Book Description

This study challenges the military decision-making process as both ineffective and inefficient for use in decision making at the task force level. FM 101-5 (final draft), Staff Organization and Operations, 1966, currently prescribes the MDMP as the only accepted process for decision making. This process is applicable to all echelons. This researcher suggests that the decision-making process is different at task force level and makes recommendations to improve the decision-making process when applied to the resource constrained environment characteristic of task force level operations. The MDMP is a systematic, analytical approach to decision making that generates multiple courses of action for the purpose of allowing the commander to select the optimum COA. This study explored the existing theories of naturalistic or recognition primed decision making for the purpose of determining a single option rapidly. The MDMP is by its own description a staff and time intensive process. The requirement to develop the best possible solution instead of one workable solution results in a significant increase in time used in the conduct of the planning process with no applicable difference in the results. The research examined the MDMP against the environment characteristics of task force level operations for efficiency and effectiveness. The study concluded that the MDMP is neither an efficient nor effective planning process when applied to task force level. The study provides recommended improvements for the MDMP to streamline the process and make it a more efficient and effective process for task force level planning. Key to the discussion is the idea of returning to a more commander involved metal process versus the present staff driven, product oriented process of FM 101-5.