How the Joint Planning Process is Used in Military Operations

Does the planner need to do all the steps when completing the Joint Planning Process? If yes, why? If no, why not and how do you compensate for missing steps?

The Joint Planning Process is a high-level decision-making approach to formulating military action plans that takes into account a wide array of factors that may be relevant to their execution. In this regard, the Department of Defense notes that, “Joint planning is the process of identifying military ways and means (with associated risk) the President can integrate with other instruments of national power (diplomatic, informational, and economic) to implement strategic guidance” (p. 1). In other words, there is much to consider in the Joint Planning Process, including most especially which steps need to be completed in order to maximize the chances for operational success.

In virtually any organizational setting, it is axiomatic that the adage “prior planning prevent poor performance” holds true, but the extent to which all of the steps that are needed to complete the Joint Planning Process may require careful analysis. In this regard, the Naval War College points out that, “Planners must ensure that deployment and sustainment are considered when evaluating whether courses of action are supportable” (Blocks 4 & 5, 2022, p. 97).

In every case, however, some steps are absolutely essential, meaning that these should be prioritized at the outset. For instance, some initial steps in the Joint Planning Process are always required for completion include: sustainment, basing, and deployment planning which “must be

integrated during all steps of the Joint Planning Process” (Blocks 4 & 5, 2022, p. 97). In the event that some of the steps of the Joint Planning Process are not completed due to time constraints, limited resources or the need for additional information (Joint Planning, 2020), it is possible to compensate for these missing steps by focusing on the most critical elements that are still required for mission execution.