CHAPTER II

OPSEC PLANNING

1. General

  1. In order to prevent adversaries (or potential adversaries) from gaining valuable intelligence about friendly operations, joint forces must plan and execute OPSEC measures. To be effective, OPSEC measures must be considered as early as possible during mission planning and then be appropriately revised to keep pace with any changes in current operations and adversarial threats.

  2. Joint OPSEC planning and execution occur as part of the command's or organization's C2W effort. The commander's objectives for C2W are the basis for OPSEC planning. In addition to directly supporting the accomplishment of the commander's objectives, the use of OPSEC measures in support of the other components of C2W must also be considered during OPSEC planning. Those operational planners responsible for OPSEC must work in close coordination with the deception, EW, PSYOP, and physical destruction planners.

2. OPSEC Planning Factors. The following factors must be considered when conducting OPSEC planning:

  1. The commander plays the critical role. OPSEC planning guidance must be provided as part of the commander's C2W planning guidance to ensure that OPSEC is considered during the development of friendly courses of action (COAs).

  2. OPSEC is an operational function, not a security function. OPSEC planning must be done by the operations planners. They are assisted by the organization's OPSEC program personnel and appropriate planners from other staff elements. Intelligence support is particularly important in determining the threat to friendly operations and in assessing friendly vulnerabilities.

  3. Planning must focus on identifying and protecting critical information. Denying all information about a friendly operation or activity is seldom cost effective or realistic.

  4. The ultimate goal of OPSEC is increased mission effectiveness. By preventing an adversary from determining friendly intentions or capabilities, OPSEC reduces losses to friendly units and increases the likelihood of mission success.

  5. OPSEC should be one of the factors considered during the development and selection of friendly COAs. COAs will differ in terms of how many OPSEC indicators will be created and how easily those indicators can be managed by OPSEC measures. Depending upon how important maintaining secrecy is to mission success, OPSEC considerations may be a factor in selecting a COA.

  6. OPSEC planning is a continuous process. During the execution phase of an operation, feedback on the success or failure of OPSEC measures is evaluated and the OPSEC plan is modified accordingly. Friendly intelligence and counterintelligence organizations, COMSEC monitoring, and OPSEC surveys are the primary sources for feedback information.

  7. PAOs should participate in OPSEC planning to provide their assessments on the possible effects of media coverage and for the coordination of OPSEC measures to minimize those effects.

  8. The termination of OPSEC measures must be addressed in the OPSEC plan to prevent future adversaries from developing countermeasures to successful OPSEC measures. In some situations, it may be necessary for the OPSEC plan to provide guidance on how to prevent the target of the OPSEC operation, and any interested third parties, from discovering sensitive information relating to OPSEC during the postexecution phase.

3. OPSEC Planning and the Joint Planning Processes

  1. Joint OPSEC Planning. OPSEC planning in support of joint operations is accomplished through the application of the OPSEC process. The five actions that compose the OPSEC process are described in detail in Chapter III. Joint OPSEC planning is always done in conjunction with normal operational planning and as part of the overall C2W planning effort.

  2. Planning Processes. There are three major planning processes for joint planning. In the Joint Operation Planning and Execution System (JOPES), there are the deliberate and crisis action processes. They are described in Joint Pub 5-03.1. For campaign planning, there is the campaign planning process. It is described in Joint Pub 5-0.

  3. The Deliberate Planning Process. OPSEC planning relates to the JOPES deliberate planning process in the following manner: 

              Phase I--Initiation
          Phase II--Concept Development
            Step 1--Mission Analysis
            Step 2--Planning Guidance
                 OPSEC Action 1--Identification of Critical Information
            Step 3--Staff Estimates
                 OPSEC Action 2--Analysis of Threats
                 OPSEC Action 3--Analysis of Vulnerabilities
            Step 4--Commander's Estimate
                 OPSEC Action 4--Assessment of Risks
            Step 5--Commander's Concept
            Step 6--CJCS Concept Review
          Phase III--Plan Development
          Phase IV--Plan Review
          Phase V--Supporting Plans

    
               OPSEC Action 5--Application of Appropriate OPSEC Measures
               (Except for those measures intended to protect the plan
               prior to its being implemented, this part of the OPSEC
               process relates to the execution of operations orders.)
  4. The Crisis Action Planning Process. OPSEC planning relates to the JOPES crisis action planning process in the following manner:

    Phase I--Situation Development Phase II--Crisis Assessment Phase III--Course of Action Development OPSEC Action 1--Identification of Critical Information OPSEC Action 2--Analysis of Threats OPSEC Action 3--Analysis of Vulnerabilities OPSEC Action 4--Assessment of Risks Phase IV--Course of Action Selection Phase V--Execution Planning Phase VI--Execution OPSEC Action 5--Application of Appropriate OPSEC Measures

  5. The Campaign Planning Process 

                Phase I--Situation Development
            Phase II--Crisis Assessment
            Phase III--Course of Action Development
               OPSEC Action 1--Identification of Critical Information
               OPSEC Action 2--Analysis of Threats
               OPSEC Action 3--Analysis of Vulnerabilities
               OPSEC Action 4--Assessment of Risks
            Phase IV--Course of Action Selection
            Phase V--Execution Planning
            Phase VI--Execution
               OPSEC Action 5--Application of Appropriate
                  OPSEC Measures
  6. OPSEC Plans Format. OPSEC plans are prepared as part of all joint operations plans and orders. The format is found in Joint Pub 5-03.2, JOPES Volume II.
    12-20-1996; 16:57:12