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Introduction
Intelligence planning is largely a trial by fire adventure. At the joint level, the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Manual (CJCSM) 3314.01A, Intelligence Planning, and Joint Publication 2-0, Joint Intelligence, assist an intelligence professional in understanding intelligence planning. However, those documents provide only superficial guidance, and in the case of the first publication, emphasize collection management. Within Army doctrine, there are a number of useful portions within FM 2-0, Intelligence Operations, and ADRP 2-0, Intelligence, addressing intelligence planning that provide helpful considerations. However, both documents lack sufficient detail in addressing the "how" of intelligence planning holistically-not just requirements management. Arguably, it is assumed that intelligence professionals know how to be effective intelligence planners through intuition and experience. This article presumes that assumption is false. The basis of this assertion is on personal experience, both as an intelligence planner and as a chief of intelligence plans, and observing intelligence professionals' transition to planning billets.
The purpose of this article is to address this gap in tradecraft and to share best practices enabling intelligence planners to better understand their role. Ultimately, this results in intelligence planners increasing their effectiveness and the quality of intelligence support to the mission. The path of success is through iterative processes requiring both hardship and leadership, beginning with an intelligence staff estimate, creating the concept of intelligence operations, and ending with the core deliverables.
The target audience for this article is intelligence professionals at echelons division and above. Although the information is just as pertinent at the brigade level, the abbreviated decision-cycle, the size of the intelligence organization, and the length of the planning time-horizon decreases the need for a separate and distinct intelligence planning team (IPT), or at least it becomes less distinguishable.
Role and Purpose of the Intelligence Planner
On the surface, the responsibilities of the intelligence planner are quite simple and straightforward. The intelligence planner is responsible for two core deliverables: drafting priority intelligence requirements from the planning team and drafting Annex B (Intelligence) to plans and orders, or the equivalent input.1 However, the intelligence planner's development of these, particularly the latter, can be a challenge. This strikes at the heart of the dual purpose of the intelligence planner-to be the face of the Army intelligence enterprise...