to-day basis.

Time Phased Force Deployment Data (TPFDD)

The TPFDD is the data base that links planning and execution. It is the computer supported data
base portion of an OPLAN that lists forces, beddown locations, and movements of forces for a
particular operation. All personnel, equipment, etc. are included in the TPFDD and is essential
to support the synchronization of force arrival in theater. When the two parts of our National
Command Authority, the President and SECDEF, decide to actually send forces somewhere,
they need a vehicle to do that. The vehicle used is the TPFDD. When the President says
“Implement plan XX”, we do so by using a TPFDD.

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Contingency Plans
Contingency plans are developed in anticipation of a potential crisis. A contingency is a
situation that likely would involve military forces in response to natural and man-made disasters,
terrorists, subversives, military operations by foreign powers, or other situations as directed by
the President or SecDef. There are four levels of planning detail for contingency plans:

Level 1 Planning Detail—Commander’s Estimate. This level of planning focuses on producing

multiple COAs to address a contingency. The product for this level can be a COA briefing,
command directive, commander’s estimate, or a memorandum.

Level 2 Planning Detail—Base Plan (BPLAN). A BPLAN describes the CONOPS, major forces,
concepts of support, and anticipated timelines for completing the mission. It normally does not
include annexes or time-phased force and deployment data (TPFDD).

Level 3 Planning Detail—Concept Plan (CONPLAN). A CONPLAN is an OPLAN in an

abbreviated format that may require considerable expansion or alteration to convert it into an
OPLAN or OPORD. It may also produce a TPFDD if applicable.

Level 4 Planning Detail—Operation Plan (OPLAN). An OPLAN is a complete and detailed joint
plan containing a full description of the CONOPS, all annexes applicable to the plan, and a
TPFDD. It identifies the specific forces, functional support, and resources required to execute the
plan and provide closure estimates for their flow into the theater. The document includes
annexes that describe the concept and explore the theater-wide support required in the
subordinate commander’s supporting plan.

Joint Operation Planning

DELIBERATE
PLANNING

Figure 4.

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OPLAN Reviews
Now that you have the big picture of the planning process and how it works, it’s time to discuss
the process you’ll be most involved with, OPLAN reviews. The first step in the process is to
find the OPLAN that your unit may be tasked under. The basic plan describes the situation,
mission, plan of execution, and administration and logistics concepts and identifies the CINC’s
plan for command and control. The annexes within the OPLAN give an exhaustive treatment of
the basic subjects: Commands supporting the plan (task organization), intelligence, operations,
logistics, personnel, and a multitude of other vital subjects. The annexes are further expanded by
a long list of appendixes that contain an even more detailed statement of the CINC’s concept for
specific elements of the plan.

Annexes
The annexes will be the largest part of the OPLAN and will define general taskings for each
functional area. Annexes are designated A through Z and allocated by function. The area you
will be most concerned with is the contract support required. Contracting information is
included in Annex W - Contingency Contracting. Specifically, the Contracting Support
Integration Plan (CSIP) is included in annex W and contains information on the contracting
requirements necessary to support the OPLAN. Figure 5 below illustrates the flowdown from
the OPLAN and Operation Order (OPORD) under the new mandate stemming from the Defense
Authorization Act of 2008.

Contracting Support Integration Plan (CSIP)

OPLAN/
OPLAN/ OPORD
LOG
OPORD LOG
Annex
Annex
Contracting
Support LOG CSIP
Plan Annex Annex W
Appendix

Emerging Joint and Army

Doctrine And
This is the New Policy
Mandate!
The Contracting Support Plan Appendix
Defense Authorization Act 2008
was previously located under Annex D
Joint Pub 4-10

Figure 5.

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Contract Support Integration Plan (CSIP)
Planning encompasses all activities necessary to properly execute contract support integration
requirements in an operational area. The product of this task is a CSIP, which defines key
contract support integration capabilities to include command and control (C2) relationships,
boards and centers requirements, theater business clearance policies, etc., necessary to execute
subordinate JFC contract support integration requirements. It is crucial that supported units from
the combatant command down to the tactical-level have a basic understanding of the key
considerations and processes associated with integrating contractor personnel and equipment into
the joint force. Successful contractor management results from efforts and interactions of a
myriad of players including requiring activities, contracting activities, various staff officers from
the Geographic Combatant Command (GCC), subordinate JFC, and Service components.

CSIP - Annex W Contents

• Mission Statement – from the OPLAN or OPORD

• Primary and Secondary Customers
• Anticipated requirements (in relative time-phase)
• Forces deploying in sequence and duration
• Operational locations
• Lead Service
• Organization structure: HCA, Joint Acquisition Review Board (JARB), etc.
• Supported and supporting relationships
• Command and control relationships
• Procedures for appointing, training, and employing FOOs, CORs, Disbursing Agents,
GPC, ratifications and claims
• Procedures for defining, validating, processing and satisfying customer requirements
• Procedures for budgeting receipt of supplies/services and payments to vendors
• Procedures for closing out contracting operations and redeployment
• Supplies and services anticipated locally, local customs, laws, taxes, SOFA, Host Nation
Support, Acquisition Cross Service Agreements (ACSA), vendor base, etc.
• Infrastructure, office location, security measures, kits, etc.
• Security requirements and procedures for contracting and contractor personnel.
• Standards of Support – processing times, turn-around-time, PALT, reporting etc.
• Specific statutory/regulatory constraints or exemptions, special authorities and programs
• Relief in Place/Transfer of Authority
• Contractor restrictions (movement, basing, etc. time-phase specific)
• Guidance on transferring LOGCAP support to theater support contracts by function
and/or phase of the operation
• Special Authorities and Programs (CERP – COIN).
• Post-Contract Award Actions (mgt., closeout, de-obligation, etc.)
• Contractor support, civil augmentation programs (CAP)
• Mandated solicitation and contract provisions
• Human Trafficking, Indemnity, MEJA (Legal Jurisdiction) etc.
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The CSIP is the mechanism for planning the contracting support for the operation. It ensures
that contracting personnel conduct advance planning, preparation, and coordination to support
deployed forces, and that contracting plans and procedures are known and included in overall
plans for an operation. It is an integral part of both the Deliberate Planning Process
(Contingency) and Crisis Action Planning process, and MUST be included in all plans within
Annex W. A CSIP template and checklist can be found on the DVD as well.

Summary
As you can see, strategic planning can be very complex and cumbersome. Understanding your
role and where you fit into the overall planning process will make you a force multiplier for the
joint force. Contracted support can have a direct strategic impact on civil aspects of the
operation. While the most important factor of contracted support is effectiveness of support to
the military force, in certain operations the JFC may choose to utilize theater support and some
external support contracts to also provide a positive economic and social impact on the local
populace. Tying the contracting effort directly to the civil-military aspects of the JFC’s plan
requires very close coordination between the lead contracting activity and the JFC plans and
operations staff. Contracted support and its associated contractor management challenges must
be closely integrated early in the operation planning process. Proper planning will better
integrate the contractor force into military operations and mitigate unplanned burdens on the
joint force. The importance of such integrated planning cannot be overemphasized.

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