ATTP 5-0.1 Commander and Staff Officer Guide - Army Electronic ...

Chapter 4
� Feasible. The COA can accomplish the mission within the established time, space, and resource
limitations.
� Acceptable. The COA must balance cost and risk with the advantage gained.
� Suitable. The COA can accomplish the mission within the commander’s intent and planning
guidance.
� Distinguishable. Each COA must differ significantly from the others (such as scheme of
maneuver, lines of effort, phasing, use of the reserve, and task organization).
� Complete. A COA must incorporate—
� How the decisive operation leads to mission accomplishment.
� How shaping operations create and preserve conditions for success of the decisive operation
or effort.
� How sustaining operations enable shaping and decisive operations or efforts.
� How to account for offensive, defensive, and stability or civil support tasks.
� Tasks to be performed and conditions to be achieved.
4-82. A good COA positions the force for sequels and provides flexibility to meet unforeseen events
during execution. It also gives subordinates the maximum latitude for initiative. During COA development,
the commander and staff continue risk assessment, focus on identifying and assessing hazards to mission
accomplishment, and incorporate proposed controls to mitigate them into COAs. The staff also continues to
revise IPB products, emphasizing event templates. During COA development, commanders and staffs
perform the process actions and produce the outputs shown in Figure 4-3.
Note: If design precedes or is conducted in parallel with the MDMP, the updated design concept
provides an overarching structure for COA development.
Assess Relative Combat Power
Figure 4-3. COA development
4-83. Combat power is the total means of destructive, constructive, and information capabilities that a
military unit/formation can apply at a given time. Army forces generate combat power by converting
potential into effective action (FM 3-0). Combat power is the effect created by combining the elements of
intelligence, movement and maneuver, fires, sustainment, protection, mission command, information, and
leadership. The goal is to generate overwhelming combat power to accomplish the mission at minimal cost.
4-84. To assess relative combat power, planners initially make a rough estimate of force ratios of maneuver
units two levels down. For example, at division level, planners compare all types of maneuver battalions
4-16 ATTP 5-0.1 14 September 2011