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MSTP Pamphlet 6-9
Assessment
MAGTF Staff Training Program (MSTP)
U.S. Marine Corps
October 2007
MSTP Pamphlet 6-9
Assessment
This pamphlet supports the academic curricula of the Marine Air Ground
Task Force Staff Training Program (MSTP).
U.S. Marine Corps October 2007
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
MSTP Center (C 467) TECOM
2042 South Street
Quantico, Virginia 22134-5069
25 October 2007
FOREWORD
1. PURPOSE. MSTP Pamphlet 6-9, Assessment, offers a definition of
assessment and provides techniques and procedures that the commander and
staff can use when developing their assessment methodology.
2. SCOPE. This pamphlet addresses assessment as it applies to the Marine
Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) and Major Subordinate Commands. This
publication discusses the conceptual and doctrinal basis for assessment as
well as techniques and procedures for staff organization and information
management as they relate to the assessment process.
3. SUPERSESSION. MSTP Pamphlet 6-9, Assessment, June 2000.
4. CHANGES. Recommendations for improvements to this pamphlet are
encouraged from commands as well as from individuals. The attached User
Suggestion Form can be reproduced and forwarded to:
Commanding General
Training and Education Command (C 467)
MSTP Center
2042 South Street
Quantico, Virginia 22134-5001
Recommendations may also be submitted electronically to:
5. CERTIFICATION. Reviewed and approved this date.
Glen T. Starnes
Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps
Director
MAGTF Staff Training Program Center
Throughout this pamphlet, masculine nouns and pronouns are used for the
sake of simplicity. Except where otherwise noted, these nouns and pronouns
apply to either sex.
USER SUGGESTION FORM
From:
To: Director, MSTP Center (C 467), 2042 South Street
Quantico, Virginia 22134-5069
1. In accordance with the Foreword, individuals are encouraged to submit
suggestions concerning this Pamphlet directly to the above addressee
Page _____ Article/Paragraph No. _____
Line No. _____ Figure/Table No. _____
Nature of Change: Add Delete
Change Correct
2. Proposed Text: (Verbatim, double-spaced; continue on additional pages
as necessary.
3. Justification/Source: (Need not be double-spaced.)
NOTE:
1. Only one recommendation per page.
2. Locally reproduced forms may be used for e-mail submissions to:
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______________________________________________________________ MSTP Pamphlet 6-9
Record of Changes
Change
No.
Date of
Change
Entry
Date
Organization Signature
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i
Table of Contents
Part 1 What is Assessment? .................................................. 1
1001 Defining Assessment................................................................. 1
1002 Assessment Components .......................................................... 2
1003 Doctrinal Basis .......................................................................... 2
1004 Types of Assessment................................................................. 3
1005 Assessment Process................................................................... 4
1005a The Commander ................................................................... 5
1005b Assessment Organizations................................................... 5
1006 Assessment Considerations ...................................................... 6
Part 2 Assessment in Planning.............................................. 9
2001 MOP and MOE........................................................................ 11
2002 CCIR ........................................................................................ 12
2003 MOP and MOE Considerations.............................................. 12
Part 3 Assessment in Execution .......................................... 15
3001 Presentation Techniques ......................................................... 15
Appendix Glossary................................................................ 19
Figures
1-1 The OODA Loop....................................................................... 3
1-2 The Assessment Process ........................................................... 4
2-1 Goals and Objectives by LOO................................................ 10
3-1 Assessment by Essential Task ................................................ 16
3-2 Sample Narrative Briefing Format ......................................... 16
3-3 Assessment Planning...............................................................17
3-4 Sample Assessment Briefing Format ..................................... 17
ii
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1
Part 1
What is Assessment?
1001. Defining Assessment Assessment is the continuous monitoring and evaluation of the current
situation and progress of an operation. (FMI 5-0.1 The Operations Process)
Monitoring is the continuous observation of the current situation to
identify opportunities for the force, threats to the force, gaps in
information, and progress according to the plan or order.
Evaluation is to compare relevant information on the situation or
operations against criteria to judge success or progress.
These definitions highlight four key aspects of assessment:
• Assessment is continuous throughout planning and execution.
Assessment precedes, accompanies and follows all operations.
• Assessment occurs at all echelons and levels of war and applies to all
aspects of the operation while considering all elements of the force as
well as the warfighting functions (Command and Control, Intelligence,
Fires, Maneuver, Logistics, and Force Protection).
• Assessment focuses on the goals for the operation. Foremost among the
command’s goal is the purpose of the operation. Assessment must always
link and ultimately reflect progress toward accomplishing the purpose.
• Assessment orients on the future. Current and past actions are of little
value unless they can serve as a basis for future decisions and actions.
Assessment answers the commander’s questions:
• “How are we doing?”
2
• “Are we doing the right things?”
• “Are we doing things right?”
• “What’s next?” “When?”
Assessment should help the commander identify success or failure, determine
the extent to which required conditions have been met for follow-on actions,
and recognize whether a particular endstate has been reached. More
specifically, assessment should enable the commander to estimate the overall
progress of an operation as it unfolds in the operational environment so he
can make informed decisions for future actions.
1002. Assessment Components Assessment has three basic components:
• Goals: tasks, objectives, mission, endstate, etc.
• Feedback: that continuous flow of information about the changing
situation that provides us our reality.
• A process: a methodology to help the commander, via his staff,
determine the difference between the two, the reasons for the
difference, and recommendations for change.
1003. Doctrinal Basis Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication (MCDP) 6, Command and Control,
establishes the doctrinal foundation and the conceptual framework for
assessment through a simple model of the command and control process
known as the OODA Loop. OODA is an acronym for observe-orient-
decide-act, which describes the basic sequence of the command and control
process. (See figure 1-1.)
When engaged in conflict, we first observe the situation by taking in
information about our own status, our surroundings, and our enemy. Having
observed the situation, we next orient to it and we make certain estimates,
assumptions, analyses, and judgments about the situation in order to create a
cohesive mental image. In other words, we try to determine the impact of
our observations of the situation upon our forces and their operations. Based
on our orientation, we decide what to do; whether that decision takes the
3
form of an immediate action or a deliberate plan. Then we put the decision
into action. This includes disseminating the decision, supervising to ensure
proper execution, and monitoring results through feedback, which takes us
full circle to the observation phase. Having acted, we have changed the
situation, and so the cycle begins again.
ObservationsGenetic
Heritage
Cultural
Traditions
Analysis &
Synthesis
Previous
Experience
New
Information
FEED
FORWARD
FEED
FORWARD
FEED
FORWARD
Action
(Test)
Decision
(Hypothesis)
Implicit
Guidance
& Control
Implicit
Guidance
& Control
FEEDBACK
FEEDBACK
Unfolding
Interaction
With
EnvironmentUnfolding
Interaction
With
Environment
Unfolding
Circumstances
Outside
Information
OBSERVE ORIENT DECIDE ACT
(Assess)
ObservationsObservationsGenetic
Heritage
Cultural
Traditions
Analysis &
Synthesis
Previous
Experience
New
Information
FEED
FORWARD
FEED
FORWARD
FEED
FORWARD
FEED
FORWARD
FEED
FORWARD
FEED
FORWARD
Action
(Test)
Decision
(Hypothesis)
Decision
(Hypothesis)
Implicit
Guidance
& Control
Implicit
Guidance
& Control
FEEDBACK
FEEDBACK
Unfolding
Interaction
With
EnvironmentUnfolding
Interaction
With
Environment
Unfolding
Circumstances
Outside
Information
OBSERVE ORIENT DECIDE ACT
(Assess)
Figure 1-1. The OODA Loop
From this discussion we can establish a clear linkage between assessment
and our command and control system. Assessment equates to the orient
phase of the OODA Loop. We assess (orient) by making sense of our
observations and making judgments relative to progress as a basis for
decisions and subsequent action.
The exploded view of the orient phase in Figure 1-1 attests to the
importance and challenges of assessment. While we all process information
the same way by forming and discarding mental images as our environment
changes, it is our culture, genetic background and personal experiences that
make each person’s perspective unique. Of these three characteristics,
personal experience (in the type of operation) coupled with situational
understanding can generate a decisive advantage by reducing decision
timelines.
1004. Types of Assessment Functional assessment is assessment by warfighting function (WF) -
Command and Control (C2), Intelligence, Fires, Maneuver, Logistics, and
Force Protection - or any other functions specific to an operation. Examples
of functional assessment include the G-2 tracking threat and environmental
4
changes or the G-4 monitoring the logistic status to prevent or warn of
pending culminating points.
Combat Assessment (CA): DOD defines combat assessment as the
determination of the overall effectiveness of force employment during
military operations. CA has 3 components: battle damage assessment
(BDA), munitions effectiveness, and reattack recommendations. Generally,
CA is associated with lethal fires. It is a process well suited for conventional
operations at the tactical level. While CA may be an important part of the
commander’s assessment effort, a larger process is needed to account for all
the activities a MAGTF may conduct.
1005. Assessment Process
P
L
A
N
N
I
N
G
M
O
P
M
O
E
Guidance
•• PurposePurpose
•• Mission Mission –– EndstateEndstate
•• TasksTasks
-- Desired EffectsDesired Effects
•• ConditionsConditions
-- ObjectivesObjectives
••Tasks to subordinatesTasks to subordinates
Actions
H - A - S
Units
Feedback
Assessment
Cell
Subordinate
Units
Assessment
Cell
OPTM
O
P
M
O
E
Briefs
A
S
S
E
S
S
M
E
N
T
Execution
Figure 1-2. The Assessment Process
Figure 1-2 shows the assessment cycle. Like any cycle, once underway it
has no beginning or end. Rather it is a continuous evolution that seeks to
observe and evaluate the ever-changing operational environment to speed
decisionmaking.
5
a. The Commander is the focal point of the assessment process.
• His top-down guidance initiates the planning effort leading to a
plan of action that also serves as a framework for assessment.
• Through feedback resulting from execution, the commander uses
his judgment, intuition and experience to update his assessment of
the situation.
• The commander uses his updated assessment of the situation to
communicate subsequent decisions to his staff and subordinate
commanders.
b. Assessment Organizations
• The Operational Planning Team (OPT). The OPT provides the
framework purpose, mission-endstate, tasks, desired effects,
conditions, objectives, and tasks to subordinates for assessment.
• Assessment Cell. Commanders may form an Assessment Cell due
to the complexity of the operation, staff inexperience, or higher
headquarters’ (HHQ’s) demands for detailed information. With a
decision to form an Assessment Cell, the commander must
determine its focus, composition and duties.
o Focus. The commander determines Assessment Cell focus
either long or short-term, overall mission or a selected aspect
of operations, such as the effects of nonlethal fires or the
impact of friendly activities within a specific Line of Operation
(LOO).
o Composition. The assessment focus will drive cell
composition, which typically includes a cross-section of
warfighting function representatives. More importantly, cell
members should have a broad range of experiences and a solid
understanding of the plan so they can recognize the impact of
numerous, interrelated activities on the plan.
o A typical assessment cell would contain WF representatives, a
CNA (Center for Naval Analysis) representative, OPT
members who might “travel” with the plan into execution, and
scenario specific members such as Civil-Military Operations
6
(CMO), Information Operations (IO) or State Department
representatives.
o Assessment Cell duties include:
Work with the OPT to develop criteria for success,
Measures of Effectiveness (MOE) and Measures of
Performance (MOP), and to track overall progress toward
the command’s goals.
Correlate, analyze and synthesize feedback to assess
command progress and provide recommendations for
change.
Develop assessment reporting formats and timelines.
• Assessment Working Group (AWG) could include
representatives from the staff sections and/or sponsors of specific
activities like governance or economic development. Its duties
include:
o Developing MOE and MOP per individual functional areas.
o Tracking and reporting on functional area progress to the
assessment cell while evaluating and modifying MOE and
MOP to ensure their continued relevancy.
• Subordinate Units and other attached or supporting agencies
develop assessment processes that may differ due to unit
composition and missions, but still need to nest and support their
HHQs’ assessment processes.
1006. Assessment Considerations While assessment is a tool to measure progress, assessment is first and
foremost a basis for adaptation, particularly the ability to identify and exploit
opportunities. If we adapt well by acting on good decisions faster than our
competitors, measuring progress is a matter of course.
Commanders must balance time and staff resources allocated for assessment
against other requirements. To find the right balance, commanders and their
staffs need to address the following questions:
• What will be assessed and to what detail?
7
• How will we assess a particular task, activity or effect? What criteria
will we use?
• Who in the staff has primary responsibility for assessing a particular
area?
• What information requirements are needed to support a particular
assessment?
Commanders must be careful not to over-assess. Staffs can easily become
bogged down over-engineering an assessment and/or building massive
quantifiable briefings that do not support the commander’s decision
process. Overly complex methodologies can lead to a singular inward
focus on the assessment process at the expense of an outward focus on the
operational environment and how friendly actions have influenced change.
Balancing the art and science of assessment. Conflicts include both
structural and social complexity. Airplanes, ships and power grids, for
example, are structurally complex. As inanimate objects they are incapable
of adapting to changes in the environment. Thus cause and effect have a
very direct relationship to the point that system predictability can be
expressed in quantifiable formulas.
In comparison, socially complex entities such as an enemy unit or the
residents of a village are inherently unpredictable. There may be physical
limits to what they can do, but within those limits anything is possible. For
socially complex systems, cause and effect are nonlinear - indefinable by
mathematical equations. Short of complete destruction, socially complex
systems never reach an endstate; they evolve. Consequently, every military
concept of operations seeks to inject energy in the form of friendly
capabilities into a socially complex system to influence how that system
evolves.
Commanders recognize that quantitative indicators only serve as a start
point for subjective assessments. Moreover, commanders need to balance a
possible staff tendency toward a ‘science of war’ solution while
recognizing their command role in applying their experience, intuition, and
own observations in an ‘art of war’ approach to assessment.
Recommendations based on assessment. Staffs can easily over-engineer
the assessment process which can lead to:
8
• Massive briefs that do not always support the commander’s
decisionmaking.
• A singular, inward focus on the assessment process at the
expense of an outward focus on the operational environment and
how friendly actions (and battlespace reactions) have influenced
change.
• Staff exhaustion that precludes the most important part of
assessment: recommending ‘what needs to be done’ based on an
understanding of ‘why’ events occurred the way they did.
Ways to keep the assessment process as simple as possible include:
• Visit subordinate units frequently to gain first-hand information.
• Rely heavily on subordinate commanders’ personal inputs.
• Limit the number of quantifiable indicators, i.e., MOE and MOP,
to those requirements that truly need them.
• When possible, craft tasks, objectives and other goals in terms
that make them self-reporting. For example, word PSYOP
leaflets so that target audience compliance is obvious and
unequivocal.
• Tie everything back to the purpose of the operation.
9
Part 2
Assessment in Planning
The Commander, armed with the situational understanding gained through his
CBAE, sets the stage for assessment with his guidance to subordinate
commanders and his staff. Guidance may include
• Elements of operational design such as the commander’s vision of
how he sees the operation unfolding creating expectations of
success as a basis for measuring progress.
• Focus areas for assessment.
• Directed telescopes.
• Assessment-related Commander’s Critical Information
Requirements (CCIR)
The Operational Planning Team (OPT), informed by the Commander’s
Battlespace Area Evaluation (CBAE), creates a framework for assessment as
a natural by-product of the planning effort. Purpose, mission, tasks, desired
effects, conditions and tasks to subordinates represent goals for measuring
progress. See Figure 1-2.
The assessment plan may be included in the coordinating instructions of the
basic order. If it is complex, the plan could warrant its own tab, exhibit,
appendix or even a separate annex.
Since planning is a learning activity, planners must convey their situational
understanding of the plan to the personnel working in current operations.
With an intuitive level of understanding of the plan, the staff can shorten
decision timelines significantly by immediately understanding the impact of
change in the operational environment on the plan.
Figure 2-1 (below) is a graphic portrayal of OPT planning results depicting
command goals (in this case, objectives) across logical lines of operations.
10
Endstate
Freedom oflawful
movementestablished.
Essentialservices
developed
Effectivegovernmentinstitutions
and presenceestablishedor restored.
Functionaleconomy
established.
Freedom to conduct
lawfulcommerce.
In
fo
rm
atio
n O
pe
ra
tio
ns
Combat Operations / Civil Security Operations
Essential Services
Governance
Economic Development
HN Security Forces
Secure thepopulace
continuously.
Separateinsurgency
from populace.
Identify & neutralize political & support
infrastructure.
SecureBorders.
Isolateinsurgency.
Integrate w/HN forces
Handover dutiescase -by-case.
Counter crime (organized and petty).
Identify and recruit leaders.
Recruit members.
Establish training centers and
infrastructure.
Develop organizational infrastructure.
Provide for basing and
training.
Employ HN security forces with COIN force
advisors.
Sewageplants
operating.
Trashcollected
regularly.
Potablewater
available.
Electricity restored.
Schools and
collegesopened.
Medical clinicsand
hospitalsopened.
Transportation network restored.
Developinitial
governanceconcept.
Identify &recruit local
leaders.
Reestablishjustice system.Police, courts,
prisons.
Establishlocal, regional,
national policies.
EstablishLocal, regional,
National policies.
Support andsecure
elections.
Mobilize/ developlocal economic
activity.
Initiate contractswith local businessesto stimulate trade.
Rebuildcommercial
Infrastructure(banks, markets).
Supporta free market
economy.
Supportbroad -based
economicopportunity.
Populacesecured
continuously.
Effective andself -sufficientHN security
forcesestablished.
Developinitial conceptfor mission,
structure, andorganization.
Figure 2 -1. Sample goals and objectives across logical lines of operation s. (MCWP 3 -33.5)
Endstate
Freedom oflawful
movementestablished.
Essentialservices
developed
Effectivegovernmentinstitutions
and presenceestablishedor restored.
Functionaleconomy
established.
Freedom to conduct
lawfulcommerce.
In
fo
rm
atio
n O
pe
ra
tio
ns
Combat Operations / Civil Security Operations
Essential Services
Governance
Economic Development
HN Security Forces
Secure thepopulace
continuously.
Separateinsurgency
from populace.
Identify & neutralize political & support
infrastructure.
SecureBorders.
Isolateinsurgency.
Integrate w/HN forces
Handover dutiescase -by-case.
Counter crime (organized and petty).
Identify and recruit leaders.
Recruit members.
Establish training centers and
infrastructure.
Develop organizational infrastructure.
Provide for basing and
training.
Employ HN security forces with COIN force
advisors.
Sewageplants
operating.
Trashcollected
regularly.
Potablewater
available.
Electricity restored.
Schools and
collegesopened.
Medical clinicsand
hospitalsopened.
Transportation network restored.
Developinitial
governanceconcept.
Identify &recruit local
leaders.
Reestablishjustice system.Police, courts,
prisons.
Establishlocal, regional,
national policies.
EstablishLocal, regional,
National policies.
Support andsecure
elections.
Mobilize/ developlocal economic
activity.
Initiate contractswith local businessesto stimulate trade.
Rebuildcommercial
Infrastructure(banks, markets).
Supporta free market
economy.
Supportbroad -based
economicopportunity.
Populacesecured
continuously.
Effective andself -sufficientHN security
forcesestablished.
Developinitial conceptfor mission,
structure, andorganization.
Figure 2 -1. Sample goals and objectives across logical lines of operation s. (MCWP 3 -33.5)
11
2001. Measures of Performance and Effectiveness (MOP, MOE).
MOP and MOE can help us make good decisions by evaluating the
effectiveness of friendly actions (MOP) and the impact of our actions on
system behavior (MOE).
• A measure of performance is a criterion to assess friendly actions
that is tied to measuring task accomplishment. MOPs help us
answer the question, “Are we doing things right?”
• A measure of effectiveness is a criterion used to assess changes in
system behavior, capability, or operational environment that is
tied to measuring the attainment of an endstate, achievement of
an objective, or creation of an effect. MOEs help us answer the
question, “Are we doing the right things and achieving success?”
MOP and MOE characteristics: Since the actions we take to accomplish
our tasks connect us to the other elements (adversaries, noncombatants,
and infrastructure) of the operational environment, we generally need both
measures to conduct meaningful assessments. To be effective, MOP and
MOE must be:
• Observable
• Relevant
• Measurable
Observable: If MOE and MOP are to help measure progress, you have to be
able to see them. Therefore, criteria such as “no massed fires from H+2 to
H+10,” are not good indicators.
Relevant: MOE and MOP should be relevant to the task or goal they are
designed to measure and reviewed continuously during execution to ensure
that they remain relevant. If a task is modified in planning, then the MOE
and/or MOP most likely will need adjustment as well. Developing relevant
MOP is rather straightforward. Relevant MOE are more difficult.
Measurable: MOE and MOP require quantitative or qualitative standards.
Quantitative standards are preferable as they are usually more objective than
qualitative measures.
12
Example. In early Operation Restore Hope, JTF Somalia (I MEF lead)
provided security forces at designated feeding centers in towns and villages
(e.g., Kismayo, Merka, Baidoa, Bardera) in southeast Somalia. The JTF
monitored traffic patterns in and out of Mogadishu based on the premise
that if villagers felt they had access to food in a secure environment, they
would return to their homes in the outlying areas.
In this example, the number of secure feeding centers was an MOP and the
monitoring of traffic patterns was an MOE. Both were observable,
measurable and relevant thus providing some indication of JTF progress
toward accomplishing the purpose, which was to provide a secure and stable
environment.
2002. Commander’s Critical Information Requirement (CCIR)
A CCIR is an information requirement identified by the commander as being
critical to facilitating timely decision making. The two key elements are
friendly force information requirements (FFIR) and priority intelligence
requirements (PIR). (DOD)
CCIR can be an MOP or MOE. They identify the commander’s specific
information needs linked to key decisions that only he will make. The
entire collection effort keys off the CCIRs. The staff should display, track
and update CCIRs throughout planning and execution to ensure continued
relevancy. Too many CCIRs, like too many MOP and MOE will hinder the
staff’s ability to focus on the essential information the commander truly
needs while rapidly consuming the available collection assets.
2003. MOP and MOE Planning Considerations
Too many MOP and MOE can be a symptom of over-engineering the
assessment process. One way to limit the number of indicators (and the stress
on collection assets) is to craft tasks, objectives, desired effects and conditions
in objective terms. This is not always possible depending on the type of
missions assigned. For those command goals that are “self-reporting,” MOP
and MOE are not required. For example, a PSYOP leaflet that encourages
enemy forces to surrender should include unequivocal compliance activity,
13
such as turrets reversed, Xs on top of vehicles, and administrative movement
to garrison sites.
Over time, quantifiable indicators can reveal trends, which allow us to assign
certain attributes (tendencies) to system behavior. In the end however,
assessment is a qualitative event requiring the commander to build upon what
is known with what he believes to be true based on his judgment borne of
experience and intuition.
14
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15
Part 3
Assessment in Execution
“Of the three courses of action that the enemy can take normally he selects
the fourth.” Moltke
During execution, assessment involves a deliberate comparison of forecasted outcomes to the current situation using criteria to judge progress toward the purpose. Commanders use their situational understanding to assess the operation with an emphasis on identifying opportunities and threats.
Commanders maintain their situational understanding through a combination of personal observations and feedback from the staff and subordinate units. Feedback comes from all directions and in varying forms and degrees of maturity. The staff’s role is to receive, analyze, correlate, synthesize, filter and present information to the commander.
3001. Presentation Techniques
The figures that follow provide examples of assessment presentations.
Techniques can vary by type operation, the commander’s preferences for
information displays or HHQ’s mandated reporting formats.
The scenario for the examples is a Regimental Combat Team (RCT)
conducting counterinsurgency (COIN). The RCT is in competition with
insurgents who use violence and intimidation to control the two towns in the
RCT Area of Operations (AO). Initial RCT operations focus on three Lines of
Operation (LOO): security, essential services, and training Host Nation (HN)
forces in order to reinforce the perception of the incumbent government as the
legitimate representative of the people (purpose).
Figures 3-1 and 3-2 are examples of tracking progress by essential tasks
using arrows, shaded figures (traffic signals/meatballs) and a spreadsheet.
16
Conditions• Build berms around both towns with entry
control points.
• Establish 24/7 outposts w/ regular patrolling.
• Integrate HN security forces
Status
Essential Tasks30 Mar 08
TASK: Separate insurgents from populace.
Negative
Progress
Positive
Progress
Not
Achieved
Partially
Achieved
Achieved
Conditions• Build berms around both towns with entry
control points.
• Establish 24/7 outposts w/ regular patrolling.
• Integrate HN security forces
Conditions• Build berms around both towns with entry
control points.
• Establish 24/7 outposts w/ regular patrolling.
• Integrate HN security forces
StatusStatus
Essential Tasks30 Mar 08
TASK: Separate insurgents from populace.
Negative
Progress
Positive
Progress
Not
Achieved
Partially
Achieved
Achieved
Essential Tasks30 Mar 08
TASK: Separate insurgents from populace.
Negative
Progress
Positive
Progress
Not
Achieved
Partially
Achieved
Achieved Negative
Progress
Positive
Progress
Not
Achieved
Partially
Achieved
Achieved
Figure 3-1. Assessment by Essential Task
Essential Task: Separate insurgents from the populace.
CONDITION MOE/MOP STATUS RECOMMENDED
ACTION
Build berms & entry control points
MOP: Eng & NCR units in work; hiring local labor.
MOE: Vehicle & foot traffic re-routed thru check points.
On track.
Add'tl eng equipment will accelerate completion to begin
other critical eng projects. Need ID card equipment
Establish 24/7
outposts w/ regular patrols
MOP: Outposts set up;
patrols active. MOE: People smiling, unsolicited intel.
Insurgents surrendering or leaving.
People warming to
our presence. No intel yet; gauging our commitment.
Insurgents avoiding contact, for now.
Berm completion will
trap remaining insurgents. Add more combat forces to resolve
remaining insurgents.
Train & integrate HN security forces
MOP: academy & POI establish active recruiting, 300 police
trained & manning outposts ICW Marines. MOE: People accept
police & rule of law.
Off track. Few recruits, little or no pay. Bribery still rules
the day. Police fear insurgent retribution.
Encourage sheiks to improve recruiting. Need translators for training.
Pressure central gov't to pay the police.
Figure 3-2. Sample briefing format
17
The following figures show the evolution of assessment in a COIN
scenario.
Figure 3-3 depicts the planning for assessment starting with the translation
of a RCT objective into an essential task leading to a desired effect, multi-
discipline tasks to subordinates, and MOP and MOE. Figure 3-4 is a
sample briefing format that culminates in a recommendation for change
based on an analysis of the feedback.
Figure 3-3. Sample objective-tasks-MOP/MOE in COIN
LOO GOVERNANCE
Objective 1 Host Nation Legitimacy
1 Populace shows support for host nation efforts Desired
Effects 2 Local populace providing actionable intelligence
Trends Over the past three weeks we have seen the following patterns of enemy behavior
emerge …
Assessment Adaptive insurgents continue to leverage unemployed workers in Village X,
undermining the security situation. Recommend MEF maintain continuous presence
in Village X to counter enemy reinforcement. Maintain 24/7 outposts with regular
presence patrols to maintain initiative.
Next 30 days
Figure 3-4. Sample assessment briefing format
18
In Figure 3-4, the bar and arrow at the bottom of the graphic represents the
assessor’s estimate of current progress and how much improvement will
occur if recommendations are implemented.
19
Appendix
Glossary
Note: Acronyms change over time in response to new operational
concepts, capabilities, doctrinal changes and other similar developments.
The following publications are the sole authoritative sources for official
military acronyms:
• Joint Publication 1-02, Department of Defense Dictionary of
Military and Associated Terms.
• MCRP 5-12C, Marine Corps Supplement to the Department of
Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms.
AO................................................................................... Area of Operations
BDA ...................................................................Battle Damage Assessment
C2 ..............................................................................Command and Control
CA ................................................................................. Combat Assessment
CCIR .............................Commander’s Critical Information Requirements
CMO......................................................................Civil Military Operations
CNA .....................................................................Center for Naval Analysis
COA ....................................................................................Course of Action
COC ....................................................................Combat Operations Center
COIN................................................................................Counterinsurgency
DP............................................................................................Decision Point
FFIR ...........................................Friendly Force Information Requirements
FMI...........................................................Field Manual Interim (US Army)
HN...............................................................................................Host Nation
HHQ..............................................................................Higher Headquarters
IO.............................................................................. Information Operations
JTF........................................................................................Joint Task Force
LOO ..............................................................................Line(s) of Operation
MAGTF ...................................................... Marine Air Ground Task Force
MCDP ................................................. Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication
MCWP ............................................Marine Corps Warfighting Publication
20
MCRP.................................................Marine Corps Reference Publication
MOE ......................................................................Measure of Effectiveness
MOP .............................................................. Measurement of Performance
NAI ...........................................................................Named Area of Interest
OODA ......................................................Observe – Orient – Decide – Act
OPT....................................................................Operational Planning Team
PIR ......................................................... Priority Intelligence Requirements
RCT .....................................................................Regimental Combat Team
SOP............................................................... Standard Operating Procedure
SSTR ............................. Stability, Security Transition and Reconstruction
TAI.........................................................................Targeted Area of Interest
WF ...............................................................................Warfighting Function