Featured Article: A Strategy to Harmonize Joint and Interagency Planning

Featured article:

Filling the Gap: A Strategy to Harmonize Joint and Interagency Planning
by J. “Spyke” Szeredy

How can providing a new planning strategy exert influence, align objectives, and harmonize activities between the Joint and Interagency environments? A simplified strategy for the integration of planning across the joint (Department of Defense [DoD] and integrated service components) and the interagency communities would create a greater whole-of-government approach, bridge planning requirements, and bring planners together to achieve a desired end state for all types of environments and situations. A whole-of-government approach should focus efforts to create a cohesive, unified strategy that is synchronized and executed across the range of operations.

Over the past two decades, DoD has codified the joint operation planning process (JOPP). This process works well within the military environment where planners have operational experience; however, a lack of established planning procedures, understanding, education, and integration among communities creates disconnects within the interagency and intergovernmental environments. To succeed in any complex environment, joint and interagency planners must synchronize the planning process. Joint interagency doctrine discusses JOPP, but expects interagency and intergovernmental planners, with little education, exposure, or experience, to comprehend the process. Subject-matter experts in both DoD and the Department of State (State) acknowledge the difference between military planning and planning within the joint, interagency, and intergovernmental environments. To achieve a productive and successful end state among all entities, planners need a simple method for situational analysis and the ability to work through deliberate and crisis action events. This method requires focused attention and harmonized planning across agency boundaries…

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Filling the Gap: A Strategy to Harmonize Joint and Interagency Planning PDF

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IAJ 6-1 (Winter 2015) PDF

J. “Spyke” Szeredy currently teaches Influence and Information Operations at the 39th Information Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida. Mr. Szeredy holds a B.S. from EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University, MMOAS from Air University, and is finishing an M.A. in Strategic Communications at National Defense University. Additionally, he guest lectures at the United States Air Force Special Operations School.


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