OBSERVATION: Commanders must approve the order after changes have been made by the staff. DISCUSSION: < A common problem for commanders and staffs is that the commander does not review and approve the operations order after it has been prepared. Additionally, commanders realize portions of the order do not meet their approval when they hear it during the orders brief They then attempt to correct the order during the briefing, which confuses subordinate commanders and wastes time. This problem is easily solved by the commander providing clear detailed planning guidance and remaining close to the staff during planning. The commander that is involved with planning from the beginning will not be surprised by the order during the briefing. The solution for the commander who cannot remain close to the staff is to allocate time to approve the order. The commander must review the order with the S-3 and have the staff available to clarify details prior to the order being produced (or if that is not possible, prior to the order briefing). By reviewing and then approving the order, the commander can be certain that his intent is clearly communicated.  LESSONS: Commander: Provide clear and detailed planning guidance, and remain close to the staff during the MDMP. Commander: Allocate time to review and approve the order before it is reproduced and briefed. Back to Table of Contents -- Battalion and Brigade Battle Staff Back to CALL List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by Coalition Web. Inc. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com