Multi-National Planning Augmentation Team (MPAT) Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
1. PURPOSE: To prescribe procedures and guidance for the MPAT in support of Multinational Force operations in the Asia Pacific Region.
2. SCOPE: This SOP is a reference for all national participants in multinational operations.
1. CLASSIFICATION GUIDANCE: This SOP is unclassified.
4. CONFORMITY: Provisions of this SOP are not directive in nature. Rather it provides a standard set of procedures to which a cadre of international planners can periodically train. These procedures may be modified or amplified in specific MNF/CJTF SOPs. In case of discrepancies, once deployed, the MPAT will always comply with the SOP of the MNF/CJTF they are assigned to.
5. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHANGES: This SOP is a living, dynamic document that will require changes. The following procedures provide for the expeditious processing of proposed changes to the SOP.
a. Suggested changes will be submitted to USCINCPAC J-381, the “caretaker” for this multinational document.
b. Proposed changes will be in the following format:
(1) Subject: “PROPOSED CHANGE TO THE MPAT SOP”
(2) Reference: Cite the page and paragraph numbers.
(3) Proposal. State the change as you envision it in the SOP.
(4) Background/Justification. Document the reason for the proposed
change.
(5) Point of Contact. List the name, telephone number, and email address
for the POC.
c. J-381 will staff proposed changes with other participating countries prior to incorporation into the base document.
6. POC: The Point of Contact for this SOP is Chief, Joint Task Force Operations Branch (J381), HQ USCINCPAC Camp Smith Hawaii, telephone number 808-477-8267.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
1. INTRODUCTION
101. PURPOSE 1-1
102. BACKGROUND 1-1
103. CONCEPT 1-1
104. MISSION 1-2
105. MISSION ESSENTIAL TASKS 1-2
106. EMPLOYMENT 1-3
107. ASSIGNMENT CRITERIA 1-3
108. ORGANIZATION 1-4
2. TRAINING AND EDUCATION
201. INTRODUCTION 2-1
202. TRAINING METHODOLOGY 2-1
203. TRAINING RESPONSIBILITY 2-2
204. MISSION TRAINING PLAN 2-2
3. CRISIS ACTION PLANNING
301. INTRODUCTION 3-1
302. CRISIS ACTION PLANNING 3-1
303. PHASE I - SITUATION DEVELOPMENT 3-2
PHASE I CHECKLIST 3-3
304. PHASE II - CRISIS ASSESSMENT 3-5
PHASE II CHECKLIST 3-6
305. PHASE III - COURSE OF ACTION DEVELOPMENT 3-6
PHASE III CHECKLIST 3-14
306. PHASE IV - COA SELECTION 3-15
307. PHASE V - EXECUTION PLANNING 3-16
PHASE V CHECKLIST 3-18
308. PHASE VI - EXECUTION 3-20
PHASE VI CHECKLIST 3-20
309. SUMMARY 3-21
4. SUPPORT
401. INTRODUCTION 4-1
402. CONCEPT 4-1
403. AUTOMATED DATA PROCESSING 4-1
404. DEPLOYABLE JOINT TASK FORCE
AUGMENTATION CELL (DJTFAC) STAFF
SMART BOOK 4-3
405. DEPLOYMENT ORDERS, TRAVEL ADVANCES,
AND CLOSING TRAVEL CLAIM 4-4
406. OMITTED 4-4
407. DEPLOYMENT PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS 4-5
408. REDEPLOYMENT PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS 4-7
ANNEXES
ANNEX A PROCEDURES FOR THE TRANSPORT, AND A-1 STORAGE OF CLASSIFIED MATERIALS
ANNEX B INDIVIDUAL READINESS CHECKLIST B-1
ANNEX C ALERT PROCEDURES AND OUTLOAD C-1
SEQUENCE
ANNEX D EMBARKATION PLAN D-1
ANNEX E DEFINITIONS E-1
ANNEX F ACROYNMS F-1
ANNEX G REFERENCES: G-1
ANNEX H COUNTRY SUPPLEMENTS H-1
APPENDIX 1 - Country A H-1-1
APPENDIX 2 - Country B H-2-1
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Chapter 1
Introduction
101. Purpose. This SOP describes how the Multi-National Planning Augmentation Team (MPAT) deploys and implements crisis action planning while assigned to a multinational force headquarters. It is written to inform national command authorities and designated multinational force headquarters of MPAT capabilities and procedures. It is also intended to be a training guide for the cadre of international planners from the Asia-Pacific region that consititue the MPAT. These planners, representing those countries participating in this program, voluntarily attend periodic planning workshops to standardize, refine and rehearse these procedures for exercises and contingencies.
102. Background. Multinational forces are normally built around a headquarters provided by the nation providing the preponderance of forces for a contingency. Frequently these headquarters are adhoc and lack the continuity of standing organizations. Consequently, they require significant time to become fully operational. Lessons learned from numerous recent small-scale contingencies (peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, search and rescue, and evacuation operations) illustrate multinational planning, decision-making and execution requires increased speed of reaction, effectiveness and interoperability among all cooperating nations.
103. Concept.
a. Achieving these necessary improvements is a function of establishing common procedures and closer (if not habitual) relationships between key individuals at the operational (or headquarters staff) level; and establishing common tactics, techniques and procedures for forces at the tactical level. The MPAT initiative addresses the first of these areas.
b. Participating countries first pre-identify their key individuals and organizations in the event of their nation’s participation in a multinational small-scale contingency. For some countries this may beaa two tiered process. The first tier is at the military’s theater or supreme headquarters level. USCINCPAC, for instance, has a standing deployable JTF augmentation cell of 11 people whose full time job is to train JTF staffs and to be prepared to augment these headquarters when those JTF headquarters aaaare activated. Other countries are also known to have designated several people in their respective senior headquarters to be their full time contingency planners for multinational operations.
c. This first tier, however, must be backed up with more depth and specialized expertise from other parts of the military when a contingency occurs. USCINCPAC has 41 “designated” augmentees that can be drawn from its service components and subordinate headquarters to augment a joint task force headquarters, if required. The numbers and types of personnel in Tier 2, however, are determined based on a nation’s expected level of involvement in possible scenarios and is tailored based on each contingency. All Tier 1 and 2 personnel, however, need to be trained to a common set of procedures and must be deployable within hours of notification.
d. The key words are “trained and ready”. Establishing a common set of procedures and training to these tasks is critical for the multinational staff. This is a time consuming process that can be greatly shortened with a cadre of officers from all countries that have trained as a group to these tasks prior to an actual contingency. The purpose is not to dictate a set of procedures on a multinational force headquarters when the MPAT deploys in its support, but rather to establish and be able to use a common set of procedures that can speed the initial muiltinational response to a crisis. The following chapters present the U.S. crisis action planning methodology and is presented as a point of departure for further development of a common set of MPAT procedures in future MPAT training workshops and exercises.
104. Mission’s. On order, and given an international mandate to form a multinational force headquarters, the MPAT augments that headquarters to provide responsive combined and joint staff expertise in crisis action and joint staff planning.
a. The MPAT's mission requires the team to provide expertise in crisis action planning to a designated multinational headquarters. The MPAT is not intended to replace any staff members of that headquarters; rather it focuses its efforts on providing augmentation to that staff during planning, writing, and synchronizing of the various C/JTF crisis action products. These products may include, but are not limited to: Warning Orders, Courses of Action (COA), Concepts of Operations (CONOPS), Commander’s Estimates, Operations Orders (OPORDS), Synchronization Matrices, Deployment Orders, Execution Orders, Planning Orders, and plans for branches and sequels.
b. The MPAT normally provides support to a multinational force under one of three broad mission profiles. They are:
(1) Contingencies. The Deployable Joint Task Force Augmentation Cell (DJTFAC) deploys to provide responsive joint staff expertise in Crisis Action Planning situations during an actual operation within the Asia-Pacific region. The MPAT will assist in all phases of CAP from situation development through execution.
(2) Exercises. The MPAT deploys to provide the same type of planning assistance as in contingency response situations during periodic multinational training exercises.
(3) Multinational Force Training. The MPAT also participates in exercises to prepare MNF commanders and staffs in the fundamentals of planning joint and combined operations. Emhpasis is placed on the Crisis Action Planning (CAP) processes. MPAT personnel will often conduct a short academic mobile training team visit immediately prior to an exercise to prepare the exercising headquarters with crisis action planning classes.
c. The MPAT is an asset that is capable of rapid deployment in a crisis situation. Upon completion of its mission, normally no longer than 30 days, the MPAT will redeploy all personnel.
105. Mission Essential Tasks
a. Deploy upon direction of national command authorities.
b. Provide the MNF a core of combined and joint service personnel capable of immediate preparation of crisis action products for a wide range of missions
c. Remain with the MNF staff until redeployed by the responsible national command authority.
106. Employment
a. The DJTFAC is designed for for use as augmentation throughout the MNF staff. The value added to the MNF comes from the wide variety of joint experience that brings crisis action planning expertise directly into the MNF's Joint Planning Group (JPG). Certain members of the MPAT may also perform liaison functions to their respective countries. The primary focus of the team will be working in the JPG Cell for the MNF commander.
b. During Phase III (Course of Action Development) of the Crisis Action Planning (CAP) process, the MPAT will support the MNF by providing assistance with numerous processes and products: conducting mission analysis; assisting in movement planning; preparing courses of action (COA); conducting wargaming sessions; conducting COA analysis and comparison; developing branches and sequels; planning for command and control warfare (C2W); and assisting in the development of the synchronization matrix and decision support matrix. The Team Chief of the MPAT will also provide advice to the MNF commander regarding commander-staff interface during crisis action planning.
c. During Phase IV through Phase VI of the CAP process, the MPAT supports the MNF by providing assistance with numerous processes and products: developing branch plans, preparing warning orders, conducting planning synchronization, and assisting the JPG during the execution phase.
107. Assignment Criteria. Personnel nominated for the MPAT must possess a thorough knowledge of their country military capabilities, and should be experienced operational-level planning staff officers. To maximize effectiveness of the MPAT when it is deployed with a designated MNF, it is critical to build the team on a foundation of cohesion, expertise and consistency. The best way to achieve these goals and sustain skills is to ensure that team membership is stabilized to maximize continuity and professional development in each designated position. With these goals in mind, the following team assignment criteria are recommended:
a. Assignment period of no less than 18 months.
b. High state of personal deployability readiness.
c. Fluent in English.
d. Ability to participate in quarterly training events.
e. Foreign military training extremely helpful.
108. Organization. The MPAT can be composed of representatives from throughout the senior staff and service components from each participating country. Each MPAT deployment, however, will be carefully tailored to the mission and supported headquarters. Below is a proposed list of MPAT billets. Not every country will elect to assign personnel to each of these billets. Collectively, however, all should be filled and the personnel filling these billets be made available to participate in team training.
BILLET RANK PROVIDING NATIONS
TEAM CHIEF 06
DJTFAC XO 05
DJTFAC ADMIN E5
PERSONNEL PLANNER 04
INTELLIGENCE PLANNER 04
OPERATIONS PLANNER 04
OPERATIONS PLANNER 04
CURRENT OPERATIONS 04
CURRENT OPERATIONS 04
BILLET RANK PROVIDING NATIONS
INFORMATION OPS SPECIALIST 04
CIVIL AFFAIRS PLANNER 04
LOGISTICS PLANNER 04
ENGINEER PLANNER 04
MOVEMENT PLANNER 04
POL/MIL PLANNER 05
COMMUNICATIONS PLANNER 04
PUBLIC AFFAIRS PLANNER 05
LEGAL PLANNER 05
MEDICAL PLANNER 04
AIRLIFT OPERATIONS PLANNER 04
AIR LOGISTICS PLANNER 04
AIR OPERATIONS PLANNER 04
ARMY LOGISTICS PLANNER 04
ARMY OPERATIONS PLANNER 04
NAVY LOGISTICS PLANNER 04
NAVY OPERATIONS PLANNER 04
MARINE LOGISTICS PLANNER 04
MARINE OPERATIONS PLANNER 04
SOF PLANNER 04
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Chapter 2
Training and Education
201. Introduction. Crisis action planning skills and expertise in the decision making processes are the enabling tasks for MPAT team members. These skills are perishable and warrant continual training. Additionally, personnel assigned as members of the MPAT are expected to be knowledgeable about multiservice and multinational operations. These high expectations require continuing education to be prepared to go deploy and support designated MNF headquarters on short notice. Consequently, MPAT members will need to participate in periodic training. The frequency of this training may vary but at a minimum should be conducted on a quarterly basis. These events will span the spectrum of training from CAP drills to academic classes and may be conducted virtually using multimedia and distance learning technologies. As a rule, training sessions will be process oriented. Team members will be expected to participate in a variety of roles during these training events. These roles will include, but are not limited to:
a. Providing instruction on a CAP topic.
b. Acting as a facilitator for a group discussion.
c. Acting as primary instructor for a process oriented training session.
d. Providing support to a primary instructor.
202. Training Methodology
a. There exists numerous training opportunities for the MPAT throughout each year. Each country has an exercise schedule that could integrate MPAT operations at the headquarters level. It is important for team members to participate in collective training workshops and seminars several times throughout the year to build and sharpen required skills. Finally, given the time-distance factor, much of the individual training can and should be accomplished through multimedia and distance learning formats using CD and internet technologies
b. In consultation with other participating country points of contact, J381 will prepare:
(1) An 18-month long-range training plan projecting MNF and national exercises in which the MPAT might participate.
(2) A 12-month training calender reflecting MPAT workshops and seminars. Training session agendas.
(3) An individual training orientation and program that can be accomplished using distributed learning technologies.
c. The MPAT training plan will progressively build its experience and the experience of each of its team members. There is no universally accepted doctrine for multinational operations. There is, however, a wealth of information and lessons learned from previous operations that can be used to shape a set of common headquarters procedures for multinational operations in Asia. These procedures will evolve from the MPAT workshops, seminars, exercises and contingency operations and will be captured in this SOP.