The planning continuum takes a mission from the future operations to execution in current operations areas.
The operational planning team (OPT) is placed in the future operations area. The Marine Corps Planning Process synchronizes all elements of the MAGTF toward a common mission
Operational Planning Team:
consists of personnel in future operations and is augmented by representatives of the seven battlespace functions, the four warfighting concept representatives, liasion officers, representatives of subordinate commands and any subject matter experts necessary to support the plan.
The OPT provides the link from future to current operations.
Future operations are generally in the time frame of 24-48 hours out.
Seven Battlespace Functions:
Command and Control Support(C2): Comprises the organization and technological support used to facilitate the flow and management of battlespace information.
Intelligence:
Includes organizations and activities needed to gather, process, and disseminate information related to the enemy and the environment.
Maneuver:
Maneuver employs forces to gain a relative advantage over the enemy to achieve a tactical, operational or strategic advantage. Deception is a form of maneuver. A relative advantage can be positional, temporal or mental.
Fires:
Employs coordinated lethal and nonlethal attack systems against threat resources and capabilities. Fires include fire systems, electronic warfare, psychological operations and Special Operations Force efforts.
Aviation:
Resources and support capabilities to fascilitate the aerospace portion of the operation. Marine aviation includes offensive air support, assault support, electronic warfare, air recon, antiair warfare, and the control of aircraft and missiles.
Mobility/Countermobility/Survivability:
Mobility operations preserve a force's freedom of movement and maneuver. Mobility activities include improving battlefield circulation, breaching operations, erecting bridges and improving roads. Countermobility operations deny mobility to the enemy. Survivability operations use all resources and means to protect a force from the effects of hostile fires and natural occurrences. Survivability includes hardening, fortification dispersion, security and deception.
Combat Service Support/Personnel Support:
includes those support aspects necessary to sustain a force and its operational activities. This includes engineering, maintenance, supply, transportation, personnel administration, personnel services and of course medical.
Four Warfighting Concepts
Support: to sustain a force throughout the course of an operation in a planned sequence to achieve the desired end state. Its goal is to balance force requirements with capabilities and to solve shortfalls before they become showstoppers. These areas are found in the CSSE.
Maneuver:
Includes a combination of fire and maneuver to generate operational advantage over the enemy.
Shaping:
Shaping operations dictate the terms of combat. These operations shape the battlespace to our advantage by increasing enemy obstacles, friction so he exposes his critical vulnerability to attack. Shaping uses both lethal and nonlethal means to influence the battlespace.
Force Protection:
helps to ensure freedom of action for the protected force and to safeguard personnel and assets. Force protection includes protection of forces, security, air and missile defense and deception.