The Elements of Commander's Intent

Success isn’t only about the big win at the end of a project. In a typical victory, it’s easy to tell who’s on top: the victor stands on the hill while the defeated walk away. But when speaking of commander's intent, success is made up of many smaller wins that fit together to form the bigger picture. Think of it like the image on a jigsaw puzzle — each small piece has a purpose.

Commanders visualize their jigsaw puzzle, commander's intent, planning guidance (including an operational approach), commander’s critical information requirements and essential elements of friendly information. They develop their intent by using the following components:

• Expanded purpose: the greater purpose of the operation and its relation to the entire force; not the same “why” as shown in the mission statement.
• Key tasks: the activities the force must perform to achieve the desired end state.
• Desired end state: the desired future conditions of the friendly force in relationship to the desired conditions of the enemy, terrain and civil considerations.

What does “right” look like? 

The conditions that define the end state of a mission are broad and describe what must be in place, in terms of personnel, resources and the coordination of civil and military forces, to demonstrate the unit achieved its objectives.

Here's an example of an operational commander's intent from the Armed Forces of the Philippines:

My intent is to support the Armed Forces of the Philippines in HA/DR operations in the affected areas of the Central Philippines. We will provide all available assistance to alleviate human suffering and restore normalcy.

In this example, the end state ask is broad: "to alleviate human suffering and restore normalcy." To accomplish this, the Commander has made it clear that the expectation is for all units to work together and provide "all available assistance." This describes what must be in place to accomplish the desired end state and achieve set objectives.

How does this help accomplish the mission?

Commander’s intent helps ensure members know their mission and the vision of how the mission is to be executed. They will know how much risk is tolerable and how much leeway they have.

In return, commanders can expect members to know their jobs better, do their jobs better and work with each other better.

Growing capability

The key to meeting commander’s intent is a trained, confident and engaged staff and unit. All members must understand the plan and their role to accomplish the commander’s intent. However, commanders and members alike also need the freedom and confidence to be flexible as the situation changes, taking care to ensure changes still fit the overall mission and vision.

Here are some concepts and ideas to grow capability for commander’s intent:

• Simulation and after-action reviews
• Small projects
• Past history and current events 

Pulling it all together

Commander’s intent is an essential tool to clearly and concisely express the concept of the mission and vision to all service members. It keeps everyone focused and together.

Explore the peacetime sample of a commander's intent memorandum below to see examples of each element.

Click a target to reveal more in-depth information.

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The Elements of Commander's Intent

Mission

Why are we here?

After meeting standard protocols and completing introductions, the commander states her vision for the mission, using broad terms. In other words, she defines her intent.

Example: Our mission is simple: to grow the best cadets in the XYZ Wing.

Tools

How will we do it?

The commander's intent is broad in nature, so you shouldn't expect a bullet list of instructions. It is up to the staff and the squadron to use the resources at their disposal to achieve the mission objectives.

Example: To do this, we will use all the resources at our disposal: leadership education (for cadets and senior members), character development, aerospace education and emergency services training. We will help our cadets learn about and internalize Civil Air Patrol's Core Values by modeling them at every meeting and opportunity.

End State

How will we define success?

Still in broad terms, everyone should know what a successful mission looks like. Planning small, SMART objectives to reach the end state is up to the staff and squadron.

Example: We will have a squadron even more successful than before. Our squadron will be a respected organization in the wing and in the community; more important, our cadets will be leaders. Their parents will be glad they "lent" them to us. And the cadets themselves will grow into outstanding young men and women who will in turn lead us.